Himalayan glacier response to climate variability: A study of the Ravi and Bhaga basins
Author(s): Shanta Kumar Negi, Anurag Linda and Chander Prakash
Abstract: The rapid melting of Himalayan glaciers from 1992 to 2020 is a significant indicator of climate change's impact on water supplies and mountain landscapes. The Ravi and Bhaga basins in the northern western Himalayas have experienced significant warming, with the Bhaga basin showing a linear trend of 0.025x + 264.1 and the Ravi basin showing a robust trend of 0.02x + 279. These trends align with satellite observations and meteorological records, which report mean temperature increases of up to 2 °C since the late twentieth century. Rising temperatures intensify glacier ablation by extending the duration and severity of the melt season, accelerating both surface and subsurface ice loss. Precipitation variability in both basins is weakly positive but not significant long-term. This results in consistently negative glacier mass balances, highlighting the need for adaptive spatial and temporal monitoring on glacier health.
Pages: 129-135 | Views: 76 | Downloads: 38Download Full Article: Click Here
How to cite this article:
Shanta Kumar Negi, Anurag Linda, Chander Prakash. Himalayan glacier response to climate variability: A study of the Ravi and Bhaga basins. Int J Geogr Geol Environ 2025;7(9):129-135.
