Mass Balance Estimation using Sar Data in Central Himalaya

To assess the health of a glacier, mass balance budget is the most acceptable method. Accurate Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) play an important role in mass balance estimation. High resolution TanDEM-X and SRTM data have been utilized for this study over Chorabari, a Central Himalayan glacier. The glacier elevation change from 2000-2016 is calculated as 5.10 ±1.23 m and specific mass balance is -0.73 ± 0.05 m w eq. a^-1. Ground observations corroborate these results and thus highlight the efficacy of SAR dataset for studying Himalayan glaciers.