PPT-295689

The Himalaya and Karakoram HK have been of great interest to glaciologists and the general public in recent years specifically due to claims that the Himalayan glaciers will disappear by 2035 Cruz et al 2007 These claims have caused much controversy among glaciologists as present data from the region are unsatisfactory The Earths fresh water supply is greatly dependent on the presence of glaciers therefore it is crucial to have an understanding of how much fresh water is stored in the worlds ice In order to estimate the volume of fresh water currently on Earth and to make predictions it is necessary to be able to estimate glacier thickness and volume without actual field measurements Often it is impossible to conduct field research when glaciers are situated in areas of political unrest such as the Nubra or when the steep terrain and inconsistent weather pose hazardous conditions This study has been conducted to appraise two methods Shallow Ice Approximation SIA and Volume Area Scaling VS for estimating mean glacier thickness and glacier volume to determine if outcomes are significantly different Results are validated by applying the same methods to various mountain and valley glaciers which have actual field measurements.