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Melting of the Chhota Shigri Glacier, Western Himalaya, Insensitive to Anthropogenic Emission Residues: Insights From Geochemical Evidence

Nizam, Sarwar; Sen, Indra S.; Shukla, Tanuj; Selby, David

Melting of the Chhota Shigri Glacier, Western Himalaya, Insensitive to Anthropogenic Emission Residues: Insights From Geochemical Evidence Thumbnail


Authors

Sarwar Nizam

Indra S. Sen

Tanuj Shukla



Abstract

Himalayan glaciers are invariably covered by supra-glacial debris. Of these glaciers, the Chhota Shigri Glacier (CSG) in the western Himalaya has minimal debris cover (3.4%), yet has a comparable melt rate to other Himalayan glaciers. Utilizing osmium isotopic composition, and major and trace element geochemistry of cryoconite, a dark colored aggregate of mineral and organic materials on the surface of the ablation zone of the CSG, we show that the surface of CSG is essentially free of anthropogenically emitted particles, contrary to many previous findings. Given this and the overall lack of debris, we conclude that the high melt rate of CSG is primarily related to the increase of the Earth's near-surface temperature linked directly to global warming. Therefore, the future meltwater supply for glacial-fed rivers originating from Lahaul and Spiti region would be most vulnerable for >50 million population living downstream and requires immediate attention.

Citation

Nizam, S., Sen, I. S., Shukla, T., & Selby, D. (2021). Melting of the Chhota Shigri Glacier, Western Himalaya, Insensitive to Anthropogenic Emission Residues: Insights From Geochemical Evidence. Geophysical Research Letters, 48(19), Article e2021GL092801. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021gl092801

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Sep 10, 2021
Online Publication Date Sep 29, 2021
Publication Date Oct 16, 2021
Deposit Date Jan 6, 2022
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2022
Journal Geophysical Research Letters
Print ISSN 0094-8276
Electronic ISSN 1944-8007
Publisher Wiley
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 48
Issue 19
Article Number e2021GL092801
DOI https://doi.org/10.1029/2021gl092801
Public URL https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1217830

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Copyright Statement
Nizam, Sarwar, Sen, Indra S., Shukla, Tanuj & Selby, David (2021). Melting of the Chhota Shigri Glacier, Western Himalaya, Insensitive to Anthropogenic Emission Residues: Insights From Geochemical Evidence. Geophysical Research Letters 48(19): e2021GL092801. 10.1029/2021GL092801. To view the published open abstract, go to https://doi.org/ and enter the DOI.






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