An Analysis of Glacial Retreat and Resultant Vegetation Expansion in the Karakorum: A case study of Passu Glacier in Hunza valley
An Analysis of Glacial Retreat and Resultant Vegetation Expansion in the Karakorum: A case study of Passu Glacier in Hunza valley
NAUSHEEN MAZHAR*, ALI IQTADAR MIRZA**, SAHAR ZIA*, ZAYANAH SOHAIL BUTT*, MEMUNA GHAFOOR SHAHID*** & ALI IMAM MIRZA**
ABSTRACT
The glaciers are the life line of Pakistan’s economy since they serve as fresh water and feed reservoirs which help in hydroelectric power production and provide water for agriculture. The changing climatic trends of the Hindu-Kush Himalayan (HKH) region have resulted in the decrease of its glacial volume such as Baltoro and Biafo. Passu, the glacier whose water feeds Hunza River, is also facing retreat due to climate change. Changes in the area under vegetation in Passu village due to Passu glacier retreat have also been estimated using normalized difference snow index (NDSI) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) which were also derived from the satellite images. NDSI for snow cover mapping of Passu glacier indicates a decrease of 6.18% in snow covered area (3.0808 km2) of Passu glacier from 1992-2016. This was identified as 12.8% as annual in the area of Passu glacier. In response to this glacial retreat, area under vegetation has increased @ 4 percent per annum since 1992 and it covers almost half of the area (0.981 sq. km area) of Passu village which is fed by the melted water of the Passu glacier.
To share on other social networks, click on any share button. What are these?
