Glacial Advance

Context:

Multiple events of glacial advances have been witnessed from the Yankti Kuti valley situated in the extreme eastern part of Pithoragarh district, Uttarakhand, since 52 thousand years (MIS 3) that synchronises with climate variability, according to a new study.

Glacial Advance is nothing but the extension of the terminus of the glacier further down the valley, this occurs when the glacier flows downvalley faster than the rate of ablation at its terminus.
Depending on the amount of accumulation of snow or evaporation due to which melting occurs have led the glaciers to periodically advance or retreat.

Kuti Valley is a Himalayan valley situated in the Pithoragarh District, Kumaon division of the Uttarakhand state of India.
Located in the eastern part of Uttarakhand, it is the last valley before the border with Tibet.
This valley which is significant both strategically and geographically is the place of birth for two important rivers, the Kali and Kalapani river which flows through the Lipulekh Pass.

By employing several advanced dating methods numerous researchers have provided data on the nature of the glaciation in the Central Himalayas.
But it is unfortunate that due to the inaccessibility to these areas there is insufficient data regarding the nature of glaciation chronologically.
This lack of data is not just because of the inaccessibility to these areas but also due to the lack of dating material in the study areas.
Due to this it has been difficult to figure out the correlation between two major climatic systems: the Indian summer Monsoon and the mid-latitude westerlies and also about the glacier advance.

The study can contribute hugely to enhance the existing knowledge of the relationship between Himalayan climate and glacier dynamics and can help assessing the role of Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) versus westerlies in driving the valley glaciers in the Central Himalayan region.

Source The Hindu