Application of Remote Sensing and GIS to Assess Snow Cover and its Dynamics: A Case Study of Uttarakhand Himalaya, India

The cryosphere plays a vital role in the climate system by changing the energy and mass transfer between the atmosphere and the surface, and it is the most important land cover type in the Himalayan and Polar Regions, which act as an important source of freshwater for rivers. This study examines Snow-Covered Area (SCA) and Snowline variations in the Uttarakhand Himalaya using the Normalized Difference Snow Index (NDSI). Three Landsat series imagery for 1990, 2000, 2010, and Sentinel Data from 2015 to 2021 were processed and analyzed through open-source software. In order to estimate the average elevation of the snowline, a digital elevation model was used and an area estimation study using multispectral imagery. The research focuses on the snowline and snow cover variations over the Uttarakhand Himalaya from 1990 to 2021 and the average snow line-height, respectively. This study shows that in the years 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2015 to 2021, snow line variations and area estimation differences in Uttarakhand, Central Himalaya, and snow line at above sea level (a.s.l.) in the western and eastern part of the study area. This study deals with the analysis of snow line shifting and cover. It suggests that the snow cover area in the Uttarakhand, Central Himalaya, is depleting steadily, which will have adverse impacts, especially upon water resources causing various economic and social disruptions in the near future.