Mass Balance Approach to Study Glaciers Dynamics in the Himalayas

Abstract

There is a strong evidence that the glaciers of the Himalayas are in the process of a rapid meltdown. The implications of this development will be broad and sweeping for the river systems and more generally for the water resources of South Asia. The consequences will be grave for food production and livelihood of hundreds of millions of people. Despite this alarming forecast about the glaciers in the Himalayas, in particular on the southern site of the mountain range, these glaciers have not been researched to a serious degree and are in need of in-depth research initiative. Among numerous aspects of the Himalayan glaciers which have not been studied to the extent they should is the mass balance. This chapter briefly surveys the literature on the state of the glaciers on the Indian Himalayas, outlines in general terms, the method of mass balance modeling as it has been applied to glaciers in Iceland, and finally, suggests ways in which the modeling procedure can be applied in the Himalayas.