In Situ Monitoring of Mountain Glaciers: Experiences from Mountain Ranges around the World and Recommendations for the Hindu Kush Himalaya - ICIMOD Working Paper 2017/7

Mountain glaciers are important climate indicators, impact on downstream water availability and sea level rise, and potentially influence natural hazards. However, field-based glacier measurements are sparse, especially in remote high mountain ranges. This paper compares and contrasts the challenges of fieldwork in the Nepalese Himalayas, New Zealand, the European Alps, the semiarid Andes, and the McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica. Based on this, it distils a set of recommendations for institutions who plan to set up new glacier monitoring programmes in the Himalayas. Key aspects influencing the quality and sustainability of long-term monitoring programmes are skills, physical setting, and funding.