Understanding the point mass balance and surface ice velocity for the debris-covered glacier, Panchi II, western Himalaya (India)
Debris-covered glaciers with complex morphological features, including ice cliffs and supraglacial lakes, remain relatively understudied in the Himalaya. Panchi II Glacier, located in the Bhaga Basin of the western Himalaya, exemplifies such complex debris-covered glacier. We conducted assessments o...
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Elsevier
2025-12-01
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| Series: | Results in Earth Sciences |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211714824000451 |
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| author | Sarvagya Vatsal Mohd Farooq Azam Anshuman Bhardwaj Arindan Mandal Raaj Ramsankaran Mohd Soheb Saumya G. Kutty Chetan Singh Somdutta Mishra Alagappan Ramanathan Ishmohan Bahuguna Purvee Joshi N. Janardhana Raju |
| author_facet | Sarvagya Vatsal Mohd Farooq Azam Anshuman Bhardwaj Arindan Mandal Raaj Ramsankaran Mohd Soheb Saumya G. Kutty Chetan Singh Somdutta Mishra Alagappan Ramanathan Ishmohan Bahuguna Purvee Joshi N. Janardhana Raju |
| author_sort | Sarvagya Vatsal |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Debris-covered glaciers with complex morphological features, including ice cliffs and supraglacial lakes, remain relatively understudied in the Himalaya. Panchi II Glacier, located in the Bhaga Basin of the western Himalaya, exemplifies such complex debris-covered glacier. We conducted assessments of both the point mass balances and the surface ice velocity of the Panchi II Glacier. We measured the debris thickness at various elevation zones and observed non-uniformity in the debris thickness across the glacier. To understand the influence of debris thickness, our methodology encompassed the direct glaciological approach for point mass balance estimation, complemented by DGPS surveying and satellite-derived datasets for surface ice velocity estimation. The point mass balance for 2017–2021 indicates that debris thickness is a key factor in regulating glacier melt. Mean surface ice velocity of the whole glacier for the year 2019/21 was 9.2 ± 1.5 m a−1. Our findings indicate that for Panchi II Glacier melting is predominantly governed by debris thickness rather than elevation. Furthermore, multivariate linear analysis reveals that elevation, debris thickness, and slope explain 91 % variability in the surface ice velocity of the glacier. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b24b3acbb9684320a1dee58db89b9572 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2211-7148 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Results in Earth Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-b24b3acbb9684320a1dee58db89b95722025-01-08T04:52:26ZengElsevierResults in Earth Sciences2211-71482025-12-013100058Understanding the point mass balance and surface ice velocity for the debris-covered glacier, Panchi II, western Himalaya (India)Sarvagya Vatsal0Mohd Farooq Azam1Anshuman Bhardwaj2Arindan Mandal3Raaj Ramsankaran4Mohd Soheb5Saumya G. Kutty6Chetan Singh7Somdutta Mishra8Alagappan Ramanathan9Ishmohan Bahuguna10Purvee Joshi11N. Janardhana Raju12School of Geosciences, University of Aberdeen, King’s College, Aberdeen, United Kingdom; Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Simrol, Madhya Pradesh, India; School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India; Corresponding author at: School of Geosciences, University of Aberdeen, King’s College, Aberdeen, United Kingdom.Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Simrol, Madhya Pradesh, IndiaSchool of Geosciences, University of Aberdeen, King’s College, Aberdeen, United KingdomInterdisciplinary Centre for Water Research, Indian Institute of Science Bangalore, Karnataka, IndiaDepartment of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Maharashtra, IndiaDepartment of Geography, South Asia Institute, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, GermanySchool of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, IndiaSchool of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, IndiaSchool of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, IndiaSchool of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, IndiaSpace Application Centre, Indian Space Research Organisation, Ahmedabad, IndiaSpace Application Centre, Indian Space Research Organisation, Ahmedabad, IndiaSchool of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, IndiaDebris-covered glaciers with complex morphological features, including ice cliffs and supraglacial lakes, remain relatively understudied in the Himalaya. Panchi II Glacier, located in the Bhaga Basin of the western Himalaya, exemplifies such complex debris-covered glacier. We conducted assessments of both the point mass balances and the surface ice velocity of the Panchi II Glacier. We measured the debris thickness at various elevation zones and observed non-uniformity in the debris thickness across the glacier. To understand the influence of debris thickness, our methodology encompassed the direct glaciological approach for point mass balance estimation, complemented by DGPS surveying and satellite-derived datasets for surface ice velocity estimation. The point mass balance for 2017–2021 indicates that debris thickness is a key factor in regulating glacier melt. Mean surface ice velocity of the whole glacier for the year 2019/21 was 9.2 ± 1.5 m a−1. Our findings indicate that for Panchi II Glacier melting is predominantly governed by debris thickness rather than elevation. Furthermore, multivariate linear analysis reveals that elevation, debris thickness, and slope explain 91 % variability in the surface ice velocity of the glacier.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211714824000451Debris-covered glacierWestern HimalayaPoint mass balanceSurface ice velocity |
| spellingShingle | Sarvagya Vatsal Mohd Farooq Azam Anshuman Bhardwaj Arindan Mandal Raaj Ramsankaran Mohd Soheb Saumya G. Kutty Chetan Singh Somdutta Mishra Alagappan Ramanathan Ishmohan Bahuguna Purvee Joshi N. Janardhana Raju Understanding the point mass balance and surface ice velocity for the debris-covered glacier, Panchi II, western Himalaya (India) Results in Earth Sciences Debris-covered glacier Western Himalaya Point mass balance Surface ice velocity |
| title | Understanding the point mass balance and surface ice velocity for the debris-covered glacier, Panchi II, western Himalaya (India) |
| title_full | Understanding the point mass balance and surface ice velocity for the debris-covered glacier, Panchi II, western Himalaya (India) |
| title_fullStr | Understanding the point mass balance and surface ice velocity for the debris-covered glacier, Panchi II, western Himalaya (India) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Understanding the point mass balance and surface ice velocity for the debris-covered glacier, Panchi II, western Himalaya (India) |
| title_short | Understanding the point mass balance and surface ice velocity for the debris-covered glacier, Panchi II, western Himalaya (India) |
| title_sort | understanding the point mass balance and surface ice velocity for the debris covered glacier panchi ii western himalaya india |
| topic | Debris-covered glacier Western Himalaya Point mass balance Surface ice velocity |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211714824000451 |
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