Abstract ID: 3.8866 | Accepted as Talk | Requested as: Talk | TBA | TBA

The Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region is home to the loftiest mountain ranges spanning over 42 lakh km2 on the planet, having the largest volume of ice and snow outside the polar regions. These ‘Water Towers’ are the source of major river systems in Asia, providing water for more than a billion people. Nestled in the remote and rugged part of the Western Himalayas, Lahaul Valley is witnessing significant changes in its glaciers. Considered a high-altitude cold desert, the Lahaul is home to some of the largest glaciers in the entire region. With very little rainfall during the Indian Summer Monsoon months, the people of Lahaul rely heavily on glaciers and snowmelt for their domestic and agricultural water needs. This study presents a detailed inventory and spatio-temporal changes in the glacier in the last half century (1971-2023). The results show a significant loss of ice in the observation period. Climate change is behind the loss of ice, revealed by analysis of climatic data. It is observed from the data that there is an overall increasing trend in annual and winter-time temperatures over the study area. The intra-basin variabilities in the recession of glaciers are influenced by local topography, also revealed in the study. The rapid growth of ice-contact pro-glacial lakes in the study area after 2000 increases the risk of GLOF (Glacial Lake Outburst Flood). A warmer climate is further expected to cause an acceleration in glacier ice loss. The melting ice has implications for the people living in the region and downstream.