Frontal recession of Gangotri Glacier, Garhwal Himalayas, from 1965 to 2006, measured through highresolution remote sensing data

We report in this communication the length fluctuation and frontal area changes at the snout of Gangotri Glacier based on high-resolution satellite data from 1965 to 2006. Glacial outlines were mapped from declassified imageries from Corona (1965, 1968), Hexagon (1980) and Indian satellites IRS PAN (2001) and Cartosat-1 (2006). The results show that Gangotri Glacier exhibited retreat up to 819 ± 14 m and lost 0.41 ± 0.03 sq. km (~ 0.01 sq. km year^-1) at its front from 1965 to 2006. The retreat rates are lower than those previously reported using coarse-resolution remote sensing data and the Survey of India topography map. The results of the present study are supported by in-situ field survey conducted by the Geological Survey of India.