High-resolution Mapping of Alpine Glaciers of Suru Basin: A 2022 Inventory Based on Sentinel-2 Satellite Data

Abstract

Alpine glaciers serve as critical indicators of climate change and play a vital role in regional and global hydrological cycles. This study focuses on the Suru basin in Ladakh, India, a region with a crucial network of alpine glaciers that serve as freshwater reservoirs. Utilizing high-resolution Sentinel-2 imagery and a Digital Elevation Model (DEM), we conducted a comprehensive mapping of 42 glaciers in the basin, covering 152.91 km². These glaciers were classified into five types: simple basin mountain glaciers, compound basin mountain glaciers, simple basin valley glaciers, compound basin valley glaciers, and ice aprons. Violin boxplot analyses revealed most glaciers have mean elevations between 5000-5400 meters and slopes between 10°-30°. Detailed analysis of glacier distribution by elevation, slope, and aspect highlighted the dominance of compound basin valley glaciers (70.27 km²) and compound basin mountain glaciers (46.18km²) in terms of area. Glaciers in the sub-basin are predominantly small to medium-sized, with the majority falling in the 1-2 km² size class. The slope analysis revealed that most glaciers fall within the 15-20° slope class, while aspect-wise, CB. Mountain Glaciers and SB. Mountain Glaciers were primarily found in the southern and southeastern aspects. Our inventory findings are comparable to the Randolph Glacier Inventory (RGI), underscoring the accuracy of our methodology. This study provides valuable insights into the distribution, extent, and characteristics of alpine glaciers in the Suru basin, contributing to our understanding of glaciological processes in this region. The high-resolution mapping serves as a crucial baseline for future monitoring of glacier changes and their implications for water resources and hazard assessment in the face of climate change.