Glacier and Glacial Lake Dynamics in the Mo Chu Catchment, Bhutan: A Satellite-Based Analysis (1992-2022)

The key indicators of climate change are glaciers and glacial lakes, .yet documentation of their changes in the Eastern Himalayan region, particularly in Bhutan's Mo Chu catchment, remains scarce. This study addresses that gap by analyzing Landsat 5 TM and Sentinel-2 satellite data to assess climate change in Mo Chu glaciers and glacial lakes through three decades of remote sensing data. Results show a significant decline in the glacier area, from 183 to 109 square kilometres, over 32 years, indicating a negative trend. Conversely, the glacial lake area increased by 5.5% over 30 years. Climatic drivers, analyzed from POWER NASA data, reveal a positive correlation between temperature and precipitation, and a negative correlation between temperature and glacier area. These findings highlight how climate change has impacts on glaciers and glacial lakes in the Mo Chu catchment.