Frontal recession of Gangotri Glacier, Garhwal Himalayas, from 1965 to 2006, measured through high-resolution remote sensing data

Abstract

We report in this communication the length fluctuation and frontal area changes at the snout of Gangotri Glacier based on high-resolution satellite data from 1965 to 2006. Glacial outlines were mapped from declassified imageries from Corona (1965, 1968), Hexagon (1980) and Indian satellites IRS PAN (2001) and Cartosat-1 (2006). The results show that Gangotri Glacier exhibited retreat up to 819 ± 14 m and lost 0.41 ± 0.03 sq. km (~ 0.01 sq. km year–1) at its front from 1965 to 2006. The retreat rates are lower than those previously reported using coarse-resolution remote sensing data and the Survey of India topography map. The results of the present study are supported by in-situ field survey conducted by the Geological Survey of India