@article{fdi:010091555,
  title = {{R}ock glacier distribution across the {H}imalaya},
  author = {{H}arrison, {S}. and {J}ones, {D}.{B}. and {R}acoviteanu, {A}dina and {A}nderson, {K}. and {S}hannon, {S}. and {B}etts, {R}.{A}. and {L}eng, {R}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{I}n {H}igh {M}ountain {A}sia, human-induced climate warming threatens the cryosphere. {E}xpected long-term reductions in future runoff from glacial catchments raises concerns regarding the sustainability of these natural 'water towers' and the implications of reduced water availability for regional human and ecological systems. {I}cedebris landforms ({I}-{DL}), containing ice whether moving or not include rock glaciers and ice-cored moraines, and are likely to be climatically more resilient than debris-covered and debris-free glaciers. {R}ecent work has shown that rock glaciers contain globally valuable water supplies yet over {H}igh {M}ountain {A}sia information regarding their number, spatial distribution, morphometric characteristics and water content are scarce. {H}ere, we present the first systematic estimate of the current extent and distribution of rock glaciers for a subset of {H}igh {M}ountain {A}sia (the {H}imalaya). {A} sample of 2070 intact and relict rock glaciers were digitized on {G}oogle {E}arth imagery from the {W}estern, {C}entral and {E}astern {H}imalaya regions and then quantitative and qualitative characteristics were analysed regionally based on topographic data from the {NASA} {S}huttle {R}adar {T}opography {M}ission ({SRTM}) {V}ersion 3.0 and then aggregated across the {H}imalaya using an "upscaling" method. {T}he majority of the digitized landforms (-65%) were categorised as intact rock glaciers (i.e., ice-debris {L}andforms, or {I}-{DL}s, containing ice) and the remainder as relict rock glaciers (i.e., discrete debris accumulations or {DDA}s, not containing ice). {T}hey range in elevation from 3225 to 5766 m a.s.l., with the lowest in the {C}entral {H}imalaya. {S}ampled relict and intact rock glaciers are primarily situated on northern quadrants. {O}ver the entire {H}imalaya, we identified -25,000 landforms, with a total estimated areal coverage of 3747 km2. {T}he area upscaling method was validated in the {M}anaslu region of {N}epal using high-resolution {P}lanet data (5 m) and freely available, fine spatial resolution optical satellite data accessed through {G}oogle {E}arth {P}ro and {ESRI} basemaps. {I}n absence of complete rock glacier inventories over the {H}imalaya, our approach proves useful to investigate the nature, distribution and infer potential future behaviour of these landforms across the {H}imalaya in a changing climate.},
  keywords = {{HIMALAYA} ; {NEPAL} ; {MANASLU} {REGION}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{G}lobal and {P}lanetary {C}hange},
  volume = {239},
  numero = {},
  pages = {104481 [10 ]},
  ISSN = {0921-8181},
  year = {2024},
  DOI = {10.1016/j.gloplacha.2024.104481},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010091555},
}