Temporal Variation Analysis in Clean Ice Glacier of Annapurna Basin

Glaciers of the Himalayas are the storehouse of fresh water. The impacts of climate change, mainly the melting of snow cover have been noticed in Nepal’s Himalayas. These changes have local as well as regional implications on water resources, and at global level on the sea level rise. This study is carried out to analyze the temporal variation of glacier retreat in the Annapurna valley from 2000 to 2020 using remote sensing technology. It is a multi-step process and involves the computation of several mathematical indices for glaciers based on the spectral properties of Landsat imagery. The final outcome is the delineation of Clean Ice Glacier (CIG) area of Annapurna basin for the years 2000, 2010 and 2020. The findings from this study reveal that the glaciers of Annapurna basin are shrinking more rapidly in the recent years than before. The decrease in CIG area coupled with the increase in the CIG number clearly indicate that the glaciers are being fragmented into smaller parts creating several disconnected ice bodies. Monitoring the dynamics of glaciers along with their trend analysis is crucial for strengthening the climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies.