Status and Decadal Change of
Glaciers in the Hindu Kush
Himalayan (HKH) Region
N
Indus Forum Workshop Switzerland
Knowledge Exchange on Glaciers and Climate
11 – 15 Oct. 2016, University of Zurich, Switzerland
Samjwal Ratna Bajracharya
International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD)
Glaciers in the HKH region
http://lib.icimod.org/record/9419
Basins
Amu Darya
Indus
Ganga
Brahmaputra
Irrawaddy
Salween
Mekong
Yangtze
Yellow
Tarim
Interior
Total
Glacier Cover in HKH: 1.4%; Average glacier area 1.1km2
Number Area (km2)
3,277
2,566
18,495
21,192
7,963
9,012
11,497
14,019
133
35
2,113
1,351
482
234
1,661
1,561
189
137
1,091
2,310
7,351
7,535
54,252
60,054
5,000
0
2,310.3
3.8
137.4
0.2
1,659.9
2.8
234.6
0.4
7,534.6
12.5
23.3
14,019.8
15,000
1,351.8
2.3
10,000
9,011.5
15.0
30
20
10
0
Percentage (%)
20,000
35.3
21,192.7
25,000
35.5
0.1
2,566.2
4.3
Glacier area (km2)
Glacier - Area percentage
50
Glacier area
Glacier area percent
40
Interior
Tarim
Yellow
Yangtze
Mekong
Salween
Irrawaddy
Brahmaputra
Ganga
Indus
Amu Darya
Elevation (masl)
Glaciers - Elevation
9,000
8,000
7,000
6,000
5,000
4,000
3,000
2,000
Glaciers - Hypsographs
9,000
8,000
Around 70% glaciers are
at 4000 to 6000 masl
Elevation (masl)
7,000
6,000
5,000
4,000
Indus
Ganga
Brahmaputra
3,000
2,000
0
200
400
600
800
Glacier area (km2)
1000
1200
1400
1600
Glaciers in Indus basin
http://lib.icimod.org/record/27040
Glacier Glacier area
number (sq km)
Basins
1,601
1,722
183
U. Indus
11,413
15,062
2,174
Panjnad
5,481
4,409
340
Indus
18,495
21,193
2,697
Elevation (masl)
Kabul
9,000
8,000
7,000
6,000
5,000
4,000
3,000
2,000
Indus
Kabul
Upper Indus
Panjnad
Glacier area (km2)
Elevation (m asl)
0
500
1000
9000
8000
7000
6000
5000
4000
3000
2000
Kabul
I
Upper Indus
Ice reserves
(cu km)
I
Panjnad
1500
2000
Decadal glacier change in the HKH
basins from the 1980s to 2010
Jhelum basin
Nepal
Bhutan
Myanmar
Decadal glacier area change
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
India/Pakistan - Jhelum basin
Nepal
Nepal/China - Narayani
Bhutan
Bhutan/China - Manas basin
Myanmar
Myanmar/China - Irrawaddy
India and Pakistan– Jhelum River
Status in 2010
Latitude (o)
33.471 - 35.107
Longitude (o)
73.417 - 75.588
Elevation (masl)
3527 - 6285
No of glacier
846
Glacier area (km2)
211.16
Ice reserves(km3)
8.36
Glacier %
0.42
Basin Area (km2)
50844
Major tributaries
From Pakistan and India
NW
6500
1980
2000
5500
1990
2010
Elevation (masl)
6000
5000
4500
4000
3500
Glacier area
W
25
20
15
10
5
0
N
NE
E
SW
SE
(km2)
3000
S
0
10
20
30
40
50
Mean Slope
(o)
>60
50-60
40-50
30-40
20-30
10-20
0-10
India and Pakistan– Jhelum River
Jhelum Basin
Year
Glacier
Number
Highest Lowest
Glacier
Ice Reserve
Elevation Elevation Diff Elv.
Area
(m)
(m)
(sq.km.)
(cu.km.)
1980
817
6285
3520
2765 268.57
10.96
1990
823
6285
3520
2765 248.15
10.04
2000
845
6285
3520
2765 220.83
8.82
2010
846
6285
3527
2758 211.16
8.36
Area Loss (%)
1980- 1990
7.6
1990- 2000
11.0
2000-2010
4.4
Glacier change in 30 years
Number
+3.5%
Area
- 21.4%
Nepal
8,500
5800
masl
8,000
7,500
7,000
Elevation (masl)
6,500
6,000
5,500
5,000
4,500
4,000
1980
3,500
1990
2000
2010
3,000
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
Glacier area (km2)
NW
W
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
N
NE
Mean slope (o)
E
SW
SE
>60
50-60
40-50
30-40
20-30
10-20
0-10
Elevation
(masl)
Below 5800
Koshi
67.7
Above 5800
32.3
42.9
18.0
11.7
Nepal
67.4%
32.6%
Status and change in glaciers in Nepal in 1980, 1990, 2000, and 2010
Decadal change
Glacier
1980–1990
1990–2000
2000–2010
1980–2010
Number
S
Glacier area % in basins
Gandaki
Karnali
Mahakali
57.1
82.0
88.3
Area
(km2)
+226
+7%
+109
+3%
+43
+1%
+378
+11%
-662
-13%
-295
-7%
-308
-7%
-1266
-24%
Nepal
Glacier change in 30 Years
Glacier area loss in
Imja valley - 27%
Glacier area loss in
Langtang valley - 25%
24% Glacier Area Loss in Nepal
(1980s to 2010)
http://lib.icimod.org/record/29591
Bhutan
Basin (Chu)
Wang
Number
Area (Km2)
56
33
Punatsang
436
362
Manas
393
248
Bhutan
885
642
Amo – no glaciers within Bhutan
Wang- Ha (no glaciers), Pa and Thim
Punatsang- Mo, and Pho
Manas- Mangde, Chamkhar, Kuri and
Dangme
Bhutan area in HKH 1%;
Glacier contribution in HKH 1.1%
Glacier area in Bhutan - 1.7%
Wang Chu merges with Punatsang Chu outside of Bhutan
Bhutan
Basin
1980
(Chu)
Wang
43.68
Punatsang 464.03
Manas
352.03
Total
860
1990
2000
2010
38.82
411.64
295.19
746
35.29
387.65
272.03
695
33.74
375.22
261.82
671
Glacier area
Decade
2000-10
1990-00
1980-90
-14
-12
http://lib.icimod.org/record/29316
-10
-8
-6
-4
Decrease in glacier area (%)
-2
0
Bhutan
7500
Elevation (m asl)
7000
5600m asl
6500
Elevation
Dec. area (km2)
Dec. area (%)
7200-5600
5600-5100
≤5100
1980-2010
42.87
109.2
37.31
1980-2010
23.2
22.2
20.3
6000
5500
5000
1980
1990
2000
2010
4500
4000
3500
0
20
40
60
80
Glacier area (km2)
Area (km2)
1980
1990
7200-5600
184.86
151.56
5600-5100
491.1
427.6
≤5100
184.09
166.31
Elevation
2000
100
120
140
Decrease ( %)
2010
80s-90
90-00 2000-10
143.5 141.99
18.01
5.31
1.06
397.9
381.9
12.93
6.96
4.02
153.5 146.78
9.66
7.73
4.35
23% Glacier Area Loss in Bhutan
(1980s to 2010)
Bhutan and China – Manas
River
Status of glaciers in Manas basin
Latitude (o)
27.701 - 28.066
Longitude (o)
90.255 - 92.454
Elevation (masl)
4399 - 7353
No of glacier
1316
Glacier area (km2)
1008.68
Ice reserves(km3)
72.71
Glacier %
3.40
Basin Area (km2)
29635
Major tributaries
Mangde, Chamkhar, Kuri,
Dangme
Bhutan and China –
Manas River
Glacier change in 30 Years
7300
1500
6800
Elevation (masl)
1200
900
600
300
6300
5800
5300
4800
1980
1990
2000
2010
4300
0
1980
Glacier number
1990
2000
Glacier area
(sq.km.)
Glacier Area
Data
Year
Glacier
Number
(km2)
(%)
2010
1315
1009
2000
1370
1990
1980
2010
3800
Ice reserves
(cu.km.)
Ice reserves
0
20
Elevation (masl)
(%)
22.32
Highest
Lowest
22.45
(km3)
72.70
7353
4399
1054
23.46
75.15
23.08
7353
4312
1251
1144
25.46
82.47
25.33
7353
4300
1174
1286
28.63
95.32
29.27
7353
4005
40
60
80
100
Glacier area (km2)
120
140
Gr. Nr +10.7%
Gr. Area - 21%
Elev:
-394m
5800
5600
Elevation (m asl)
Glacier elevation
4200 - 5600 masl
> 50% South Aspects
Myanmar - Irrawaddy
5400
5200
5000
4800
4600
4400
4200
4000
0
1
2
3
4
Glacier area within 100m bin (km 2)
5
6
Myanmar – Irrawaddy
Glacier changes from 1977 to 2009
Myanmar
Areal
Range
(km2)
≤0.1
>0.1-≤0.2
>0.2-≤1
>1-≤3
>3
Total
1977
Area(km2
Number
)
46
2.599
16
2.320
22
7.807
7
11.394
1
3.008
92
27.128
1990
Area(km2
Number
)
46
2.602
16
2.315
22
7.786
8
14.245
0
0
92
26.948
2000
Number
46
16
22
8
0
92
Area(km2)
2.605
2.306
7.723
14.095
0
26.729
2009
Area(km2
Number
)
49
2.772
15
2.219
22
8.303
7
12.357
0
0
93
25.651
-5.4%
Irrawaddy
Deacadal (year)
Glacier
Decadal glacier change
1977
1990
2000
2009
1977-1990
1990-2000
2000-2009
Number
142
142
142
143
0
0%
0
0%
Area (km2)
41.63
41.36 40.92 38.92
-0.27
0.65%
-0.43
1.04%
Estimated ice
reserves (km3)
1.553
1.537 1.514 1.408
-0.017
1.07%
-0.022
1.50% -0.106 7.01% -0.145 -9.40%
1
0.70%
1977-2009
1
0.70%
-6.5%
-2.00 4.90% -2.707 -6.50%
Himalayan Glacier
change from 1980s - 2010
Basin/Country
Number (%)
Jhelum / Pakistan, India +3.5
Karnali, Gandaki, Koshi
/ Nepal
+11
Narayani / Nepal, China +12.6
Sankosh/Bhutan
+14.8
Manas / China, Bhutan
+10.7
Irrawaddy / Myanmar
+1.1
Irrawaddy/ Myanmar, China
Area (%)
-21.4
-24
-26.2
-23
-21
-5.4
-6.5
West
East
Conclusions
1. Shrinking, fragmentation and retreating of
glaciers
2. Increase in number and decrease in area
3. Certain elevation zones are very sensitive
4. Glacier retreat rate is accelerated once the
lake is formed
Way Forward
• Identify the hot spot area for regular
monitoring of glaciers
• Access to the better quality satellite images
• Develop a quick methodology for glacier
monitoring
• Glacier ice volume estimation
http://www.icimod.org/publications/
http://geoportal.icimod.org/
http://rds.icimod.org
www.sciencemag.org
Thank You