Volumetric Decrease in Baltoro, Biafo and Batura Glaciers of Pakistan

Abstract

The glaciers of the Hindukush-Karakoram-Himalayan (HKH) region consist of a huge amount of perpetual snow and ice. These glaciers are retreating in the face of accelerating global warming. Estimation of volumetric decrease of Batura glacier out of Hunza river basin and that of Baltoro and Biafo Glaciers out of Shiger river basin is carried out in this research using Remote sensing satellite and topographic data. The total geographic area of the river basins in northern areas is about 128,730 km.2• Altogether, 5,218 large and small glaciers in northern areas cover a total glaciated area of about 15,040 km2• The total ice reserves in HKH region of Pakistan are about 2,738 km3• The Shyok, Hunza and Shigar basins contain the major part (about 83%) of these ice reserves. Alpine glaciers are subjected to volumetric decrease owing to host of factors. This research presents the volumetric decrease computations during the decade of 1990-2000 of largest glaciers of northern areas of Pakistan. The results computed through research are there after compared with mathematical model of ice reserves and ice thickness which supplements their validity. Finally the correlation of volumetric decrease of these glaciers with average temperature rise of northern areas and sea level rise along coastline of Pakistan during the last decade is carried out. The percentage volumetric decrease of Baltoro, Biafo and Batura glaciers during the last decade, computed in this research work, subjected to manifest of global warming, indicates that three out of world's seven largest glaciers have experienced a volume loss of 6.14%, 3.79% and 11.09 respectively during the decade of 1990-2000.