Current Science

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access

Estimation of Ice Thickness of the Satopanth Glacier, Central Himalaya Using Ground Penetrating Radar


Affiliations
1 Department of Geology, H.N.B. Garhwal University, Srinagar Garhwal 246 174, India
2 Indian Institute of Science and Educational Research, Pune 411 008, India
3 The Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai 600 113, India
 

Total volume of stored ice in the Himalayan glaciers is an important quantity for water resource management of the Himalayan catchments. However, direct measurement of glacier-ice thickness is rare in the Indian Himalaya. We have estimated the ice thickness of the debris-covered Satopanth Glacier (SPG) using a ground penetrating radar (GPR). Multiple bistatic, unshielded antennae with frequencies of 16, 20, 40 and 80 MHz were used for this purpose. We have done GPR surveys at various locations over the ablation zone of SPG. However, satisfactory results were obtained only on two transects. Near the glacier snout, a transverse GPR profile shows an ice thickness of 38 ± 3.5–50 ± 3.5 m. We have obtained 98 ± 7–112 ± 7 m ice thickness at a longitudinal transect in the upper ablation zone. To measure the speed of the radar waves in ice, a common midpoint survey was carried out. Our results for the speed of the electromagnetic waves are slightly lower than the standard values of such waves through pure ice.

Keywords

Common Midpoint Survey, Debris-Covered Glaciers, Ground Penetrating Radar, Ice Thickness.
User
Notifications
Font Size

  • Bolch, T. et al., The state and fate of Himalayan glaciers. Science, 2012, 336, 310–314.

  • Frey, H. et al., Estimating the volume of glaciers in the Himalayan–Karakoram region using different methods. Cryosphere, 2014, 8, 2313–2333.

  • Oerlemans, J. et al., Modelling the response of glaciers to climate warming. Climate Dyn., 1998, 14, 267–274.

  • Farinotti, D., Huss, M., Bauder, A. and Funk, M. and Truffer, M., A method to estimate ice volume and ice thickness distribution of Alpine glaciers. J. Glaciol., 2009, 55(191), 422–430.

  • Huss, M. and Farinotti, D., Distributed ice thickness and volume of all glaciers around the globe. J. Geophys. Res., 2012, 117(F4), F04010.

  • Gantayat, P., Kulkarni, A. V. and Srinivasan, J., Estimation of ice thickness using surface velocities and slope: case study at Gangotri Glacier, India. J. Glaciol., 2014, 60(220), 277–282.

  • Bahr, D. B., Meier, M. F. and Peckham, S. D., The physical basis of glacier volume–area scaling. J. Geophys. Res., 1997, 102(B9), 20355–20362.

  • Annan, A. P., GPR – History, trends, and future developments. Subsurf. Sensing Technol. Appl., 2002, 3(4), 253–270.

  • Jol, H. M., Ground Penetrating Radar: Theory and Applications, Elsevier, Great Britain, 2009.

  • Gergan, J. T., Dobhal, D. P. and Kaushik, R., Ground penetrating radar ice thickness measurements of Dokriani bamak (glacier), Garhwal Himalaya. Curr. Sci., 1999, 77, 169–173.

  • Singh, K. K., Kulkarni, A. V. and Mishra, V. D., Estimation of glacier depth and moraine cover study using ground penetrating radar (GPR) in the Himalayan region. J. Indian Soc. Remote Sensing, 2010, 38, 1–9.

  • Singh, S. K., Rathore, B. P., Bahuguna, I. M., Ramanathan, A. L. and Ajai, Estimation of glacier ice thickness using ground penetrating radar in the Himalayan region. Curr. Sci., 2012, 103(1), 68–73.

  • Azam, M. F. et al., From balance to imbalance: a shift in the dynamic behaviour of Chhota Shigri glacier, western Himalaya, India. J. Glaciol., 2012, 58, 315–324.

  • Wagnon, P. et al., Seasonal and annual mass balances of Mera and Pokalde glaciers (Nepal Himalaya) since 2007. Cryosphere, 2013, 7, 1769–1786.

  • Sugiyama, S., Fukui, K., Fujita, K., Tone, K. and Yamaguchi, S., Changes in ice thickness and flow velocity of Yala Glacier, Langtang Himal, Nepal, from 1982 to 2009. Ann. Glaciol., 2013, 54(64), 157–162.

  • Gades, A., Conway, H., Nereson, N., Naito, N. and Kadota, T., Radio echo-sounding through supraglacial debris on Lirung and Khumbu Glaciers, Nepal Himalayas. In Debris-Covered Glaciers (eds Nakawo, M., Raymond, C. F. and Fountain, A.), IAHS. Washington, USA, 2000, pp. 13–24.

  • Robin, G. Q., Velocity of radio waves in ice by means of a bore-hole interferometric technique. J. Glaciol., 1975, 15(73), 151–159.

  • Hubbard, B. and Glasser, N., Field Techniques in Glaciology and Glacial Geomorphology, Wiley and Sons Ltd, Chichester, England, 2005.

  • Laha, S. et al., Evaluating the contribution of avalanching to the mass balance of Himalayan glaciers. Ann. Glaciol., 2007, 1–9; doi:10.1017/aog.2017.27.

  • Valdiya, K. S. and Goel, O. P., Lithological subdivision and petrology of the Great Himalayan Vaikrita Group in Kumaun, India. Proc. Indian Acad. Sci., 1983, 92(2), 141–163.

  • Nainwal, H. C., Chaudhary, M., Rana, N., Negi, B. D. S., Negi, R. S., Juyal, N. and Shinghvi, A. K., Chronology of the Late Quaternary glaciation around Badrinath (Upper Alaknanda Basin): Preliminary observations. Curr. Sci., 2007, 93(1), 90–96.

  • Nainwal, H. C., Banerjee, A., Shankar, R., Semwal, P. and Sharma, T., Shrinkage of Satopanth and Bhagirath Kharak Glaciers 2 from 1936 to 2013. Ann. Glaciol., 2016, 57(71), 131–139.


Abstract Views: 458

PDF Views: 175




  • Estimation of Ice Thickness of the Satopanth Glacier, Central Himalaya Using Ground Penetrating Radar

Abstract Views: 458  |  PDF Views: 175

Authors

Aditya Mishra
Department of Geology, H.N.B. Garhwal University, Srinagar Garhwal 246 174, India
B. D. S. Negi
Department of Geology, H.N.B. Garhwal University, Srinagar Garhwal 246 174, India
Argha Banerjee
Indian Institute of Science and Educational Research, Pune 411 008, India
H. C. Nainwal
Department of Geology, H.N.B. Garhwal University, Srinagar Garhwal 246 174, India
R. Shankar
The Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai 600 113, India

Abstract


Total volume of stored ice in the Himalayan glaciers is an important quantity for water resource management of the Himalayan catchments. However, direct measurement of glacier-ice thickness is rare in the Indian Himalaya. We have estimated the ice thickness of the debris-covered Satopanth Glacier (SPG) using a ground penetrating radar (GPR). Multiple bistatic, unshielded antennae with frequencies of 16, 20, 40 and 80 MHz were used for this purpose. We have done GPR surveys at various locations over the ablation zone of SPG. However, satisfactory results were obtained only on two transects. Near the glacier snout, a transverse GPR profile shows an ice thickness of 38 ± 3.5–50 ± 3.5 m. We have obtained 98 ± 7–112 ± 7 m ice thickness at a longitudinal transect in the upper ablation zone. To measure the speed of the radar waves in ice, a common midpoint survey was carried out. Our results for the speed of the electromagnetic waves are slightly lower than the standard values of such waves through pure ice.

Keywords


Common Midpoint Survey, Debris-Covered Glaciers, Ground Penetrating Radar, Ice Thickness.

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv114%2Fi04%2F785-791