2-Understanding Hydrological Processes of Himalayan Glacier Regime - Challanges Ahead.

Abstract

This paper focuses on problems associated with the present approach of extrapolating hydrologic and climatic variables using generalised relationship to the glacier regime to estimate the runoff without standardizing the altitudinal response of these parameters within the glacial regime of Himalaya. Distribution characteristics of major glacier runoff variables such as melt rate, temperature, monsoon rainfall and winter SWE are discussed with examples from Dokriani glacier. The need of hydrological and weather data above 2500-3000 m asl, across the Himalayan arc for characterising the hydrological and climatic processes operating in the Himalayan snow and glacier regime and study of its variability in a longer time scale to assess the future changes to the glaciers and to the headwater river runoff, is emphasized. An approach towards undertaking conjunctive studies of glacier, snow and monsoon regimes in the headwater catchments is proposed to model the headwater river runoff variability in Himalayan snow/glacier resource management perspective.