Debris cover glacier melt in the Karakoram during 2021

The assessment of meltwater sourcing from the clean and debris-covered glaciers is scarce in High Mountain Asia (HMA). The melting rate varies with the debris cover thickness and glacier orientation. The present study quantifies glacier melting rate attributed to varying thickness of debris cover in the Karakoram. We observed the melting rates by installing ablation stakes on Hinarchi and Sachen glaciers over debris-free and debris-covered ice during a field expedition. The stakes were installed on clean ice and glacier surface with debris cover thickness ranges between 0.5 and 2 cm at selected experimental sites between 2700 and 3100 m a.s.l. during July 2021.