The rapid vegetation line shift in response to glacial dynamics and climate variability in Himalaya between 2000 and 2014.

Climate change is causing glaciers to retreat across much of the Himalaya, leading to a rapid shift of the vegetation cover to higher altitudes. However, the rate of vegetation shift with respect to glacier retreat, climate change, and topographic parameters is not empirically quantified. Using remote sensing measurements, we estimate (a) the rate of glacier-ice mass loss, (b) the upward vegetation line shift rate, (c) regional greening trends, and (d) a relationship between the factors influencing the greenness of the landscape and vegetation change in the Himalaya.

Author Correction: Spatial distribution of decadal ice-thickness change and glacier stored water loss in the Upper Ganga basin, India during 2000-2014.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Spatial distribution of decadal ice-thickness change and glacier stored water loss in the Upper Ganga basin, India during 2000-2014.

Himalayan glaciers have long been the focus of glaciologists across the world while trying to understand the contrasting patterns of elevation and mass changes. However, with limited number of ground observations, a comprehensive assessment of mass balance on a regional scale still remains elusive. Using the synoptic coverage of remote sensing data, we estimate a detailed spatial variation of glacier ice thickness change in the Central Himalaya of Uttarakhand using geodetic method, on a catchment scale.