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Glacier Mapping: a Review with Special Reference to the Indian Himalayas

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Glacier Mapping: a Review with Special Reference to the Indian Himalayas Zurich Open Repository and Archive University of Zurich Main Library Strickhofstrasse 39 CH-8057 Zurich www.zora.uzh.ch Year: 2009 Glacier mapping: a review with special reference to the Indian Himalayas Bhambri, Rakesh ; Bolch, Tobias Abstract: This paper deals with the development of glacier mapping and glacier fl actuation’s since the mid-nineteenth century, with special reference to the Indian Himalayas, and the contributions of the Sur- vey of India and the Geological Survey of India. In addition, it presents a review of the limitations and challenges relating to: the mapping of clean-ice and debris-covered glaciers; the comparison of different data sets; and the measurement of glacier volume changes based on multitemporal digital elevation mod- els. Possible solutions are discussed, and the emerging areas of glacier mapping research and applications for the Indian Himalayas are highlighted. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0309133309348112 Posted at the Zurich Open Repository and Archive, University of Zurich ZORA URL: https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-137192 Journal Article Published Version Originally published at: Bhambri, Rakesh; Bolch, Tobias (2009). Glacier mapping: a review with special reference to the Indian Himalayas. Progress in Physical Geography, 33(5):672-704. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0309133309348112 Progress in Physical Geography 33(5) (2009) pp. 672–704 Glacier mapping: a review with special reference to the Indian Himalayas Rakesh Bhambri1* and Tobias Bolch2 1Guru Nanak Khalsa College, Karnal - 132001, Haryana, India 2Institut für Kartographie, Technische Universität Dresden, 01069 Dresden, Germany Abstract: This paper deals with the development of glacier mapping and glacier fl uctuations since the mid-nineteenth century, with special reference to the Indian Himalayas, and the contributions of the Survey of India and the Geological Survey of India. In addition, it presents a review of the limitations and challenges relating to: the mapping of clean-ice and debris-covered glaciers; the comparison of different data sets; and the measurement of glacier volume changes based on multitemporal digital elevation models. Possible solutions are discussed, and the emerging areas of glacier mapping research and applications for the Indian Himalayas are highlighted. Key words: ASTER, digital elevation model, glacier fl uctuation, glacier mapping, Indian Himalayas, remote sensing. I Introduction Andreassen, 1999), infer the morphometric The principal goal of glacier mapping is to status of glaciated regions (Sangwar et al., represent the spatial morphology of glacier 2004), calculate changes in ice volume terrain features on maps. Glacier maps are (Surazakov and Aizen, 2006; Bauder et al., well established as valuable records of glacio- 2007; Bolch et al., 2008), and estimate the geomorphic features in particular time periods position of the equilibrium line (Leonard (Ashwell, 1982). Moreover, using recent and Fountain, 2003). However, all such geo-informatics techniques, it is possible to uses are fundamentally governed by the prepare 2D/3D digital maps for visualization accuracy and availability of the original map of glacial terrain (Buckley et al., 2004; resource. Bolch, 2008). Glaciologists can also use The Himalayas comprise one of the these techniques to obtain information about largest collections of glaciers outside the polar glacier variability (Hall et al., 2003), estimate regions, with a glacier coverage of ~33,000 mass balance (Østrem and Haakensen, 1999; km2 (Dyurgerov and Meier, 1997) and a *Author for correspondence. Present address: Soil and Crop management division, Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Kachawa Road, Karnal - 132001, India. Email: [email protected] © The Author(s), 2009. Reprints and permissions: DOI: 10.1177/0309133309348112 http://www.sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav Rakesh Bhambri and Tobias Bolch: Glacier mapping in the Indian Himalayas 673 total number of 5243 glaciers (Kaul, 1999; water reservoirs (Kumar et al., 2005). The Hasnain, 1999). The Himalayas form a inventory of Himalayan glaciers indicates natural barrier between the southern Indian that many Himalayan glaciers are receding Peninsula and mainland Asia, extending at an alarming rate (Kulkarni et al., 2005; 2500 km from Pamir Knot in the west to 2007). Due to the rapid recession of glaciers, Arunachal Pradesh in the east with the three a number of catastrophic effects such as parallel ranges, the Himadri, Himachal and glacial lake outburst floods (WWF, 2005; Shivaliks. Himalayan glaciers in the Indian Mool et al., 2007), water scarcity in the up- subcontinent are broadly divided into the per Himalayan villages and adverse effects three river basins, namely the Indus, Ganga on the fl ow of Himalayan rivers have been and Brahmaputra (Figure 1). The Indus basin reported (Kulkarni et al., 2002; 2007). For has the largest number of glaciers (~3500), water resources planning and management whereas the Ganga and Brahmaputra basins in northern India, it is essential, therefore, contain about 1000 and 660 glaciers, re- to study and monitor the Himalayan glaciers spectively (Kaul, 1999; Hasnain, 1999). precisely. Advanced remote sensing and Himalayan glaciers are an important source GIS techniques offer abundant potential of fresh water for northern Indian rivers and for mapping and monitoring the glaciers in Figure 1 Overview of the Himalayas with the benchmark glaciers in the Indian Himalayas (political boundaries are only tentative) 674 Progress in Physical Geography 33(5) extensive high and remote mountain areas, these surveys and expeditions contributed whereas conducting a survey based on con- significant information for tracking the ventional methods demands a great deal of following: time and capital and involves enormous risks. This paper presents a review of glacier (1) mapping of unexplored valleys, peaks, mapping in the Indian Himalayas since the passes and glacier terrain of the mid-nineteenth century. It also highlights Himalayas; the advantages and problems of remote- (2) correcting maps of the earlier Himalayan sensing-based glacier mapping, and sheds terrain through improved scientific in- light on the emerging areas of national as struments and advanced techniques; well as international glacier research and (3) recognizing a variety of changes within applications, with special reference to the the glacier on the basis of previous glacier Indian Himalayas. In addition, overviews of snout maps. the current knowledge on the fl uctuations of the Indian Himalayas are also presented. In the early nineteenth century, the mapping of Himalayan terrain was carried out using II Topographic glacier mapping since plane-table surveying and heavy theodolites. the mid-nineteenth century Purdon (1861) and Godwin-Austen (1864) During the early seventeenth century, glacier began the survey and mapping of Himalayan boundaries and surrounding features were glaciers. The Geological Survey of India (GSI) represented as rough sketches. However, initiated the monitoring of secular move- the fi rst claim on the making of an accurate ments of the principal Himalayan glaciers as large-scale map for glaciological purposes part of the programme of the Commission (Venediger Group, Alps) was made by Eduard International des Glaciers during 1906–1908. Richter, the fi rst chairman of the German and Initially, a total of 12 glaciers were studied Austrian Alpine Club (Brunner, 1987). The by the Geological Survey of India (GSI) history and development of glacier mapping (Holland, 1907). Plane-table glacier sketches in other countries is well documented by were made for all the glaciers, showing the Williams and Ferrigno (1988–2008), yet to snout and other geomorphic features. In this day there is still no such documentation some cases, cairns were also constructed on the Indian Himalayan glaciers. However, for further reference. more recently, Raina and Srivastava (2008) Workman (1903) found, during an exped- presented a glacier inventory and historical ition to Baltistan, that glaciers had not always documentation of the glaciological studies been delineated correctly during the great in India, with details for a few selected trigonmetrical survey by Godwin-Austen glaciers. The Survey of India (SOI) is the pri- (1861). Similar conclusions were reached mary agency of India involved in surveying by Longstaff (1908; 1911) regarding the the Himalayan mountain region since its Garhwal Himalayas and Eastern Karakoram. establishment in 1767. The records of many Longstaff (1910a) also surveyed the Siachen surveys, especially Colonel Godwin-Austen’s Glacier in June 1909, and discovered that plane-table surveys of the Mustakh range Siachen was the largest glacier (44 miles) (Godwin-Austen, 1864), Conway’s journey in the Himalayan range. Visser (1926) re- to the Hisper Glacier in 1892 (Conway, 1893), ported that the delineation of Malangutti various expeditions of Mr and Mrs Visser, Glacier was incorrect on the 1915 Survey and the Shaksgam expedition by Mason Map. Moreover, Mason (1928) established and Shipton (Mason, 1927a; Shipton et al., that Indira Col was shown on Workman’s’ 1938) have made notable contributions to map from his Shaksgam Valley expedition glacier mapping of the Himalayas. All of approximately one mile too far northward, Rakesh Bhambri and Tobias Bolch: Glacier mapping in the Indian Himalayas 675 Figure 2 Part of the map illustrating Major Mason’s Stereographic Survey of the Shaksgam (October 1927) Source: Mason (1928). Map
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