Dynamics of snow and glacier cover in the Upper Karnali Basin, Nepal: an analysis of its relationship with climatic and topographic parameters

˜The œcryosphere 2026 Open access

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Authors: Motilal Ghimire, Dibas Shrestha, Raju Chauhan, Amrit Thapa, Til Prasad Pangali Sharma, Krishna Prasad Sharma, Sher Bahadur Gurung, Sundar Devkota, Prabin Bhandari, Sikesh Koirala, Yanhong Wu, Niroj Timalsina
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DOI: 10.5194/tc-20-551-2026
Cited by: 3
References: 66

Abstract

Snow and glacier cover in the Upper Karnali Basin (UKB) are crucial freshwater reservoirs that support downstream ecosystems and human populations. This study uses remote sensing and GIS data from various sources, including MODIS-derived land surface temperature and ERA5 reanalysis climate datasets, to analyze snow cover dynamics from 2002 to 2024. The results show a significant decrease in snow-covered area (SCA), with an annual decline of approximately 3.99 km 2 . Seasonal variations indicate the most significant reductions during the monsoon period (July–September), when rising temperatures accelerate snowmelt. The analysis also identifies a strong negative correlation between snow cover and temperature (r=-0.59 to −0.77, p

Fields of Study & Subjects

Cryospheric studies and observations Climate variability and models Hydrology and Watershed Management Studies

Publication details

Journal / source
˜The œcryosphere
Publisher
Copernicus GmbH
Volume
20
Issue
1
Pages
551–572
Publication date
22 January 2026
Language
EN