Scientists map 219 Alaknanda basin hanging glaciers amid Himalayan warming
Scientists just mapped 219 hanging glaciers in Uttarakhand's Alaknanda basin, making this the first full survey of its kind.
The study (published April 2026) points out that the Himalayas are heating up faster than the global average, which is making these steep glaciers even more unstable and raising risks for people living downstream.
One 3rd of ice volume unstable
These hanging glaciers cover about 71.7 +- 3.5 square kilometers and hold nearly 2.39 +- 0.42 cubic kilometers of ice.
Worryingly, around one-third of that ice is considered unstable and could break off as temperatures climb.
Past disasters like Kedarnath (2013) and Chamoli (2021) were major Glacial Lake Outburst Flood disasters, so experts say it's urgent to step up monitoring and take action before history repeats itself.