Spatiotemporal variations in surface velocity of the Gangotri glacier, Garhwal Himalaya, India: Study using synthetic aperture radar data

摘要

The Gangotri glacier is the largest in the Garhwal Himalaya, India and its melt water forms the main source stream of the Ganga River, yet its dynamics are poorly understood. Its long record of terminus retreat measurements (1800-present) shows multi-decadal oscillations and more recently a slowing down of the retreat. Its complex dynamics are also indicated by studies of proglacial melt-water at the terminus. However, there have been no systematic measurements of its surface velocity or how it changes seasonally or over longer-term time scales. Here, I have characterized the spatiotemporal variations of surface velocity of the Gangotri glacier using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data spanning nearly two decades (1991-2011).