Space-based observations of Eastern Hindu Kush glaciers between 1976 and 2007, Afghanistan and Pakistan

Glacier terminus fluctuations in the Hindu Kush are largely unknown, although research indicates expanding glaciers in the Karakoram. Consequently, we quantified glacier terminus locations in the Eastern Hindu Kush Range of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Fifty-two Alpine glaciers of various sizes, altitudes and orientations were sampled from Landsat and Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) imagery acquired in 1976, 1992, 2001 and 2007. Our results show that 76% of the sampled glaciers retreated, 16% advanced and 8% exhibited relatively stable terminus conditions. Our research suggests that there is a spatial gradient in glacier fluctuations in the Western Himalaya governed by precipitation, where glacier retreat dominates in western Pakistan.