Elevation Based Comparative Analysis of Glaciers of Sikkim and Bhutan Using Remote Sensing Data

By : Vanya Bajpai , Rolee Kanchan

Page No: 255-270

Abstract
Information of the distribution and features of glaciers in the Himalayan Mountains is still inadequate and heterogeneous. These glaciers have recently become significant as these are being used as climate change indicators. As a consequence, maintaining a database in the form of Digital Glacier Inventories of these solid freshwater resources has become crucial.

Hypsometric relationships are important as they give an insight into the vulnerability of glaciers to climate change. This paper makes an attempt to study the trends of glacier area, glacier number and changes in glaciers according to altitude in Sikkim (India) and Bhutan. As optimal circumstances for glacier growth exist, an increase in the number of glaciers or their size is assumed to be closely linked to an increase in the altitude. Glaciers of this areas were thus inventoried by remote sensing methods using IRS LISS III, AWiFS and SRTM DEM data in the Geographic Information System (GIS) setting.

As testified by several scholars (Bolch, et al., 2012) the investigation of glaciers of Sikkim and Bhutan also showed that, the highest concentration of glaciers is in the 4000-5000 m. elevation class. Bhutan had the maximum glacial region (62.95%) in the same category, i.e. 4000-5000 m. Whereas Sikkim, at the elevation of > 4000 m. had the largest concentration of glacial area (60.56%), thus rendering the theory partly correct. Although the number of glaciers and the area covered (6.91%) were the lowest in Bhutan's > 5000 m. elevation region, but the average glacier size (13 km) was very high. Finally, it was observed that the average glacier size in both the study areas was the lowest in the < 4000 m. elevation class.

Authors :
Vanya Bajpai

Rolee Kanchan
Department of Geography, Faculty of Science, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara, Gujarat.

 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.32381/ATNAGI.2021.41.02.3