E-Bulletin (Jan-Apr 2013, Vol. 1, Issue 1)
Editorial
Cryosphere describes elements of the earth containing water in a natural frozen state. This can come in the form of glaciers, snow cover, lake and river ice, permafrost, and seasonally frozen ground. The Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region is one of the most heavily glacierized areas in the world outside the polar regions. The vast accumulation of fresh water in the cryosphere of the Hindu Kush Himalayas is the source of ten of the largest rivers in Asia...
Status of glacier change
The ICIMOD glacier inventories of Nepal in 2001 and 2011 revealed an increase of 17 per cent in the number of glaciers while the area decreased by 21 per cent. However, the data sources of these two inventories differ...
Snow cover statistics - Nepal
The snow cover area of Nepal was mapped using 8-day Level 3 global products generated using MODIS satellite data and made available by the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC)...
Field missions
- Mera Glacier (Hinku valley, Nepal; monsoon climate): This debris-free glacier has been monitored since 2007, initially under a DHM-IRD collaboration and later including ICIMOD.
- Changri Nup Glacier (Khumbu valley, Nepal; monsoon climate): This debris-covered glacier has been monitored since 2010 under a joint IRD-EvK2CNR/NAST-ICIMOD collaboration.
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Dr Patrick Wagnon, IRD researcher joined ICIMOD’s Cryosphere team as a visiting scientist for a 4-year period is carrying out field expiation to Changri Nup glacier and Mera Glacier from 3 to 26 April 2013.