{
  "abstract": "Glaciers exhibit region-specific mass loss patterns in response to ongoing climate change. In this study, we provide a geodetic mass balance assessment for glaciers within the Hindu Kush region spanning the period 1979–2002, utilizing KH-9 panoramic imagery and SPOT-5 stereo satellite imagery. Our analysis reveals a moderate mass loss of -0.14±0.09 m w.e. a ⁻¹ , a rate similar to post-2000 observations given their uncertainties. We found that debris-covered glaciers and clean-ice glaciers experienced a nearly similar mass loss at the respective rates of -0.15±0.08 and -0.14±0.11 m w.e. a ⁻¹ , which is close to the regional mass balance. However, we observe that most of the retreating glaciers are clean-ice with the highest retreat of 2.4 km. Additionally, we discuss and analyze the response of the surging glaciers, and observe a mass loss of -0.15±0.12 and -0.14±0.08 m w.e. a ⁻¹ for surging and non-surging glaciers, respectively. These observations represent the first geodetic mass balance estimates for the Eastern Hindu Kush prior to 2000, extending the temporal record of glacier change by two decades and revealing that moderate mass loss has been sustained since the late 1970s, similar to the post-2000 observations.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Institute of Space Technology (Islamabad, Pakistan)"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 2,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Azka Ramzan"
    },
    {
      "name": "Sajid Ghuffar"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7pewx8486xnw6.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.5194/tc-20-5993-2026",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "7pewx8486xnw6",
  "issns": [
    "1994-0424"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/20/5993/2026/",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "1902|Cryospheric studies and observations"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7117413318",
  "pdf_url": "https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/20/5993/2026/tc-20-5993-2026.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-15",
  "publisher": "Copernicus GmbH",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7pewx8486xnw6.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:20:37Z",
      "native_id": "10.5194/tc-20-5993-2026",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/20/5993/2026/"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "earth",
      "origin": "openalex:1902|Cryospheric studies and observations",
      "subfield": "atmospheric"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Brief communication: Mass balance of glaciers in the Eastern Hindu Kush from 1979 to 2002 using KH-9 panoramic and SPOT-5 stereo imagery",
  "title_text": "Brief communication: Mass balance of glaciers in the Eastern Hindu Kush from 1979 to 2002 using KH-9 panoramic and SPOT-5 stereo imagery",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:20:37Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7pewx8486xnw6",
  "venue": "The Cryosphere",
  "versions": [
    {
      "doi": "10.5194/egusphere-2025-5287",
      "pid": null,
      "relation": "preprint",
      "title": null,
      "venue": null
    }
  ]
}