IndiaEnvironment
Study finds accelerating glacier loss in Uttarakhand's Bhilangana Valley
A five-decade study found six major glaciers in Uttarakhand's Tehri district consistently lost ice and surface area between 1973 and 2025, with the decline accelerating sharply over the past decade and a potentially dangerous glacial lake forming.
Researchers have reported accelerating glacier loss in Uttarakhand's Bhilangana Valley, based on a study covering 1973 to 2025. The study, published in the journal Regional Environmental Change on August 28, found that six major glaciers in Tehri district consistently lost ice, mass and surface area over the period, with the pace of decline accelerating sharply in the last ten years.
The research, titled 'Accelerating Glacier Mass Loss in Bhilangana Valley Since the 1970s', was conducted by Dr Rakesh Bhambri and Senior Research Fellow Sharmistha Halder of Dehradun's Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology. The findings also point to the rapid formation of a potentially dangerous glacial lake in the area, raising concerns about glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs).
According to the report, Uttarakhand authorities and scientists have stepped up glacier monitoring following a recent tragedy in Nepal, though no further details about that event were provided in the study summary.
- Nepal floods
- Melting glaciers
- Himalayan glaciers
- Uttarakhand glaciers
From
IndiaEnvironment
Study finds accelerating glacier loss in Uttarakhand's Bhilangana Valley
A five-decade study found six major glaciers in Uttarakhand's Tehri district consistently lost ice and surface area between 1973 and 2025, with the decline accelerating sharply over the past decade and a potentially dangerous glacial lake forming.
Researchers have reported accelerating glacier loss in Uttarakhand's Bhilangana Valley, based on a study covering 1973 to 2025. The study, published in the journal Regional Environmental Change on August 28, found that six major glaciers in Tehri district consistently lost ice, mass and surface area over the period, with the pace of decline accelerating sharply in the last ten years.
The research, titled 'Accelerating Glacier Mass Loss in Bhilangana Valley Since the 1970s', was conducted by Dr Rakesh Bhambri and Senior Research Fellow Sharmistha Halder of Dehradun's Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology. The findings also point to the rapid formation of a potentially dangerous glacial lake in the area, raising concerns about glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs).
According to the report, Uttarakhand authorities and scientists have stepped up glacier monitoring following a recent tragedy in Nepal, though no further details about that event were provided in the study summary.
- Nepal floods
- Melting glaciers
- Himalayan glaciers
- Uttarakhand glaciers
From