Snow Cover and Snowline Altitude Variations in Alaknanda Basin, Uttarakhand, Central Himalayas

Snow is an important component of the cryosphere and the study of snow is essential for understanding regional climate change and managing water resources. Numerous studies suggest that global warming has started affecting snow melt and stream run-off in the Himalayan region. Monitoring the snow-cover changes is therefore essential to assess the future hydrological cycle. Snowline altitude is an important parameter to assess future changes in snow cover. Variations in snowline altitude (1976-2010) and snow cover for the years 2000 to 2013 in Alaknanda River Basin located in Uttarakhand are reported here. Snow cover mapping in Alaknanda Basin is accomplished from 2000 to 2012 by generating snow cover area (SCA) from Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer of 500 meters (MYD10A1-Binary), which shows a slight declining trend during 2000-2012. The average snowline was delineated using Landsat (30 meters) images of November 1976, 1990, 1998 and 2010 using digital identification method and elevation information generated using SRTM data. The lowest snowline altitude was observed as 4287.88 m in November 1998 and highest as 5063.66 m in November 1976.