Karakoram Anomaly

Researchers have taken a significant leap toward solving the mystery of why few pockets of glaciers in the Karakoram Range are resisting glacial melt due to global warming, defying the trend of glaciers losing mass across the globe, with the Himalayas being no exception.

• They have attributed this phenomenon called ‘Karakoram Anomaly’ to recent revival of western disturbances (WDs).

Key highlights

• Himalayan glaciers are fast receding under the impacts of global warming, and stifling stress on the water resources is inevitable in the coming decades.

• In contrast, the glaciers of central Karakoram have surprisingly remained unchanged or slightly increased in the last few decades.

• In a paper published in the American Meteorological Society’s Journal of Climate, scientists claimed that the recent revival of western disturbance has been instrumental in triggering and sustaining the Karakoram Anomaly since the advent of the 21st century.

• While previous studies have highlighted the role of temperature in establishing and sustaining the anomaly over the years, it is for the first time that the impact of precipitation in feeding the anomaly has been highlighted. The researchers have also quantified the impact of precipitation in feeding the anomaly.

• Calculations by the scientists reveal that contribution of WDs in terms of snowfall volume over the core glacier regions of Karakoram have increased by about 27% in recent decades, while precipitation received from non-WD sources have significantly decreased by around 17%, further strengthening their claims.

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