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Abstract

This study assimilates data from historical records (1857-1961/84), survey of India topographic maps, and a series of multispectral satellite data (1962-2014) for analyzing the shrinkage and dimensional changes of the Kolahoi glacier, Jammu and Kashmir, between 1857 and 2014. The composite results show that the glacier has receded by 3423m (21.8m/year) in the past 157years. The historical records reveal that the glacier retreated by >1609m from 1857 to 1909, 800m from 1912 to 1961, and 210m from 1961 to 1984. From 1962 to 2014 (52years), we observed a retreat of 1014±64m (19.5±1.1m/year). We noted a marked disparity in the retreat rates of primary snout (PS) and secondary snout (SS) which was found to be 19.5±1.1m/year for PS and 11.34±1.1m/year for SS. Further, our investigations reveal that the changes in the length are accompanied by considerable changes in the area. The area of the glacier reduced from 14.46±0.34km2 (1962) to 11.28±0.21km2 (2014) amounting an overall deglaciation of 3.18±0.34km2 or 22.99±2.3% in the past 52years. Besides, the glacier has started degenerating at a much accelerated pace showing a deglaciation of 11.1±1.9% and a recession rate of ~27.8±3.2m/year in just 14years (2000-2014). These results warrant the detailed studies regarding various controlling factors, besides the climate change.

Authors

Shukla, Aparna;  Ali, Iram;  Hasan, Nazia;  Romshoo, Shakil A

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