Department Of Geography
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Item Evolution of Supraglacial Lakes from 1990 to 2020 in the Himalaya�Karakoram Region Using Cloud-Based Google Earth Engine Platform(Springer, 2023-10-27T00:00:00) Sahu, Rakesh; Ramsankaran, Raaj; Bhambri, Rakesh; Verma, Prateek; Chand, PritamEvolution of glacial lakes in the Himalayan and Karakoram (H�K) mountain ranges is an important indicator of glacier changes in response to climatic warming. The study utilized multi-temporal Landsat 4, 5, 7, and 8 images accessible in the cloud-based Google Earth Engine platform to analyse the spatiotemporal variations of the supraglacial lake (SGL) in the H�K regions from 1990 to 2020 at a decadal interval. It is observed that 61% (4.79�km2) of the SGL area increased from 1990 to 2020, while 223 new lakes formed in a similar time period. The most significant increase in the area of SGLs (30.15%; 2.93�km2) was observed between 2010 and 2020, while the slowest growth was observed between 1990 and 2000 (1.13%; 0.09�km2). The results indicate heterogeneity in SGL area changes in different regions. The region of Central Himalaya (CH) experienced the highest increase of 160% (3.8�km2) in the�SGL area from 1990 to 2020 with most of the rise in the�SGL area was observed in the Everest region, while a decrease of 9.4% (0.12�km2) was observed in the Eastern Himalaya (EH) region. During the study period, some SGLs converted into proglacial lakes in the EH region, which may be responsible for reducing the SGL area. The rise of SGL in the CH region can be attributed to higher mass loss, decreased glacier surface velocity, and increased rainfall in the�CH region. We also identified 15 glaciers that have SGLs near the terminus of the glaciers. If the same trend continues, these SGLs may soon be converted into proglacial lakes. The current inventory of SGL at a decadal scale shall be useful as baseline data for other hydro-glaciological models. � 2023, Indian Society of Remote Sensing.Item Contextualizing the lake ecosystem syndromes and research development activities in Chilika Lake (Odisha coast, India): a bibliometric overview (1970�2021)(Springer Science and Business Media B.V., 2023-05-25T00:00:00) Acharyya, Tamoghna; Sudarsan, Desul; Mishra, Manoranjan; Santos, Celso Augusto Guimar�es; Chand, Pritam; da Silva, Richarde Marques; Pradhan, SubhasisChilika Lagoon is traditionally known as a productive study site for various areas of knowledge. It is also well-known for its successful ecological restoration in 2000, following ecological degradation due to siltation and proliferation of weeds in the 1980s and 1990s. Since then, Chilika Lagoon has been facing various coastal syndromes that are likely to worsen due to climate change and increasing anthropogenic pressure on its waters and catchment area. This study analyzed bibliometric data from the Scopus database over the past five decades (1970?2021) to understand the ever-evolving publication pattern and research domains in Chilika Lagoon. A total of 457 records were selected for the analyzed period, with contributions from 944 authors, primarily in peer-reviewed journal articles (86%). Although the number of publications and citations is increasing, as expected, there is minimal international collaboration. An interesting pattern was found in�publication and research themes, correlating with the evolving history of lagoon management and governance. The establishment of the Wetland Research and Training Centre led to a surge in research publications from 2002 onwards. However, a mismatch appears to exist�between the research scope and publication records, as evidenced by the mere 11 seagrass-related records in Scopus, even though Chilika Lagoon hosts the second-largest seagrass patch in India. Simultaneously, there is a lack of research addressing the real-world challenges faced by the local people who depend on Chilika Lagoon for their livelihoods. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]. � 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.Item Assessment of Existing Himalayan Glacier Inventories for Glacier Studies: A Case Study from the Ravi Basin of North-Western Himalaya (India)(Springer International Publishing, 2023-03-10T00:00:00) Ahmed, Ishtiaq; Sharma, Vikram; Kumar, Rinku; Lal, Devi; Bhandari, Rajan; Chand, PritamOutside of the polar regions, the Hindukush-Karakoram-Himalaya (HKH) has the highest cluster of snow cover and glaciers, which offer various ecosystem services, including water, to the billions of people who live across this region. A glacier inventory is a vital prerequisite for researching a wide range of diverse phenomena, processes, and effects of such glacier changes across these regions. In recent years, several glacier inventories are available for the HKH region, namely, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) Glacier Inventory, the Space Application Center (SAC) Glacier Inventory, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) Glacier Inventory, Randolph Glacier Inventory (RGI), and Glacier Area Mapping for Discharge from the Asian Mountains (GAMDAM) Glacier Inventory (GGI). Prior to being used for any glacier investigations, it�s critical to evaluate the quality and consistency of these inventory datasets. Thus, the current study provides a detailed quality assessment of all these available glacier inventories by comparing them with the detailed Ravi basin glacier inventory (RBGI). The comprehensive RBGI was created using the Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM+) images (2002) with a supplement of medium- to high-resolution imagery and field validations. The RBGI consists of 285 glaciers in 2002 with a mapped area of 164.5 � 7.5 km2. There are 71 glaciers out of the total glaciers that have debris-covered parts, which occupy 36.1 � 2.1 km2 (~22% of the whole area covered by glaciers). Large variations were found in the glacial area (ranging from 202 to 112.7 km2) and a total number of glaciers (ranging from 299 to 192) mapped within the Ravi basin among these available glacier inventories. With few spatial differences in the total number of the glacier, their extent, and median elevation, it was found that the recently updated GGI inventory, which is incorporated into the revised version of RGI V6 for the Himalayan region, is most comparable to our RBGI inventory. Likely causes of the significant difference among these inventories include standard glacier definition (minimum area of glacier mapping and headwall definition), misinterpretation of the seasonal snow cover, demarcation of debris-covered areas, and consequences of excluding glacier sections in the shaded regions. � The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023.Item Climate Change Adaptation, Risk Management and Sustainable Practices in the Himalaya(Springer International Publishing, 2023-03-10T00:00:00) Sharma, Sanjeev; Kuniyal, Jagdish Chandra; Chand, Pritam; Singh, PardeepThis volume analyzes ecological and socio-economic risks due to climate change in the Himalayan mountain ecosystems, communities, and proposes adaptation strategies and sustainability practices. In order to better understand the potential actions required to improve natural resource conservation and the development of mountain people's livelihoods. The authors discuss the current status of local knowledge system on various environmental aspects of conservation and sustainable use of mountain resources in the Himalaya. The book addresses the institutional capacities, gaps, and priority areas of capacity building to strengthen policies and governance in regard to climate change, landuse management, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable management in the Himalayan region. The aim of this book is to enhance coordination building among policymakers, planners, mountain communities to foster collaboration between different stakeholders by understanding local perceptions of climate change as well as variability issues, and establishing adaptation strategies to cope with these impacts. The chapters incorporate theoretical and applied aspects, and may serve as baseline information for the sustainability of mountain ecosystems through the contribution of multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary expertise from the Himalayan region. The book will be useful for students, teachers, and researchers working in different areas pertaining to mountain ecosystems, as well as policymakers and planners working on issues related to the sustainability of the mountain ecosystem. � The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023.Item Heterogeneity in glacier thinning and slowdown of ice movement in the Garhwal Himalaya, India(Elsevier B.V., 2023-03-05T00:00:00) Bhambri, Rakesh; Schmidt, Susanne; Chand, Pritam; N�sser, Marcus; Haritashya, Umesh; Sain, Kalachand; Tiwari, Sameer K.; Yadav, Jairam SinghLimited 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 (?0.1 km2) glaciers in the Alaknanda, Bhagirathi, and Mandakini basins, all located in the Garhwal Himalaya, India. This study also investigates a detailed integrated analysis of elevation changes and surface flow velocities for 23 glaciers with varying characteristics to understand the impact of ice thickness loss on overall glacier dynamics. We observed significant heterogeneity in glacier thinning and surface flow velocity patterns using temporal DEMs and optical satellite images with ground-based verification. The average thinning rate was found to be 0.07 � 0.09 m a-1 from 2000 to 2015, and it increased to 0.31 � 0.19 m a-1 from 2015 to 2020, with pronounced differences between individual glaciers. Between 2000 and 2015, Gangotri Glacier thinned nearly twice as much as the neighbouring Chorabari and Companion glaciers, which have thicker supraglacial debris that protects the beneath ice from melting. The transitional zone between debris-covered and clean ice glaciers showed substantial flow during the observation period. However, the lower reaches of their debris-covered terminus areas are almost stagnant. These glaciers experienced a significant slowdown (~25 %) between 1993�1994 and 2020�2021, and only the Gangotri Glacier was active even in its terminus region during most observational periods. The decreasing surface gradient reduces the driving stress and causes slow-down surface flow velocities and an increase in stagnant ice. Surface lowering of these glaciers may have substantial long-term impacts on downstream communities and lowland populations, including more frequent cryospheric hazards, which may threaten future water and livelihood security. � 2023 Elsevier B.V.Item Frontal Changes of Gangotri Glacier, Garhwal Himalaya, between 1935 and 2022(Springer, 2023-02-07T00:00:00) Bhambri, Rakesh; Sain, Kalachand; Chand, Pritam; Srivastava, Deepak; Tiwari, Sameer K.; Yadav, Jairam SinghGangotri Glacier is one of the most thoroughly investigated glaciers in the Indian Himalaya in terms of terminus monitoring. This study aims to update the frontal retreat of Gangotri Glacier between 1935 and 2022 using a large scale Geological Survey of India map, remote sensing images, and repeated photography. Gangotri Glacier�s retreat rate varied significantly during the study period. This glacier receded by 1727 � 51m (19.8 � 0.2 m a?1) between 1935 and 2022. The retreat of Gangotri Glacier decreased from 2001 to 2006 (7.0 � 4.0 m a?1) compared to the previous observation (1980�2001; 21.0 � 1.2 m a?1) but increased about three times between 2006 and 2017 (21.9 � 1.9 m a?1). Furthermore, from 2017 to 2022, the frontal retreat accelerated by about 1.5 times (33.8 � 6.7 m a?1) compared to the period between 2006 and 2017. The findings of the present study are consistent with ground based survey conducted by the Geological Survey of India. � 2023, Geological Society of India, Bengaluru, India.Item Quantitative assessment of present and the future potential threat of coastal erosion along the Odisha coast using geospatial tools and statistical techniques(Elsevier B.V., 2023-02-28T00:00:00) Mishra, Manoranjan; Chand, Pritam; Beja, Santosh Kumar; Santos, Celso Augusto Guimar�es; Silva, Richarde Marques da; Ahmed, Ishtiaq; Kamal, Abu Hena MustafaThe eastern coast of India is one of the regions where most of the population resides in urban areas in the low-elevation coastal zone, making it vulnerable to frequent extreme weather events. The objectives of this study are to assess the short- to long-term shoreline changes of the Odisha coast, to understand how anthropogenic influences, and particularly extreme natural events, affect these changes, and to predict shoreline changes for 2050. This study utilized multi-temporal/spectral/spatial resolution satellite images and a digital shoreline analysis (DSAS) tool to appraise the short- (at five/six-year intervals) and long-term (1990�2019) shoreline dynamics along the coastal part of Odisha over the past three decades (1990�2019). The long-term shoreline analysis shows that the mean shoreline change is about 0.67 m/year and highlights that 52.47 % (227.4 km), 34.70 % (150.4 km), and 12.83 % (55.6 km) of the total Odisha coastline exhibit erosion, accretion, and stability, respectively. During the short-term analysis, the 2000�2005 period had the highest percentage of erosion (64.27 %), followed by the 2005�2010 period with an erosional trend of 59.06 %. The 1995�2000 period showed an accretion trend, whereas, during the last period, i.e., 2015�2019, the percentage of transects depicting erosion and accretion was almost similar. In 2050, 55.85 % of the transects are expected to show accretion, while 44.15 % would show erosion or a constant trend. The study identified the hotspots of coastal erosion along delineated study zones by synthesizing data from previous studies as well. The regional analysis of shoreline change along the Odisha coast would not only provide coastal managers with critical information on shoreline dynamics but also draw attention to vulnerable areas linked to shoreline dynamicity along the coast. � 2023 Elsevier B.V.Item Reconstruction of post-little ice age glacier recession in the Lahaul Himalaya, north-west India(Taylor and Francis Ltd., 2022-12-13T00:00:00) Deswal, Sanjay; Sharma, Milap Chand; Saini, Rakesh; Chand, Pritam; Prakash, Satya; Kumar, Pawan; Barr, Iestyn David; Latief, Syed Umer; Dalal, Padma; Bahuguna, I.M.Understanding past glaciation and deglaciation is vital for assessing present-day glacier dynamics and response to climate change. We focus on reconstructing past glacier fluctuations in Lahaul, north-west India, a region located between arid Ladakh and the humid the Pir-Panjal range. We focus specifically on six glaciers in the Miyar and Thirot catchments of varying size, aspect and debris cover. To reconstruct past terminus fluctuations of these glaciers, we used repeat terrestrial photography and historical archives as data sets and mapped the terminus positions and latero-terminal moraines in the field along with glacier terminus mapping from high to medium resolution satellite images (e.g. Corona, Hexagon, Landsat and LISS IV). Results show that since the little ice age, all the studied glaciers have experienced terminus retreat and area loss, with average values of 1.46 and 0.9 km2, respectively. Precipitation data show a statistically significant decreasing trend during the last century with an increasing trend in annual average maximum (T max) and minimum (T min) temperature. This warming trend is more statistically significant for T min. Although total ice loss at the six studied glaciers is considerable (5.48 km2), this varies both spatially (i.e. from glacier to glacier) and temporally. We attribute this variability to topographic controls such as glacier hypsometry and another non-climatic factor, i.e. varying degree of debris cover. � 2022 Swedish Society for Anthropology and Geography.Item Reassessing the Karakoram Through Historical Archives(Springer International Publishing, 2022-11-11T00:00:00) Bhambri, Rakesh; Chand, Pritam; N�sser, Marcus; Kawishwar, Prashant; Kumar, Amit; Gupta, Anil K.; Verma, Akshaya; Tiwari, Sameer K.The Karakoram region is an integral part of the Hindu Kush�Karakoram�Himalaya (HKH) mountain system and forms the great divide between the drainage of the Indus and Tarim basins. This region has a substantial geographical, historical, economical, cultural, and geopolitical importance owing to its location, rugged topography, distinct climate regime, and the presence of numerous glaciers. It acts as a water tower where its unique assemblage paved the way for developing ancient trade routes facilitating cultural exchange between Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent. It has attracted a large number of expeditions and scientific studies for more than 200 years, bringing significant advances in geographical knowledge. However, the spatial extent of the Karakoram in many studies particularly during the 2010s exhibits a large inconsistency. We, therefore, complied ?100 maps and vast literature to present the evolution of the geographical term �the Karakoram� and its spatial extent based on historical archives. We also provide a digital outline of the Karakoram region using GIS tools based on descriptive enumerations of the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) and the Survey of India (SoI) which we hope will provide new insight for a wide range of scientific disciplines, including geography, glaciology, geology, history, and cartography. � The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.Item Deciphering the impact of anthropogenic coastal infrastructure on shoreline dynamicity along Gopalpur coast of Odisha (India): An integrated assessment with geospatial and field-based approaches(Elsevier B.V., 2022-10-22T00:00:00) Mishra, Manoranjan; Kar, Prabin K.; Chand, Pritam; Mohanty, Pratap K.; Acharyya, Tamoghna; Santos, Celso Augusto Guimar�es; Gon�alves, Rodrigo Mikosz; Silva, Richarde Marques da; Bhattacharyya, Debdeep; Beja, Santosh Kumar; Behera, BalajiOdisha's coastline supports various development activities that are critical to the state and national economy, such as oil and gas, ports and harbors, power plants, fishing, tourism, and mining that continues to not only detriment the coastal ecology but also affect the overall shoreline morphodynamics. The morphological changes are complicated processes involving both natural and human-induced drivers, but it is critical to understand how recent development activities further impact beach morphodynamics and shoreline dynamicity. The study analyzes the overall shoreline morphodynamics in response to the recent development of port and other related infrastructure for annual and decadal scale using two-dimensional (2-D) shoreline changes along with detailed 3-D beach profile volumetric changes for different studied zones along the Gopalpur coast. The results reveal that nearly all studied zones of the Gopalpur shoreline, Zone-4 (EPR = ?05.64 m a?1 and LRR = ?04.25 m a?1), Zone-3 (EPR = ?04.51 m a?1 and LRR = ?07.01 m a?1) and Zone-1 (EPR = ?2.85 m a?1 and LRR = ?01.46 m a?1), experienced erosion between 2010 and 2020 except Zone-2 (EPR = 24.31 m a?1 and LRR = 25.96 m a?1), which showed overall sign of deposition. The interannual shoreline analysis depicted that Zone-1 (tourist beach area) remained almost stable, Zone-2 (south of the breakwater of Gopalpur Port) showed accretion trends, Zone-4 (north side of the port) dominantly showed an erosion pattern, whereas Zone-3 (port area) showed a high level of uncertainty in the context of erosional or deposition trends. Calculated volumetric loss along the surveyed 3-D beach profiles supports these 2-D changes for all the studied zones. The results showed substantial changes in coastal morphodynamics in different studied zones of the Gopalpur region and severe erosion along its northern segment of the constructed coastal infrastructure. These findings can potentially promote effective coastal zone management and prevent further deterioration along the Gopalpur coast in future. � 2022 Elsevier B.V.