ITANAGAR, 28 Jun: Experts from the National Centre for Polar & Ocean Research (NCPOR) imparted training in advanced glaciology monitoring techniques to scientists from Itanagar-based Centre for Earth Sciences & Himalayan Studies (CES&HS) – Nyelam Sunil and Romik Tato – during an 18-day glacier expedition conducted at the Chandra basin in Himachal Pradesh from 10-27 June.
The training involved “mass balancing of glacier and hydrology, mass balancing of glacier water, DGPS survey, and steam ice drilling method with modern glaciology equipment to find out the losses of glacier mass or percentage of ice melting in a glacier,” the CES&HS informed in a release.
The scientists collected precise data using advanced instruments. The initiative also focused on assessing the risk of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF), which caused devastating floods in the western Himalayas.
“The CES&HS and the NCPOR have planned to monitor the Khangri glacier in the Kameng basin and Subansiri glacier with advanced cryosphere monitoring techniques in the Arunachal Himalayas. A total of 161 critical glaciers have been identified in Arunachal Pradesh with a total glacierized area spread over 233 sq kms and a total ice volume of 9.96 sq kms, including the high accumulation zone with very high elevation,” it said.
“It is quite significant in terms of hazard that can be generated from GLOF,” it said.
