Glacier retreat in the Himalaya
Topic: Climate Change: Causes, Evidence and the Global Response · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Glacier retreat in the Himalaya means Himalayan glaciers are shrinking as temperatures rise. ICIMOD (2023) found that Hindu Kush Himalayan glaciers melted 65% faster in 2011–20 than in the decade before. They may lose 30–50% of their volume by 2100 even if warming stays at 1.5–2 °C. This threatens the long-term flow of the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra. Meltwater also collects in new glacial lakes. These lakes can burst suddenly and cause a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF).
Example
In October 2023, South Lhonak Lake in north Sikkim burst. It sent a flood down the Teesta valley. The Kedarnath disaster in Uttarakhand (2013) also involved a flood from a glacial lake.
Don't confuse with
- Seasonal snowmelt: snow melts every summer and returns every winter. Glacier retreat is a long-term loss of ice that does not come back.