The expedition goals are:
1. To carry out annual glacier mass balance measurements, re-drill or extend stakes, and conduct a snow survey (snow pit and snow probing).
2. To install an automatic weather station (AWS) on the glacier.
3. To carry out routine maintenance work and download data from an automatic weather station (AWS) near the glacier terminus and from an automatic water level sensor (AWLS) at the outlet of the Rikha Samba Glacier.

The field activity is a part of the Cryosphere Initiative of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), funded by the Government of Norway.

Climbing up to Rikha Samba to conduct field work, a photo from 2017. Photo: Tika Gurung/ICIMOD