Future Sustainability Challenges in Hindu Kush-Himalaya - Impact of Global Changes on Mountains: Responses and Adaptation - page 238

Figure 10.7. An overview of Himalayan glaciers retreat. Most of the glaciers in the eastern and
central Himalayas show retreat since the mid-19th century. Glaciers in the western Himalayas
appear to be more stable overall, and some may be advancing. For example glaciers at Nanga
Parbat in the northwest (RA, CL) and glaciers in the Karakoram, which show a complex
behavior (Bolch et al. 2012).
layer provides effi cient heating of the atmosphere then interacts with the
warm moist monsoon air and maximizes the atmospheric water cycle
feedback that may signifi cantly modulate the summer monsoon rainfall
(Lau et al. 2006, Lau et al. 2008).
At the local level, snow and ice have greater energy-albedo feedbacks,
small changes in the amount and timing of snow, and in the overall energy
balance can have large effects on a glacier's mass balance. Fresh snow
has an albedo range of about 0.75 to 0.95 while glacier ice has an albedo