A. V. Kulkarni

Indian Institute of Science Bangalore | IISC · Divecha Centre for Climate Change

To the understand future state of glaciers at river-basin scale in the Himalaya. The results of this analysis will help policy makers and downstream populations to prepare for near-future risks due to looming water scarcity & geophysical hazards.

Sudden release of water from a glacier lake is called Glacier Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF). This can threaten human lives and cause damage to the environment & infrastructure. The scientific community is currently focusing on monitoring of existing glacier lakes, identifying sites where glacier lakes are likely to form in the future, and measures to...

Glaciers in the Satluj river basin are likely to lose 53% and 81% of area by the end of the century, if climate change followed RCP 8.5 scenario of CNRM-CM5 and GFDL-CM3 models respectively. The large variability in area loss can be due to difference in temperature and precipitation projections. Presently, Satluj basin has approximately 2000 glacie...

The Teesta basin in Sikkim Himalaya hosts numerous glacial lakes in the high altitude glacierized region, including one of the largest and the fastest-growing South Lhonak Lake. While these lakes are mainly located in remote and unsettled mountain valleys, far-reaching glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) may claim lives and damage assets up to ten...

Snow cover and glaciers are the major sources of freshwater from the Polar Regions, Antarctica, Himalaya and the Arctic. Melt from these glacial components forms the supply of water to the downstream communities for various socio-economic and industrial activities. Due to climatic change, they are observed retreating and melting at a higher rate. M...

The Himalayas are highly susceptible to various natural disasters, such as the tectonically induced land deformation, earthquakes, landslides, and extreme climatic events. Recently, the Joshimath town witnessed a significantly large land subsidence activity. The phenomenon resulted in the development of large cracks in roads and in over 868 civil s...

Accurate forecast of daily streamflow of the major Himalayan rivers is crucial for understanding changes in their hydrological regimes caused by precipitation variability, as well as their potential implications for hydropower generation and flood management in the downstream region. However, the study pertaining to daily streamflow forecasting in...

The Himalayan cryosphere comprises a large concentration of glaciers that feed numerous perennial rivers, providing food and water security to millions of people living in the downstream regions. To understand the effect of changing climate on these glaciers, an assessment of the mass loss in the glacier is crucial. In this study, the volume of 279...

The Hindukush Karakoram Himalaya is one of the largest reservoirs of ice and snow and supports the lives of billions of people. Climate change is significantly impacting the glaciers in the region, leading to widespread glacier recession. Over the years scientific studies on glacier dynamics have gained attention worldwide. This chapter is a compre...

Deglaciation has led to the transformation of glaciers into rock glaciers in various mountainous regions worldwide. However, the science of permafrost and rock glaciers remains under‐researched in the Himalayan region. This study presents a detailed inventory, dynamics, and permafrost distribution map for the Jhelum basin in the Kashmir Himalaya. T...

A proper estimate of glacier stored water is helpful to assess the long-term availability of water in any river basin. A method based on the laminar flow and volume-area scaling is used to estimate glacier stored water in the Chenab basin. Here, we used Landsat 8 images from 2015 to 2019 for the estimation of glacier surface velocity. The laminar f...

Kabul Basin in the Hindukush–Karakoram–Himalaya (HKH) consists of 3097 glaciers that are crucial for Afghanistan’s irrigation and hydrological needs. However, they are rapidly shrinking and the consequences of this melting result in a shortage of water availability and glacial lake development. Due to the rugged and complex topography of the area a...

The present study demonstrates the importance of glacier inventories in understanding and managing glaciers in the Himalayan region, specifically in the Pho Chu Basin (PCB) of Bhutan Himalaya. The study utilised, Sentinel-2A imagery of 2021 to create a novel inventory of glaciers in the PCB, and further modified the boundaries of 35 (area > 1 km2)...

Glaciers in the Karakoram region are widely recognized for their historical surging phenomenon. Accurate field-based glacier monitoring is challenging in the Karakoram due to the presence of mixed-nature glaciers that are advancing, receding , and surging. Many geographers came to the opinion that surging is a thermally controlled activity in the K...

Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) are a severe threat to communities in the Himalayas; however, GLOF mitigation strategies have been implemented for only a few lakes, and future changes in hazard are rarely considered. Here, we present a comprehensive assessment of current and future GLOF hazard for Gepang Gath Lake, Western Himalaya, considerin...

Retrieval of glacier ice thickness is extremely important for monitoring water resources and predicting glacier dynamics and changes. The inter-annual glacier ice thickness observations (more than 5 years) exploit the glacier mass changes. Ice thickness is one of the important parameters to predict the future sea-level rise. Without adequate knowle...

Water requirements of the mountain communities living in the Himalaya are supported by snow and glacier melt. The availability of water from the source depends on numerous climatic and glacier parameters. One key parameter is mass balance, which helps to assess the glacier health and future water availability. We have used the improved accumulation...

This paper explores and investigates potential of the close range terrestrial photogrammetry for urban parking space, which is occluded by trees and surrounded by buildings. The main challenge is to map boundaries of horizontal ground surface adjacent to vertical building structures. The study outlines a strategy for comprehensive mapping of such s...

Overlap between two convergent images for close-range terrestrial photogrammetry is a pre-requisite for view planning of building corners. Available tools determine overlap of images that are acquired by normal geometry at a constant distance. However, for the convergent images lengths of image footprints vary according to camera position. The pape...

Keypoint detection for image matching is an important step in close range photogrammetry. It essentially depends upon ground sampling distance (GSD) of an image. For a convergent image, GSD variations on the either side of image axis are not equal. Moreover, GSD also varies according to camera position placed at constant distance from an object. Th...

In this study, an image segmentation algorithm (“OTSU”) is applied for differentiation of snow/ice regions followed by interpretation of snowlines and estimation of mass budget of glaciers in Chandra basin, Western Himalaya, India between 2014 and 2020. The observations strongly suggest that the OTSU method can be used to differentiate the snow and...

Here, we present a detailed analysis of glaciers in the Alaknanda Basin, Central Himalaya, starting with a novel glacier inventory for 1968 and 2020 using high-resolution datasets of Corona and Sentinel-2A. Primarily, we examine the factors influencing changes in glacier characteristics. Results show that glacier area reduced to 683 ± 47.81 km2 fro...

The Himalayan region has a large concentration of glaciers and seasonal snow. Recent advances in remote sensing technologies have made it possible to study previously unexplored Himalayan cryosphere. These studies are essential to understand the water security of a large population living in Indo-Gangetic plains. We compile the work carried out by...

The Upper Indus Basin has a large concentration of glaciers and mainly fed by snow and glacier melt. These melt runoffs are the primary driver of discharge and significantly contribute to Indus flows. Therefore, the present study was undertaken in the Upper Indus Basin (UIB) up to the Besham Quila site. This study focuses on quantifying runoff's co...

Reliable estimates of glacier stored water are necessary for water resources management of Himalayan rivers. Extreme climate and rugged Himalayan terrain make it challenging to apply field methods. Therefore, the investigation used a technique based on glacier surface velocity, slope, and laminar flow law. We have estimated the stored water of 319...

Snow cover plays an important role in hydrological modeling and influences the energy balance. Daily Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) snow products are widely used for snow cover monitoring; however, the cloud cover causes a discontinuity in spatial and temporal scale. Therefore, we have implemented a composite methodology (fiv...

The present study focuses on using remote sensing techniques to estimate the Karakoram glacier velocity that emulates glacier’s reaction to climate warming. Proposed study is essential and critical due to the vast spatial and temporal variability of the Karakoram Glaciers, fieldwork difficulties, and the lack of in situ data in the Karakoram. It fo...

We simulated and analyzed the glacier dynamics over the Beas basin (situated in the north-western Himalayas) for the present (1980–2015) and future climates (2006–2100) under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 global warming sce-narios. We first calibrated the Open Global Glacier Model over the study region and then conducted simulations for the present (forced by...

The Himalayas, also known as third pole of the Earth feed some of the major rivers of the world viz. Ganga, Indus, Brahmaputra etc. The accurate assessment of water resources in eastern Himalayas is very important for respective policy makers. The detailed assessment of water resources and hydrological cycle component are very critical for attainin...

The regional scale mass change provides a substantial understanding to the influence of climate change on the glacier surface. However, the scarce ground observations and large spatial extent limit the use of field-based mass balance estimation. In this study, the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite data were used to estimate...

Waters of high Asia How the rivers of the Himalaya-Karakoram region of Asia respond to climate change is critical for the billion-plus people who depend on the water that they provide. In a review, Azam et al . discuss recent progress in understanding the importance of glacier and snow melt in the hydrological budget there, which is driven largely...

The Himalayan region has a large hydropower potential due to the natural topographic gradient and abundance of water resource from rainfall, snow and glacier melt. However, future water availability in the Himalayan streams is likely to be altered due to climatic conditions, which necessitates an assessment of hydropower investments, especially for...

The reliable quantification of Groundwater Recharge (GR) is essential for efficient and sustainable groundwater resource practices. In this study, the spatio-temporal GR over the Ganga River Basin (GRB) was calculated using six different methods during 2003–2016. The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and water fluxes were utilized as...

Study Region Allain catchment, a sub-basin of Beas basin, Western Himalaya. Study Focus This study aims to assess future glacio-hydrological changes in a small basin and their impacts on the operation of two Small Hydropower Projects (SHP) with contrasting hydrological requirements. The Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) model is used to integra...

The heterogeneous ice-melt of glaciers in the Himalaya and other mountain ranges is often associated with debris cover, slope, precipitation, and temperature. However, this study ascertains that the climate feedback mechanism introduced due to meltwater influx of retreating tributary glaciers accelerates the melting of the main glacier body. Such r...

Glacier velocity, the glacier's health indicator, is an emerging research interest in global warming among the scientific community over the current decade. As per scientific reports, due to their stable and advanced nature, the glaciers of Karakoram are exclusive. The present study focuses on understanding the temporal velocity variability of the...

The revised version of the previous report on potential reasons for flash flood in Uttarakhand

On Sunday morning of February 7, 2021, a flash flood was experienced in the Rishi Ganga valley, a tributary of Dhauliganga, Alaknanda basin. The flash flood led to loss in human life and caused significant damage to the Rishi Ganga & Topovan power projects. The flash flood was surprising, considering the winter season and clear day. However, the da...

Role of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)-based remote sensing (RS) applications in glaciology have increased in recent years. UAV-based RS studies on mountain glaciers are mainly focussing on obtaining accurate ultra-high-resolution data from UAV images for different glaciological applications. However, studies understanding the challenges involved du...

The ongoing glacier shrinking in the Himalayan region causes a significant threat to freshwater sustainability and associated future runoff. However, data on the spatial climatic contribution of glacier retreat is scanty in this region. To investigate the spatially distributed glacier surface energy and mass fluxes, a two‐dimensional mass balance m...

Himalayan region is a water tower (W.T.) of Asia due to a large concentration of cryosphere. The area generates a large amount of water and used by the millions of people living in the Indo-Gangetic plains. The W.T. provides a sustainable source of water for Indus, Ganga, and Brahmaputra river basins. By considering the importance of the Himalayan...

The working group consists of glaciologists, climate scientists, meteorologists, hydrologists, physicists, chemists, mountaineers, and lawyers organised by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences at the Vatican, to contemplate the observed retreat of the mountain glaciers, its causes and consequences. This report resulted from a workshop in April 2011 a...

Objective: To map potential lake sites and to predict further expansion of existing glacier lakes in Himalaya

The Himalayan glaciers significantly contribute to the largest river systems like the Indus, Ganga, and the Brahmaputra. The change in glacial area and mass can affect the mountain community and people living in the Indo-Gangetic plain. The present study adopted the geodetic method to estimate the elevation change and mass budget of 61 glaciers in...

https://youtu.be/pTCdAwsY0E8

In the paper, we discuss application of remote sensing methods to study Himalayan cryosphere in India. Satellite data in combination with field is used to develop models, which can estimate numerous glacier parameters as area, velocity, depth, mass balance, debris cover, glacier lakes and risk assessment of Glacier Lake Outburst Flood. Digital Elev...

Monitoring of snow cover variability is crucial because it is closely linked with mountain water resources, ecosystems, and climate change. For this, moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) daily snow cover products (SCPs, version 6) were used over the Chenab river basin (CRB) during 2001–2017. In these data, cloud cover is a signific...

Glacier velocity is one of the important parameters to know about glacier dynamics, its mass and health. Understanding glacier velocity also assists in the analysis of ice thickness, ice flux and mass balance. Furthermore, basin/sub-basin wise studies are helpful to understand the climate change over that region instead of monitoring individual gla...

Future climate change will likely impact the multiple freshwater ecosystem services (fES) provided by catchments through their landscapes and river systems. However, there is high spatio-temporal uncertainty on those impacts linked to climate change uncertainty and the natural and anthropogenic interdependencies of water management systems. This st...

Drought is a recurring natural disaster, which significantly affects the economy and environment of diverse geographical area worldwide. Therefore, it is imperative to develop a new technique that enables comprehensive identification and monitoring of drought over a large spatial extent. In this study, a new drought index called Combined Terrestria...

Himalayan mountain range is one of the major Water Tower of Asia and store large concentration of snow and glaciers. Water Towers generate more runoff due to high orographic precipitation and delay release due to storage as snow and Ice. Therefore, water is supplied during hot and dry season, making many rivers like Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra per...

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) based remote sensing (RS) studies in glaciology are mainly focusing on obtaining accurate high-resolution data from UAV images. Studies for identifying and minimising the challenges faced during the UAV-based RS data acquisition survey on inaccessible and harsh terrains of mountain glaciers is limited. This study aims...

Mountains are the water towers of the world, supplying a substantial part of both natural and anthropogenic water demands1,2. They are highly sensitive and prone to climate change3,4, yet their importance and vulnerability have not been quantified at the global scale. Here, we present a global Water Tower Index, which ranks all water towers in term...

Climate change has led to the formation of numerous high-altitude lakes of glacial origin in the Himalaya. Safed Lake is one of the largest glacial lakes, located at an elevation 4882 m a.s.l. in the state of Uttarakhand, central Himalaya, India. A temporal analysis of the lake surface using satellite imagery shows that the lake has grown more than...

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Himalayan glaciers have long been the focus of glaciologists across the world while trying to understand the contrasting patterns of elevation and mass changes. However, with limited number of ground observations, a comprehensive assessment of mass balance on a regional scale still remains elusive. Using the synoptic coverage of remote sensing data...

The article was published with the citation “Worni et al. (2012)”. The author group of the article would like readers to know that this information should instead read/be as follows: “Worni et al. (2013)”—Worni R, Huggel C, Stoffel M (2013) Glacial lakes in the Indian Himalayas—from an area-wide glacial lake inventory to on-site and modeling based...