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

Ghimire, Motilal; Shrestha, Dibas; Chauhan, Raju; Thapa, Amrit; Sharma, Til Prasad Pangali; Sharma, Krishna Prasad; Gurung, Sher Bahadur; Devkota, Sundar; Bhandari, Prabin; Koirala, Sikesh; Wu, Yanhong; Timalsina, Niroj; Kutu, Jeevan

doi:10.5194/tc-20-551-2026

Articles | Volume 20, issue 1

https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-551-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Special issue:

Improving the contribution of the land cryosphere to sea level...

https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-551-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 20, issue 1

Research article

|

22 Jan 2026

Research article |

| 22 Jan 2026

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

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, and Jeevan Kutu

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-551-2026-supplement

Data sets

MODIS/Terra Snow Cover 8-Day L3 Global 500 m SIN Grid. (MOD10A2, Version 61). [Data Set] D. K. Hall and G. A. Riggs https://doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MOD10A2.061

MODIS/Terra Land Surface Temperature/Emissivity 8-Day L3 Global 1 km SIN Grid V061 [Data set] Z. Wan et al. https://doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MOD11A2.061

MODIS/Aqua Land Surface Temperature/Emissivity 8-Day L3 Global 1 km SIN Grid V061 [Data set] Z. Wan et al. https://doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MYD11A2.061

Landsat 4-5 Thematic Mapper Level-2, Collection 2 [dataset] EROS - Earth Resources Observation and Science Center https://doi.org/10.5066/P9IAXOVV

Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus Level-2, Collection 2 [dataset] EROS - Earth Resources Observation and Science Center https://doi.org/10.5066/P9C7I13B

Landsat 8-9 Operational Land Imager/Thermal Infrared Sensor Level-2, Collection 2 [dataset] EROS - Earth Resources Observation and Science Center https://doi.org/10.5066/P9OGBGM6

Short summary

In the Upper Karnali Basin, a critical water source for millions of people, snow and glaciers are shrinking, and snowlines have shifted as temperatures rise over the last two decades. Snow and glacier decline has threatened water supplies for farming, drinking, and hydropower. This study shows how climate change is reshaping the region’s frozen landscapes, risking water security for communities downstream. Protecting these icy reservoirs is vital to safeguarding lives and ecosystems.