In-situ data collection and monitoring of snow, glacier, permafrost in the Hidden Valley, Mustang, Nepal

About the expedition:

The annual expedition to the Rikha Samba Glacier in Hidden Valley, Mustang, Nepal is organised to monitor and maintain the glacier’s mass balance, sensors and stations in the Valley. The expedition will also include capacitating our key partner, Tribhuvan University, to ensure the smooth transfer of future field monitoring and cryosphere research activities in the region.

The expedition will comprehensively monitor all three components of the cryosphere: snow, glaciers, and permafrost. Activities include measuring snow depth close to installed snow stations and assessing their conditions; maintaining the glacier’s mass balance stake network; and installing and servicing weather stations both on and off the glacier. Permafrost monitoring will include collecting data from Tidbit sensors and servicing micro-climate stations to track ground temperature conditions.

These activities will provide hands-on experience for participating partner, enhancing their technical capacity for cryosphere monitoring, and deepen the collective understanding of glacier dynamics and their response to climate change

Objectives: 

Snow Monitoring:

Assess the operational condition of snow stations at Yak Kharka and Kalopani, and remove the previously damaged ground temperature sensor, as advised by experts from the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE).

Conduct snow measurements at the NVE snow station to validate existing data.

Glacier Monitoring:

Service and download data from the off-glacier weather station.

Collect mass balance date from the stake network; install new stakes, and repair existing ones.

Perform snow measurements, including snow probing, snow profile analysis, and density measurements at accumulation stake locations.

Capture repeat photographs of the glacier terminus from fixed photo point.

Download data from the thermistor chain in the glacier’s accumulation zone to monitor internal temperature variations.

Download data from the Nagoya University station.

Permafrost Monitoring:

Maintain and download data from the Vaisala AWS installed at Hidden Valley.

Retrieve data from the nine Tidbit V2 temperature loggers installed along the route from Kalopani to Hidden Valley.

Expected Outcomes

Improved cryospheric monitoring: Maintenance of monitoring systems for snow, glaciers, and permafrost across Hidden Valley, enabling more accurate and long-term understanding of their dynamics and responses to climate change.

Comprehensive data collection: Acquisition of critical data on snow depth, glacier mass balance, and permafrost conditions, contributing to a deeper understanding of the interactions between these components and their broader environmental implications.

Enhanced collaboration and knowledge sharing: Strengthened partnerships among research institutions, fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange enhancing collective capabilities in cryospheric research.

Background

Cumulative in-situ measurements reveal a troubling trend— Rikha Samba Glacier is retreating at an alarming rate of approximately -0.39 ± 0.32 meters of water equivalent per year. This finding underscores the urgent need for continued research and conservation efforts to address the mounting challenges posed by climate change in the region.

Rikha Samba Glacier is among the most extensively studied glaciers in the Central Himalayas, with research efforts dating back to 1970s and 1980s, when Japanese researchers initiated systematic glacier studies through the Glaciological Expedition to Nepal (GEN).

Since 2011, ICIMOD has been conducting annual research expeditions to this glacier, focusing on maintaining a long-term data series of its mass balance. A network of weather stations is strategically placed both in the valley and on the glacier. These stations provide valuable insights into the meteorological parameters influencing glacier melting.