Annual Report 2000-2001

Scientific Research

Himalayan Glaciology

Himalayan Glaciology programme is aimed at understanding the behaviour of glaciers and their interaction with climate and hydrological system and also to train manpower and create research and development related facilities in this vital area of societal relevance.The programme is overseen by the Programme Advisory and Monitoring Committee on Himalayan Glaciology( PAMC-HG). During the period under report one meeting of the PAMC-HG was organised. wherein progress of the ongoing projects on Gangotri Glacier was reviewed and important issues relating to interaction meet on Glaciology, introduction of Glaciology in Post-Graduate level etc were dicussed.

The significant achievements during the period under report are as follows:

Integrated Studies related to Gangotri Glacier

In the recently initiated multi-disciplinary projects related to the Gangotri glacier particularly dealing with remote sensing, microwave remote sensing, isotopic and chemical studies, palaeo-climatology, climate change etc for long term studies, some significant field data has been acquired. Two more projects dealing with monitoring and modelling of melt runoff and microbial-biodiversity and environmental quality studies have been sanctioned. A brief of the progress made under individual project on Gangotri Glacier is given below:

• Establishment and operation of mountain meteorological observatory at Gangotri Glacier

The aim of this project was to establish high altitude observatories at Bhojbasa near Gangotri Glacier and also to establish Automatic Weather Stations (AWS) at :near snout, ablation zone and accumulation zone..Under this project Snow & Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE), built a permanent station at Gangotri near Bhojbasa. The observatory at Bhojbasa has been made functional and all weather parameters are recorded twice a day as per WMO standards manually by the trained observers. Three Automatic Weather Stations(AWS) have been established in the area: Bhojbasa(Photo-1), Kalindipass and Nandaban. One VHF radio communication link has been established between the observatory at Bhojbasa and R.D.C. SASE, Chandigarh. The communication link is used for transmitting manually observed snow and meteorological data to R.D.C; SASE for archival of both manually observed and the automatic data.. Attempt is being made to make the data available to all users through internet.

• Monitoring and Modelling of Melt Runoff from Gangotri Glacier:

The most suitable site for establishing the gauging site was selected near Bhojwasa. It was noted that the pattern of the river flow was uniform and flow was free from very big boulders. Mannual observations for gauge, velocity were started just in the upstream of this site. Suspended sediment data was also collected at the gauging site. Suspended sediment concentration, load, and particle size distribution were determined. The work of development of a hydrological data base has been started.

• Isotopic and Chemical Studies on Gangotri Glacier : Implications to Environmental Changes (PRL, Ahmedabad)

The net deposition of chemical constituents in the glacier is governed by local environmental factors as well as the long-range atmospheric transport from natural and anthropogenic sources. In this context, Himalayan glaciers provide immense potential from which to recover the short & long term records of the past environment and climate of Central Asia. A comprehensive study involving measurement of chemical constituents and isotope tracers has been initiated in the Gangotri glacier. Spatial samples of snow have been collected in ultra-clean polyethelene bottles during August 2000 along a traverse with increasing altitude ranging from 4400 to 5800 m. Concentrations of Na and K in snow samples range from 870-5810 and 820-2850 ng g-1; respectively. Analysis of other chemical constituents is in progress.

Equally important, large-volume bulk-aerosol sampling has been initiated at a high altitude station set up at GBIHED, Almora for isotopic (7Be, 210Pb) and chemical studies. This has an important bearing on snow chemistry vis-à-vis atmospheric chemistry In the time-series aerosol samples collected during Sept.-Nov. 2000 from Almora, the 7Be (a cosmogenic isotope) concentration varies from 1.3 to 4.9 mBq m-3. Such a study is advantageous in order to determine the present-day trends in deposition of chemical species in Himalayan glaciers.

• Microbial -Biodiversity And Environmental Quality Studies At Gangotri Glaciers.

Water samples have been collected from 17 sites along the river from Gomukh to Haridwar. In certain stations drastic reduction in microbial content was observed which may be due to several reasons viz.time of sampling, location of sampling in the channel.

Glaciological studies of Dokriani Bamak glacier in Garhwal Himalayas

Ongoing studies on Dokriani Bamak in the Bhagirathi River catchment by the WIHG team focused on glacier mass balance, glacier runoff and its effects on the river hydrologic regime, sediment transfer from glacierised and non - glacierised regions and hydrometeorogy of Din Gad catchment.

Observations were initiated in 1998 ablation period and continued in 1999.Three discharge and three meteorological stations were established in the Din Gad cathcment to monitor discharge, suspended sediment concentrations (SSC) and meteorological parameters.

The salient results of these studies are given below:

• Runoff studies

The results show that the discharge at the glacier snout during the ablation period (May-October) reduced remarkably through the observation years (62.3x 106m3 in 1994, 53.4x 106m3 in 1998 and 43.3x106m3 in 1999). This reduction is mainly due to reduced winter precipitation during these years. In 1998 contribution from the glacier catchment to the Gujjar hut and Tela stations was 47% and 17% respectively, where as in 1999 it was 60% and 20%. Rainfall contributions in the glacier discharge has been separated and found to be 7.34 (13%) and 11.7 x 106 m3 (27%) in 1998 and 1999 respectively. Corresponding total rainfall were 1382mm and 1152mm. Higher total rainfall component from lower total rainfall in 1999 is found to have resulted from the lower slope lapse rate temperature experienced in 1999. This study has provided better understanding of the factors responsible for lowering bulk runoff from Dokriani glacier during the observation years.

• Sediment Transfer studies

Sediment flux studies in the above refered three stations during 1998 observation period show that 79% of sediment flux at Gujjar Hut station and 49% at Tela station were contributed from the glacier catchment. During the peak flow period of July and August these values were 75% and 54% at Gujjar Hut station and Tela station respectively. . It is important to mention that in 1994 observation period (May-October), the sediment flux at snout station was 15x104 tonnes. Where as these values were drastically reduced during 1998 and 1999 ablation period to 3.17 and 4.4 x104 tonnes respectively. These results indicate the prominent influence of glaciers for the higher sediment flux in headwaters of Himalayan rivers. This study also shows extreme year to year variability in the glacial sediment transfer. This type of data is extremely important for the development of run -off- the river type hydropower projects. Another important fact that has emerged from this study is the limited influence of monsoonal rains on sediment transfer from glacier basin.

• Hydrometeorological studies

Data collected from the three stations were used to calculate the slope lapse rate of the catchment during summer months of 1998 and 1999. Slope lapse rates were calculated from mean daily temperature and averaged for the monthly values. For Tela- Base camp pair slope lapse rate was also calculated from daily maximum and minimum temperatures. It is found that the lapse rate derived from maximum and minimum temperature were very low and concluded that these method may not be suitable for mountain areas of high relief. Base camp- Gujjar Hut pair shows almost 50% reduction in monthly lapse rate in 1999 from June to September compared to the same period in 1998. These results emphasis the fact that the selection of slope lapse rate values for modeling purposes needs to be done judiciouly.

Study of diurnal variations of wind direction were carried out for the base camp station in 1998 and 1999 ablation period. At 0530 hrs down slope winds from glacier (NE) were dominant in every month.. From 0830 onwards winds from SW direction gain dominance. These SW winds are most dominant during the monsoon season.

• Mass Balance studies
  

The net mass balance during 1998-99 has shown a negative value of (-) 3.58x106m3 (w.e), which is higher than the previous years (2.50 x106m3). In 1999 ELA has been calculated at 5015m as established by mass balance estimations. Relationship between Altitude versus accumulation / ablation clearly shows that the net mass balance is negative in the both the years, however in 1999, melting decreased in the lower altitudinal zones, 3900-4300m and increased in the upper altitudinal zone,4300-5000m of the the glacier. The net average snow accumulation measured from several pits at different altitude in October 1999 recorded as 40.6 cm (w.equi) for the year 1998-99.

• Snout fluctuations

The snout of the glacier was monitored by EDM to measure the recession during the year 1998 to 1999. The total recession of the snout at center was 19m where as on the left and right flank it has receded about 7m and 10m respectively. The present snout elevation is 3891m.

Study of Atmospheric Deposition on Dokriani- Bamak Glacier, Garhwal Himalaya:

• The study has been carried out by a group at PRL Ahemedabad. Records of spatial and temporal variations in the chemical (Na+. K+. Ca2+, Mg2+. Cl-. NO3- and SO42-) and isotopic ( d18O, 210Pb) composition of snow, sampled along a traverse at an elevation of 3800-4700m, have been studied from Dokriani-Bamak (DB) glacier (31o49'N, 78o47'E) in the Garhwal Himalaya (UP). The conditions of sampling and analysis of more than 100 samples were carefully controlled in order to avoid contamination problems.
• The seasonal variations in chemical records from DB glacier are characterized by relatively higher concentrations of ionic species when compared to Biafo glacier in the Karakoram. The ionic concentrations in fresh snowfall during Nov. 1993 are consistently higher than those in surface snow sampled during May-June 1994. These regional and seasonal trends demonstrate the greater influence of monsoonal sources of moisture along the southern slopes of Himalaya. The Cl-, NO3- and SO42- concentrations in snow range from 340-2100, 30-1800 and 210-1360 ng g-1; respectively. The Cl:Na and SO4:Na ratios are distinctly higher than those found in sea-salts; thus suggesting dominance of anthropogenic inputs transported to the Himalaya with monsoonal circulation. High Ca2+ concentration in snow are indicative of dust derived from the arid regions of Indian sub-continent. The ionic concentrations in the surface snow show an "altitude-effect" with concentrations peaking at 4300 m. Records from such glaciochemical investigations are important for understanding of the regional sources and distribution of chemical species in the atmosphere.

Isotopic study on Dokriani-Bamak glacier, Central Himalyas : Implications to climatic changes and Ice Dynamics

Systematic measurements of natural and artificial radioisotopes (32Si, 210Pb and 137Cs) and oxygen isotopes ( d18O) have been carried out on surface snow and ice, shallow snow pits and ice core collected from the Dokriani-Bamak glacier, Central Himalaya, to study the dynamics of glacier ice and short term climatic changes.

Using 32Si and 210Pb concentrations in the meltwaters, the radiometric model age of the surface snout ice is calculated to be 400 years and average past flow rate is ~14 m/yr for surface ice. The past and present day flow rates have been evaluated in terms of the dynamics of the glacier ice. The 137Cs activity, emanated in 1963, measured in the surface ice at the equilibrium line (4380 m altitude) yields the flow rate of 32 m/yr. The depth variation of 137Cs concentrations in a shallow ice core, yields a mean accumulation rate of 0.43 m/yr for the glacier ice over the past one decade.

The d18O of snout ice (~13.4‰) is significantly depleted compared to the average value of -9.2‰ in the shallow ice core, indicating that relatively cooler climatic conditions were prevalent around 1600 AD. The altitude effect of 0.9‰ per 100 m in d18O variation has been observed on this temperate Himalayan glacier. The isotopic study suggests that the Himalayan glaciers are sensitive repository for the climate interpretation in the temperate regions during past few centuries, covering a time span of Little Ice Age (LIA).

Brain Storming Session on Mathematical modelling in Glaciology:

In order to create awareness about mathematical modelling of the various processes related to glaciers a Brain storming session was organised by the National Academy of Sciences, Allahabad. The main objectives of the Brain Storming Session was to examine in depth the immediate areas of studies like: Water balance and water resources : Weather , Climate and Environment in relation to Himalayan Glaciers. Some of the modelling problems that were discussed in the Brain Storming Session are as follows:

Geophysical processes associated with glaciers; Glacier atmosphere boundary layer modelling; Modelling of snow atmosphere interaction; Mathematical modelling in glaciology; Glacial flow model; Glacial hydrological model; Mass balance models; Research programme with Antarctic experiments; Mathematical modelling of flow mechanism of glaciers; Modelling of suspended sediment transport through the glacier melt stream; The model thermo-mechanical behaviour of glaciers and energy balance models over the gaciers etc.

Training Programme:

The 5th Training Course in Glaciology was organised by Geological Survery Of India during August / September,2000.The training programme contained theoretical as well as field component . The field component aimed at carrying out experiments on Himtah Glacier, H.P. Fourteen scientists were trained during this training programme drawn from various academic / research institutions in the country which include: University of Lucknow, Patna University, SASE, Chandigarh, B.S.I.P., Lucknow, N.I.H., Roorkee, UPRSAC, Lucknow, CWC, New Delhi, SAC, and G.S.I.

Archival search information system for Himalayan Glaciology

Hardware and Software for taking up the proposed work has been procured. Data entery form for documentation of the relevant literature has been devised. Scanning of 350 abstracts has been completed and formated through tool in readily usable form. Work is in progress for scanning and formating of about 200 abstracts. Final product will be available to users in CDs during 2001, which may be of immense use to the scientific community .

Inventory of Glaciers:

The D.S.T. , assigned a task to Survey of India to prepare an inventory of major Glaciers in Indian Himalayas. The inventory was published by the Survey of India during April,2000. The inventory has been prepared statewise in order of their locations in J&K and Laddakh Himalayas including Karakoram range, Himachal Pradesh Himalayas, Garhwal & Kumaon Himalayas of Uttar Pradesh and Sikkim Himalayas. In all, the 327 major valley glaciers for the present have been identified here in Indian Himalayas. Out of these glaciers, 60 are from J&K and Laddakh Himalayas, 85 from Himachal PradeshHimalayas, 162 from U.P. hills and 20 from Sikkim Himalayas. The distribution of these glaciers over the Himalayas has accordingly been shown separately on five different maps on 1:1Million scale.

National Centre for Field Operations and Research in Himalayan Glaciology (NCFOR-HG):

Significant contributions have been made in understanding the glacial phenomenon, through the studies supported by the DST under its Himalayan Glaciology Programme. However, it is being felt for the last few years that an integrated effort needs to be made in the direction of setting up the National Centre for Field Operations and Research in Himalayan Glaciology (NCFOR-HG) to give proper direction to glaciological research in the country.

The proposal for setting up NCFOR-HG came up for a specific mention during the meeting of the Steering Committee on Integrated Development of Himalaya, held on 06th July,1999, under the Chairmanship of a Member of the Planning Commission.To give this idea a concrete form, the Planning Commission constituted a Sub-Committee under the Chairmanship of Secretary,DST. The recommendations of the Sub-Committee were forwarded to the Planning Commission. The proposal is now under active consideration of the Planning Commission.