Back to news
16 May 2017 | News

Successful Spring Field Mission to Yala Glacier, Langtang, Nepal

Scientists from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) carried out mass balance measurements on Yala Glacier as part of the larger spring field campaign in the Langtang Valley. The goal was to measure how much snow accumulated on the glacier over the winter months. As in previous winters, snow accumulation dominated over ice and snow melt. The team experienced heavy snowfall during their stay at the Yala Glacier Base Camp and had to organize their work accordingly.

0 mins Read

70% Complete

View Slideshow (13 photos with caption)

At Yala Glacier, a positive mass balance (more accumulated snow than melt) during the winter measurement period from November to April is common. However, scientists expect that the majority of the winter snow on the glacier and additionally glacier ice will melt in the summer months, resulting in a negative mass balance (glacier mass loss) for the entire measurement year. Glaciers are excellent climate indicators. In the past decades, Yala Glacier has continuously been shrinking and retreating. After a detailed analysis the glaciologists will know how the past winter compares to the previous ones, and what that means for the glacier.

The researchers also climbed over rock glaciers with huge boulders and rocky ridges to locate temperature sensors buried under ground or drilled into rock walls. These sensors measure the ground surface temperatures (GST) and give an indication for the possible occurrence of permafrost deeper in the ground. Earlier measurements showed interesting annual GST courses with very low but also rather high temperatures. The researchers downloaded GST data from loggers placed on Tsergo Ri in autumn 2013, as well as other sites at later dates.

Stay current

Stay up to date on what’s happening around the HKH with our most recent publications and find out how you can help by subscribing to our mailing list.

Sign Up

Related content

Continue exploring this topic

Managing Systems Under Stress: Solutions Presented at Third Indus Basin Knowledge Forum

Speaking at the event, David Molden, Director General of ICIMOD, spoke of the challenges mountain communities face—climate change, environmental degradation, ...

20 Jul 2019 News
ICIMOD Work Highlighted by The World Academy of Sciences

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) was profiled by TWAS (The World Academy of Sciences for the advancement of ...

23 Aug 2016 News
Assessment Tools Manage Water Resources Better

More than twenty water-resource management practitioners and researchers from China, In-dia and Nepal participated in a five-day training on the ...

12 Jan 2015 News
International Mountain Day 2014 Celebrations in ICIMOD’s Member Countries

China On the occasion of International Mountain Day 2014, the Chinese Committee on International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (CNICIMOD) organized ...

3 Apr 2017 Himalica
Bandarban Destination Management Plan Validation Workshop

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs (MoCHTA) jointly ...

10 Apr 2015 Atmosphere Initiative
NEC Secretary visits ICIMOD

Secretary of the National Environment Commission (NEC) of Bhutan, Dasho Ugyen Tshewang, visited the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) headquarters on ...

6 Oct 2016 News
Pakistani Policy Makers Visit Upper Indus Basin Pilot Projects

A field visit to enhance understanding of ongoing International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) activities in Pakistan through exposure ...

28 Sep 2015 News
Investigating Lemthang Tsho (Lake) outburst in Bhutan

Early in the evening on 28 June 2015, a yak herder ...