[A-CC45] Glaciology

[ACC45-P12] Joint Japan-India glaciological study at Batal Glacier in Chandra basin, western Himalaya

*Keiko Konya¹, Parmanand Sharma², Hiroto Nagai^1,3, Bhanu Pratap², Koji Fujita^1,4, Yota Sato^1,5, Takayuki Nuimura^1,6, Masayuki Takigawa¹ (1.Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, 2.National Center for Polar and Ocean Research, 3.Rissho University, 4.Nagoya University, 5.Institute of Science and Technology Austria, 6.Senshu University)

Keywords:

Glacier,Himalayas,debris-covered glacier,Indian Himalayas

The Himalayan region hosts a vast array of glaciers, serving as significant freshwater reservoirs. However, accurately quantifying meltwater discharge from these glaciers, particularly debris-covered ones, remains challenging. We investigated Batal Glacier, a small, debris-covered glacier situated above 4,000 m a.s.l. in the Himalayas. Using an Automatic Weather Station (AWS) and a hydrological monitoring setup, we measured temperature variations within the debris layers. In the present study, we estimated heat transfered beneath the debris cover by applying a model integrated with Google Earth Engine, and elucidated the relationship between melt rate and debris thicknes. We have also estimated surface mass balance of glacier with "Thermal-resistance-based energy balance model (THRED), which result fit the in-situ oservation.