Estimation of snow/ ice cover area variations in a glacierised watershed using remote sensing and GIS: case study East Rathong watershed, Sikkim Himalaya
Student name: Ms Anubha Agrawal
Guide: Dr P K Joshi
Year of completion: 2011
Host Organisation: The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)
Supervisor (Host Organisation): Dr Shresth Tayal
Abstract: The present study reports the changes in snow/ ice cover area of East Rathong
watershed. Glacier parameters like surface area, % volume loss of glacier, AAR,
ELA shift of East Rathong glacier have also been reported. To carry out the
study, 1966 SOI toposheet, five scenes of Landsat satellite imagery from 1976 to
2005 and SRTM data of 2008 have been analysed. In comparison to 1966,
surface area of East Rathong watershed left in 2005 is 40.53%. From 1976 to
1989, glacier area of East Rathong glacier has decreased from 2.67 k
to 2.28
k and has undergone a % volume loss of 28.6%. The observed decrease in the
area of the glacier from 1976 to 2005 is not as high as the estimated percentage
volume loss. The main inference drawn from these results is that the glacier is
mainly showing an average decrease in the height. Hence, is showing a negative
mass balance. ELA has shown an upward shift of 5.64 m/annum.
Key words: Himalayan glacier, Landsat, area change, AAR, volume loss.
