Uttarakhand glaciers shrinking at average 23 m per year, study reveals rapid ice loss
Uttarakhand’s glaciers are receding at about 23.23 m annually, with Khatling Glacier losing up to 88 m each year, according to a new 34-year study.
A study using satellite imagery and field observations from 1990 to 2024 finds Uttarakhand’s Central Himalayan glaciers retreating at an average of 23.23 m per year, with the clean-ice Khatling Glacier retreating as fast as 88 m annually while heavily debris-covered glaciers such as Bhagirathi and Satopanth retreat only about 3.7 m. The researchers attribute the melt to warming temperatures, glacier characteristics and local topography, noting that the equilibrium line altitude has risen up to 500 m since the turn of the century, reducing snowfall accumulation.
Although precipitation increased after 2000, providing a brief buffer for some eastern glaciers, overall glacier volume and length are decreasing, and new glacial lakes are forming, exemplified by Milam Glacier’s 47 new lakes. The study highlights that debris cover, glacier shape, slope and orientation can either accelerate or mitigate ice loss. Findings have implications for downstream water resources for the Ganga basin, which supports roughly 800 million people, and call for improved monitoring using satellite radar, UAVs and field surveys.
Why it matters
Shrinking glaciers threaten water supply for hundreds of millions downstream and raise flood risks from expanding glacial lakes.
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