Evolving glacier patterns in the Chenab River Basin (1993-2021): Drivers and environmental implications.

Glaciers of Jammu and Kashmir are retreating faster than those in the broader northwestern Himalayas, yet some glaciers in the Chenab River basin display signs of periodic advancement and mass gain (2005-2007). These features, such as coalescing lobate structures and blocked meltwater streams, raise intriguing questions about localized glacier dynamics. While global concerns over climate change and glacier retreat persist, the lack of detailed evidence regarding glacier advance in this region warrants further investigation.

Transboundary hazard and downstream impact of glacial lakes in Hindu-Kush Karakoram Himalayas.

Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) can generate catastrophic flash floods when the damming structure is breached or overtopped. Some of these glacial lakes are located in transboundary regions where floods originating from the lake in one country could inundate a neighboring country, devastating the population and infrastructure of both nations and influencing socio-political relationships. Therefore, assessing the lakes' hazard is crucial.

Long-term analysis of glaciers and glacier lakes in the Central and Eastern Himalaya.

Himalayan glaciers represent both an important source of water and a major suite of geohazards for inhabitants of their downstream regions. Recent climate change has intersected with local topographic, geomorphic, and glaciological factors to drive complex patterns of glacier thinning, retreat, velocity change, and lake development. In this study, we analyze the long-term variations in surface elevation change and velocity of the glaciers in the Central and Eastern Himalaya using existing and newly generated datasets spanning 1975 to 2018.

Heterogeneity in glacier thinning and slowdown of ice movement in the Garhwal Himalaya, India.

Limited ground-based surveys and extensive remote sensing analyses have confirmed glacier thinning in the Garhwal Himalaya. More detailed studies on specific glaciers and the drivers of reported changes are essential to comprehend small-scale differences in the effects of climatic warming on Himalayan glaciers. We computed elevation changes and surface flow distribution for 205 (≥0.

Machine learning based downscaling of GRACE-estimated groundwater in Central Valley, California.

California's Central Valley, one of the most agriculturally productive regions, is also one of the most stressed aquifers in the world due to anthropogenic groundwater over-extraction primarily for irrigation. Groundwater depletion is further exacerbated by climate-driven droughts. Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite gravimetry has demonstrated the feasibility of quantifying global groundwater storage changes at uniform monthly sampling, though at a coarse resolution and is thus impractical for effective water resources management.

Transition of a small Himalayan glacier lake outburst flood to a giant transborder flood and debris flow.

Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) are a great concern for the Himalaya, as they can severely damage downstream populations and infrastructures. These floods originate at high altitudes and can flow down with enormous energy and change the terrain's existing morphology. One such devastating event occurred on the night of 5 July 2016, from the inconspicuous Gongbatongsha Lake, located in the Poiqu basin, Eastern Himalaya.

Glaciohydrology of the Himalaya-Karakoram.

Understanding the response of Himalayan-Karakoram (HK) rivers to climate change is crucial for ~1 billion people who partly depend on these water resources. Policy-makers tasked with sustainable water resources management require an assessment of the rivers' current status and potential future changes. We show that glacier and snow melt are important components of HK rivers, with greater hydrological importance for the Indus basin than for the Ganges and Brahmaputra basins.

A massive rock and ice avalanche caused the 2021 disaster at Chamoli, Indian Himalaya.

On 7 February 2021, a catastrophic mass flow descended the Ronti Gad, Rishiganga, and Dhauliganga valleys in Chamoli, Uttarakhand, India, causing widespread devastation and severely damaging two hydropower projects. More than 200 people were killed or are missing. Our analysis of satellite imagery, seismic records, numerical model results, and eyewitness videos reveals that ~27 × 10 cubic meters of rock and glacier ice collapsed from the steep north face of Ronti Peak.

The hazardous 2017-2019 surge and river damming by Shispare Glacier, Karakoram.

In 2017-2019 a surge of Shispare Glacier, a former tributary of the once larger Hasanabad Glacier (Hunza region), dammed the proglacial river of Muchuhar Glacier, which formed an ice-dammed lake and generated a small Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF). Surge movement produced the highest recorded Karakoram glacier surface flow rate using feature tracking (~18 ± 0.5 m d) and resulted in a glacier frontal advance of 1495 ± 47 m.

Importance and vulnerability of the world's water towers.

Mountains are the water towers of the world, supplying a substantial part of both natural and anthropogenic water demands. They are highly sensitive and prone to climate change, yet their importance and vulnerability have not been quantified at the global scale. Here we present a global water tower index (WTI), which ranks all water towers in terms of their water-supplying role and the downstream dependence of ecosystems and society.

The State of Remote Sensing Capabilities of Cascading Hazards over High Mountain Asia.

Cascading hazard processes refer to a primary trigger such as heavy rainfall, seismic activity, or snow melt, followed by a chain or web of consequences that can cause subsequent hazards influenced by a complex array of preconditions and vulnerabilities. These interact in multiple ways and can have tremendous impacts on populations proximate to or downstream of these initial triggers. High Mountain Asia (HMA) is extremely vulnerable to cascading hazard processes given the tectonic, geomorphologic, and climatic setting of the region, particularly as it relates to glacial lakes.

Geomorphic and geologic controls of geohazards induced by Nepal's 2015 Gorkha earthquake.

The Gorkha earthquake (magnitude 7.8) on 25 April 2015 and later aftershocks struck South Asia, killing ~9000 people and damaging a large region. Supported by a large campaign of responsive satellite data acquisitions over the earthquake disaster zone, our team undertook a satellite image survey of the earthquakes' induced geohazards in Nepal and China and an assessment of the geomorphic, tectonic, and lithologic controls on quake-induced landslides.