Hindukush Karakoram Himalayan Glaciers

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 comprehensive review of the glaciers in the Hindukush Karakoram Himalaya (HKH). The study outlines the state of knowledge on glaciers in the HKH including the glacier inventories, glacier volume, and glacier mass balance. It further discusses the newly developed techniques, and remotely sensed data, and different field-based and modelling datasets. The study is focused on comprehensively presenting the major previous findings for the three major basins in the HKH including the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra. The Indus basin marks the highest hydrological significance compared to Ganga and Brahmaputra in terms of glacier-stored water and melt contribution. The present analysis shows that the total glacier volume in HKH varies from 2377 Gt to 6715.96 Gt, with the highest reserves in the Indus basin and the lowest in the Ganga basin. The average mass balance of the region based on field measurements is –0.61 m.w.e. a–1 (metre water equivalent per annum) for the period 1975 to 2020, with an accelerated mass loss after 2000. Glacier dynamics involve a series of processes that are integral parts of the hydrological cycle. Changes in the climate are greatly impacting these processes, leading to their alteration and thereby affecting the overall hydrological cycle. This study not only presents the existing knowledge on the HKH glaciers but also highlights the need for further studies to improve the overall understanding of the glaciers in the region.