Modelling of Meteorological Parameters for the Chorabari Glacier Valley, Central Himalaya, India

Abstract

In the present study, we have developed empirical relationships
to estimate meteorological parameters at
the glacier altitude from the data on non-glacier altitude.
Meteorological data collected from automatic
weather station at Chorabari Glacier from November
2011 to May 2013 are analysed and empirical equations
for air temperature, relative humidity and incoming
global radiation are proposed. The dataset of one year
(November 2011–October 2012) is used in the calibration
of models, while data for the next seven months
(November 2012–May 2013) are employed to validate
the models. Moreover, an analytical study is also conducted
on incoming diffuse radiation (estimated
through the established model for India). Further, a relationship
is established to correlate the diffuse component
of two sites. Variation trend of meteorological
parameters with altitude is found to be different for
each of the parameters, viz. quadratic for air temperature,
logarithmic for relative humidity, and linear for
global and diffuse radiation. Performance of the generated
equations is tested through various statistical
methods. The study reveals that developed correlations
are able to give a good match with in situ measurements.

Full text

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CURRENT SCIEN CE, VOL. 112, NO. 7 , 10 APRIL 2017 1553
*For correspondence. (e-mail: indira_ntl@yahoo.co.in)
Modelling of meteorological parameters for the
Chorabari Glacier valley, Central Himalaya,
India
Indira Karakoti1,*, Kapil Kesarwani1,2, Manish Mehta3 and D. P. Dobhal1
1Centre for Glaci ology, Wadia Institu te of Himal ayan Geology, D ehra dun 2 48 001, India
2Department o f Phy sics, D.S. B. Campus, Kumaun Univer sity, Nainita l 263 001, India
3Wadia Institute of Himala yan Geology, Dehradun 248 001, India
In the present study, we have developed empirical re-
lationships to estimate meteorological parameters at
the glacier altitude from the data on non-glacier alti-
tude. Meteorological data collected from automatic
weather station at Chorabari Glacier from November
2011 to May 2013 are analysed and empirical equations
for air temperature, relative humidity and incoming
global radiation are proposed. The dataset of one year
(November 2011–October 2012) is used in the calibra-
tion of models, while data for the next seven months
(November 2012–May 2013) are employed to validate
the models. Moreover, an analytical study is also con-
ducted on incoming diffuse radiation (estimated
through the established model for India). Further, a re-
lationship is established to correlate the diffuse compo-
nent of two sites. Variation trend of meteorological
parameters with altitude is found to be different for
each of the parameters, viz. quadratic for air tempera-
ture, logarithmic for relative humidity, and linear for
global and diffuse radiation.
Performance of the gener-
ated equations is tested through various statistical
methods. The study reveals that developed correlations
are able to give a good match with in situ measurements.
Keywords: Clearness index, empirical models, global
and diffuse radiation, meteorology.
GLACIE RS are widely recognized as a key icon of climate
and global environment change1. Recent studies carried
out on glacier r ecession indicate that there is a wide
inconsistency in retreat rate caused by variability in cli-
mate2–5 and terrain conditions. The change in meteorology
at regional as well as global scale plays an important role
in controlling the glacier health6.
The major meteorological parameters, viz. air tempera-
ture, solar radiation, precipitation, wind and cloudiness
greatly influence th e mass and energy balance at the gla-
cier surface7,8. Air temperature plays a major role in th e
context of radiation balance, turbulent heat exchange and
precipitation9. It is responsible for the mass balance vari-
ability over distances of several hundred kilometres10,11.
However, humidity has an inverse relation with air tem-
perature. With increase in temperature, humidity decreases
and vice versa. In addition, incoming global (solar) radia-
tion (sum of beam and diffuse radiation) is the prime
source for melting of valley glaciers and fluctuations in
mass balance12. The amount of direct or beam radiation
(radiation received without scattering by the atmosphere)
and diffuse radiation (radiation received after the direction
has been changed due to scattering by the atmosphere)
depends on atmospheric constituents (notably aerosol).
The incoming global radiation increases sharply with alti-
tude because of decreased optical mass, including a
reduction in constituents that absorb and scatter the radia-
tion. Initially the glacierization of mountainous terrain
depends critically on snow accumulation and distribution
of solar radiation. Over lowlands and industrial areas, the
diffuse radiation is much larger. However, in mountain
regions, cloudiness mainly determines the variation of
direct and diffuse component of radiation.
Though several studies on glacier melt/recession and
climate change are available for the Himalayan gla-
ciers7 ,13–28 , there is a necessity for comprehensive work
on regional meteorology over the glaciers of Himalaya. In
Himalaya, inaccessibility of region and harsh weather
conditions lead to deficiency of the in situ continuous
data collection which creates inadequacies of research
work on regional meteorology.
In this study, we have analysed th e meteorological data
collected at two locations, viz. Rambara (2760 m amsl)
and Base camp (3820 m amsl) from Automatic Weather
Station (AWS) network installed at the Chorabari Glacier
catchment. Further, meteorological parameters of a non-
glacierized area (Rambara) ar e correlated with a site
(Base camp) near to Chorabari Glacier using statistical
method (Figure 1). Analysis is carried out for the daily
values of three observed meteorological parameters – air
temperature, relative humidity and incoming solar
(global) radiation from November 2011 to May 2013.
Further, empirical equations for each of the parameters
are developed. An exercise for the estimation of diffuse
radiation using an well established model29, clearness index
(fraction of global radiation in extraterrestrial radiation)

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CURRENT SCIEN CE, VOL. 112, NO. 7 , 10 APRIL 2017 1554
and diffuse fraction (fractional amount of diffuse compo-
nent in incident global radiation) is performed. The devel-
oped models are calibrated using observed data of Base
camp site of one year (November 2011–October 2012). In
order to evaluate the performance of the proposed models,
they ar e further validated with the observed testing data-
set of the other seven months (November 2012–May 2013).
Study area
Chorabari Glacier valley lies in the Mandakini River basin
between 3041–3048N lat. and 791–796E long.
(Figure 1). It has a total catchment area of ~63.8 sq. km
(from Rambara town to Kedarnath Peak), ~25% of which
(~16 sq. km) is covered with snow, ice and glaciers (T a-
ble 1). The Chorabari, Companion and four unnamed
small glaciers, including ice apron, hanging glaciers, gl a-
cieret and cirque glacier are mapped in the valley. Distri-
bution of these glaciers (generally found >3800 m amsl) is
maximum in the southwest and southeast aspects of the
valley. Chorabari (area ~6.66 sq. km; length 7.5 km) is
the largest glacier of this valley and is a major source of
the Mandakini River which eventually joins the Alaknanda
River near Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand4. Climate of the
Figure 1. Location ma p of t he Chorabar i Glacier valley , Centra l
Himalaya , India a nd automatic weat her stations (AWS) installed
at Rama bara (AWS 1, 2760 m a msl) and Base camp (AWS 2 ,
3820 m amsl) sites.
valley is influenced by two main processes – (i) above
3895 up to 6420 m amsl, the glacier processes, and (ii)
below 3895 m amsl, the glacio-fluvial processes. This
valley r eceives maximum precipitation due to the Indian
summer monsoon and by the western disturbances during
summer and winter respectively4,6,23 . The general climate
of th e area is dry–cold in winter (November–April) and
humid–temperate in summer (May–October). Geologi-
cally, the ar ea is situated north of Pindari Thrust compris-
ing calc silicate, augen and granitic gneisses, schist and
granite pegmatite apatite veins belonging to the Pindari
Formation30.
Methodology
In th e Chorabari Glacier valley, a n etwork of two AWS
at: (i) Rambara (AWS 1; 2760 m amsl) ~4.66 km below
the snout (304150.007N, 790321.23E) of glacier and
(2) Base camp (AWS 2; 3820 m amsl) situated near th e
snout (304442.8N, 790348.4E) was installed in Oc-
tober 2011 to collect the meteorological data (Figure 1).
Detailed description of the meteorological sensors used in
AWS is given in Table 2. Data of air temperature (T),
relative humidity (Rh) and incoming global solar radiation
(H) were analysed from November 2011 to May 2013. To
identify the altitudinal change in meteorological para-
meters, correlations for temperature (between T1 and T2),
relative humidity (between Rh1 and Rh2), global radiation
(between H1 and H2) and diffuse radiation (between Hd1 and
Hd2) were generated for these sites. Detailed description of
abbreviations used in the text is given in Table 3. The me-
teorological data from November 2011 to October 2012
were applied for calibration of equations, while the dataset
from November 2012 to May 2013 was used for validation
of established correlations. As diffuse component of solar
radiation was not measured directly, it was estimated by
employing the available data of air temperature and
relative humidity for both locations of Chorabari Glacier
valley using the equation29
d
h
o
0.0051 0.0033 0.002 .
H
T R
H
   (1)
Here, Hd and Ho are in kWh/m2-day, T in C and Rh is in
%. Daily value of Ho was worked out using the relation31
o sc o
24
cos cos sin cos .
180
s s s
H I E

    

 
 
   
 
 
 
(2)
The clearness index Kt and diffuse fraction Kd were com-
puted using the following equations utilizing the obser-
ved data of global radiation and estimated data of Ho and
Hd (ref. 31)
o
,
t
H
K
H
 (3)

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Table 1. Chara cteristic featur es of the Chorabari Glacier valley, Central Himalaya, India
Para meters Descri ption
Basin Manda kini River Basin, upper G anga catchment, Garhwal Hima laya
Locat ion/landma rk Kedarnath Town, Rudraprayag D istrict, Ut tarakhand
Area ~63.8 sq. km
Eleva tion extension 6420– 2760 m amsl (u p to Ramba ra)
Orientati on South
River Ma ndak ini ( major), Ma dhuganga, Dudhga nga and Saraswa ti (tributaries)
Geology (rock type) Crystalline r ocks; mainly au gen a nd granitic gneisses
Glacier regime
Glacierized area 1 6 sq. km (~25% of total area)
No. of glaciers Chora bari Glacier (7 .5 k m; la rgest glacier), Companion G lacier and four
unna med small glaciers, i ncluding ice apron, hanging glacier s, gla cier ete a nd
cirqu e gla cier
General climate
Winter (November–Apr il) Dry–cold influence d by western di stur bances
Summer (Ma y–O ctober) Humi d–temperat e influenced by I ndia n summer monso on
Rainfall* ~800–1600 mm
Proce sses The valley is influenced b y two main proc esses:
(i) Above 3 895 upto 6420 m a msl, the glacier proc esses are dominant
(ii) Below 3895 m a msl the glacio-fluvia l processes are dominant.
*Source: D obhal et al.23 .
Table 2. Sensors used in AWS for the measurement of met eorologica l pa ramet ers
Manu factu rer Height fro m
Para meter Sensor Range (model) surface (m)
Air temperature Temperatu re pr obe –50C to +50C Campbell Scientific (HMP45C 212) 2
Relative humidity Relative humidity probe 0–100 % Campbell Scientific (HMP45C21 2) 2
Incoming gl obal (sola r) radia tion Pyra nometer 2000 W/m2 Kipp a nd Zo nnen (CMP 3) 6
Table 3. Details of a bbrevi ations us ed in text
Element Symbol Unit
Air temperature T (T1/T2)* C
Relative humidity Rh (Rh1 /Rh2)* %
Incoming gl obal (sola r) radia tion H (H1/H2)* kWh/m2-day
Extraterr estrial ra diation (radiation ou tside the Earth’s atmospher e) Ho (Ho1/Ho2 )* kWh/m2-day
Lati tude of site

Degree
Eccentricity correcti on factor Eo
Solar declinati on angle

Degree
Sunrise or sunset hou r a ngle

s Degree
Solar constant (1.367 k W/m2) Isc kW /m2
Day of the year n
Correlati on coefficient or coe fficient of determination R2 Non-di mensi onal
Clearness index (fra ction of global radiation in extraterrestrial radiation) Kt Non-dimen sional
Diffuse fra ction (fra ctional o f diffuse compon ent i n incident global radiation) Kd Non-dimensional
*1 represent s meteorol ogical parameter for Ra mbara AWS and 2 for Base camp AWS.
d
d
.
H
K
H
 (4)
The performance of the developed models was statisti-
cally evaluated using six different statistical predictors –
(i) coefficient of determination (R2); (ii) adjusted R2; (iii)
mean percentage error (MPE); (iv) root mean square
error (RMSE); (v) mean bias error (MBE) and (vi) t-test
(Table 4).
Results and discussion
Analysis of meteorological data
The meteorological data from November 2011 to May
2013 (Figure 2) were analysed for Rambara and Base
camp sites of Ch orabari Glacier valley. Table 5 lists the
calculated daily average of meteorological parameters.
Average temperature during November 2011–October
2012 for Rambara was 8.4C and for Base camp site, it was

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Table 4. Descri ption of statistical tests appli ed for per forma nce evalu ation of the pro posed mod els
Statistica l predictors Physical signifi cance
Coefficient of determination (R2) Closen ess b etween predicted and observed valu es
Adjusted R2 Modification of coefficient of determination
Mean percentage errror (MPE) Percenta ge deviation in estimated val ues from measured val ues
Mean bias error (MBE) Long-term performance of th e model
Root mean s qua re error ( RMSE) Information o n short-ter m per forma nce of the mod el
t-test To determine whether or not the equa tion estimates are st atistically signifi cant
Figure 2. Dail y observed average temperature (T), relative humidity (Rh), incoming global (sola r) radia tion (H) and calculated extr aterrestri al
radiation (Ho), diffuse radiation (Hd), diffuse fr action (Kd) and clearness index ( Kt) for Ramabara ( AWS 1, 2760 m amsl) and Base camp (AWS 2,
3820 m amsl) sites during Nove mber 2011–May 2013. A data gap (marked in grey colour) in H2 of AWS 2 du ring 1–11 November 2011 and 1– 11
October 2012 exists and therefore, Kd2 a nd Kt 2 cou ld not be computed.
2.3C. During the testing data period (November 2012–
May 2013), average temperature was 6.3C and –0.9C in
Rambara and Base camp respectively. Relative humidity
for calibration dataset (November 2011–October 2012) was
63% for Rambara and 64% for Base camp, whereas for test-
ing dataset, it was 49% for Rambara and 50% for Base
camp. Global solar radiation showed an average value of
2.94 kWh/m2-day in Rambara and 4.31 kWh/m2-day in
Base camp during November 2011–October 2012. On the
other hand, for the validation period, it was 3.23 kWh/m2-
day for Rambara and 4.50 kWh/m2-day in Base camp. The
computed average diffuse radiation (eq. (1)) for the calibra-
tion period was 1.34 kWh/m2-day at Rambara and
1.27 kWh/m2-day at Base camp site of the glacier valley.
For testing dataset, diffuse radiation was 0.94 kWh/m2-day
at Rambara and 0.82 kWh/m2-day at Base camp.
Equations for temperature and relative humidity
Air temperature being an important meteorological
parameter is one of the vital factors in the melting of gla-
ciers. It is obvious from Figure 3 a that variation in air
temperature between two sites (Rambara and Base camp)
of the Chorabari Glacier valley is a second-order poly-
nomial. In Rambara area, the valley is narrow (creating
shadow effect) covered with dense forest resulting in high
moisture content (humidity) in the area, which controls
rapid change in temperature (T1). However, in the Base
camp area, the valley is wide with less vegetation (less
moisture content), causing sudden change of temperature
(T2) in th e area. The math ematical interpretation of this
variation of temperature between the two sites can be
described by a second-order polynomial (Table 6).

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Table 5. Average of ob serv ed and modelled meteorologi cal para meters for 2011– 12 and 2012–13
glaci ological year ( Novemb er– October)
Meteorological 2 011–2012 2012–201 3 2012– 2013

para meter (units) (November –October) (November– May) (November– May)
T (C) 8.4 */2.3† 6.3*/–0.9† –0.3
Rh (%) 63 */64† 49*/50† 52
H (kWh/m2-da y) 2.94 */4.31†¥ 3.23*/4 .50† 4.5
Ho (kWh/m2-day) 8.58 */8.54† 7 .58*/7.54† –
Hd (kWh/m2-da y) 1.34*/1.27† 0.94*/0 .82†# 0 .75#
Kd 0.51*/0.33†¥ 0 .35*/ 0.22† –
Kt 0 .37*/0.53† ¥ 0.45 */0.62† –
*Rambara, †Base ca mp.

Modelled data for B ase camp; ¥ Data gap in H of Ba se camp AWS du ring 1 –11
Novem ber 2011 a nd 1–11 Oct ober 2012 exists and therefore a vera ge is compu ted based on th e a vail able
data . #Avera ge value is based on a vail able data (1 November 2012–1 7 May 2013).
Table 6 . Derived empir ical models for correla ting the meteorolo gical para meters at Rambara and Base
camp si tes of Choraba ri G lacier va lley
Model no. Meteorolo gical parameter Empirical model *
1 Air temp erature (T) 2
2 1 1
0.008 1.058 7.358
T T T  
2 Relative humidity (Rh) 2 1
47.47 ln( ) 130.9
h h
R R 
3 Incoming global radia tion (H) 2 1
0.932 1.507
H H 
4 Diffuse radiation (Hd) 2 1
0.962 0.153
d d
H H 
*1 – Rambara (2 760 m amsl); 2 – B ase ca mp sit e (3820 m amsl).
Figure 3. Trends of varia tion in (a) temperatu re (quadratic–model 1), (b) rela tive humidit y (logarithmic – model 2), (c) globa l
(sola r) ra diat ion (linea r – model 3 ) and (d) diffuse radiation (linear – model 4).

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Figure 4. Comparative plot of ob served and modelled temperatu re (T), relative humidity (Rh), incoming global (solar)
radiation (H), and diffuse radia tion (Hd) for testing data set (November 201 2–May 2013) of Base cam p site, Chorabari
Glacier valley.
Reliability of the proposed model was checked by corre-
lation coefficient; apparently R2 (0.93) and adjusted R2
(0.92) values were very close to one, which reflects fair
performance of the proposed model 1 (Table 7). Applying
model 1, the daily temperature data of Base camp site
were computed for the next seven months (November
2012–May 2013). Comparison between observed and
estimated values r evealed that the proposed equation
showed good correlation and could be accepted (Figure
4). Accuracy of the equation was also assessed by various
statistical predicators. The statistical pr edictors (Table 7)
showed that MPE for the developed equation was
–11.70% and MBE was 0.70 (Table 7). RMSE also
yielded good r esult, with a value of 1.32. In t-test, level
of significance was considered at 5% and threshold value
of t at 5% probability level was 1.96. The proposed corre-
lation between temperature of two sites will be accurate if
the calculated value of t is higher than t0.05. Since com-
puted t (9.08) is greater than t0.05 (1.96), the estimations
made using the proposed model (model 1) are in good
agreement with the measurements and the model gives
satisfactory results.
For relative humidity of Rambara (Rh1) and Base camp
(Rh2) sites, a logarithmic r elationship was found to give
the best fit resulting in less increase in Rh2 compared to
Rh1 (Figure 3 b). The main reason is the rapid increase in
air temperature of the Base camp. A fairly good correla-
tion between Rh2 and Rh1 was confirmed by R2 and
adjusted R2 with values of 0.78 and 0.77 respectively
(Table 7). An acceptable agreement between observed
and estimated values using model 2 of Rh for testing data-
set (Figure 4) has been defined through statistical errors
which are 0.84% (MPE), 0.29 (MBE), and 1.91 (RMSE),
implying excellent performance of the proposed model.
The statistical t-test also proves validity of the model as t
(2.05) > t0.0 5 (Table 7).
Equation for global radiation
A study on th e observed incoming global radiation (H) at
two points (Rambara and Base camp) of the glacier valley
was carried out. It is apparent from Figure 3 c that a lin-
ear function describes variation of H2 (Base camp) with
H1 (Rambara) with a satisfactory coefficient of determi-
nation (R2) of 0.65 and adjusted R2 of 0.64 (Table 7). This
indicates that H2 increases with H1 and vice versa. Figur e
4 shows good agreement between obser ved and estimated
H values using the developed model 3 (Table 6) for
Base camp site during November 2012–May 2013.
The statistical errors MPE, MBE and RMSE were 9.28%,
0.02 and 0.79 respectively (Table 7). Low value of
MPE and RMSE indicates good agreement between
observed and estimated values of H2, whereas positive
MBE shows underestimation of H2 by model 3. Good re-
sult from th e model is also reflected by t-test. The t-value
is 2.98 > t0.05 (1.96), implying that the developed correla-
tion between H2 and H1 is significant (Table 7). Thus, the
proposed model pr ovides good estimation of incoming
global radiation at the Base camp site of the glacier
valley.

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Table 7. Statistical errors for the propo sed models
Model n o.* †R2 Adjusted R2 MPE ( %)† MB E† RMSE† t-test (t0.0 5 = 1.96)†
1 0.93 0.92 – 11.70 0.70 1.32 9 .08
2 0.78 0.77 0 .84 0.29 1. 91 2.05
3 0.65 0.64 9 .28 0.02 0. 79 2.98
4 0.94 0.93 –2.45 –0.13 0.98 19.98
*Listed in T able 6. †Abbreviations ar e defi ned in Table 4 .
Extraterrestrial radiation
The variation of extraterrestrial radiation (Ho) over Ram-
bara and Base camp sites of Chorabari Glacier valley
throughout the year was obtained by applying eq. (2)
(Figure 2). Ho was found to vary according to a Gaussian
curve over the course of the year. It increases outside the
Earth’s atmosphere fr om January to June and then con-
tinues to decrease till December.
Equation for diffuse radiation
It is clear from Figure 2 that Hd is very low during
December–Februar y in Rambara. On the other hand, in
July and August, Hd is high illustrating relatively higher
amount of diffuse component of global radiation. The
amount of diffuse radiation is also high in the first half of
September, whereas after that there is a continual reduc-
tion in Hd. Observations reveal that July, August and
early September being the monsoon months have com-
paratively high amount of diffuse component. The in-
crease in diffuse fraction might be due to monsoon season
and also due to cloudy sky during these months. How-
ever, at the end of the rainy period, a sustainable dr op in
Hd is noticed. The variation trend of Hd for Base camp is
similar to Rambara for all months of the year. Thus, it
can be stated that diffuse component of solar radiation
fluctuates randomly every month and, it is higher during
the monsoon season.
Further, an exercise was done to develop empirical
equation for diffuse component of Rambara and Base
camp sites to understand the trend of altitudinal variation
of Hd. A linear equation (model 4 of Table 6) gives the
best fit correlating diffuse component of one point to
the other. Variation in Hd is linear with altitude, possibly
due to same cloudiness conditions (major factor, respon-
sible for change in Hd) and small aerial distance
(~4.66 km) between these sites. Additionally, the coeffi-
cient of determination R2 (0.94) and adjusted R2 (0.93)
confirm the reliability of the developed equation (Table
7). The estimated Hd from model 4 with the observed data
(November 2012–May 2013) are plotted in Figure 4,
showing fair performance of the generated model. The
low values of other statistical predictors also illustrate
excellent fitting of the proposed mathematical correlation
with MPE of –2.45%, MBE of –0.13 and RMSE of 0.98
(Table 7). The n egative value of MBE shows a little un-
derestimation by the model. According to t-test, the
model output is acceptable due to high value of t (19.98)
compared to t0 .05 (1.96) indicating that the pr oposed equa-
tion for Hd is significant.
Clearness index and diffuse fraction
Figure 2 shows the calculated clearness index (Kt) and
diffuse fraction (Kd) for Rambara and Base camp sites. Kt
for Base camp site is found to be higher due to less cloud
cover and high global radiation at the site during the
study period. However, Kd is observed to be higher in
Rambara site due to high attenuation and scattering of so-
lar radiation caused by narrow valley and dense
vegetation. Only few days in October and December,
higher Kt and lower Kd are observed in Rambara site
compared to Base camp, which might be due to more
cloud cover over the Base camp region during these days.
Conclusion
In this study, empirical models have been developed to
correlate the meteorological parameters of a non-glacier
altitude (Rambara, 2760 m amsl) to a glacier altitude
(Base camp, 3820 m amsl) of Chorabari Glacier valley.
The developed models are calibrated using the dataset of
one year (November 2011–October 2012) followed by
further validation with the next year’s dataset of seven
months (November 2012–May 2013). Relationships have
been developed for different meteorological parameters
(air temperature, relative humidity and incoming global
radiation). Additionally, extraterrestrial radiation, diffuse
radiation, diffuse fraction and clearness index are esti-
mated using the meteorological and geographical parame-
ters of Rambara and Base camp sites during the study
period. The results suggest that changes in meteorological
parameters with altitude are not similar. Variation trend
of air temperature is quadratic, whereas it is logarithmic
for Rh. However, variation of H2 and Hd2 (Base camp)
with H1 and Hd1 (Rambara) is linear. The performance of
the proposed empirical models is tested using various sta-
tistical tests which confirm th e validity of these models.
Thus our proposed models give satisfactory and accept-
able r esults, and the study presents an effort to correlate
the meteorological parameter of a non-glacierized area to
a site near th e glacier of Ch orabari Glacier catchment.

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CURRENT SCIEN CE, VOL. 112, NO. 7 , 10 APRIL 2017 1560
Although the developed correlations for the considered
meteorological parameters are based on one-year avail-
able data, the models are able to give good match with
observed data of the next seven months, which is con-
firmed by different statistical test methods. In future, the
reliability of the generated equations can be tested and
analogous study can be extended over the glacier. The
present r esearch is valuable in the studies of glacio-
meteorology, filling the gap of meteorological data over
the high-altitude glacierized regions, and modelling of
glacier melt as there is a prerequisite to correlate altitud-
inal weather parameters.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. We tha nk the Director, Wadia Institute
of Himal ayan G eology (WIHG), Dehradun for providing the necessary
facilities to carry out this work. We a lso thank D eepak Sr ivastava (for -
merly with Geological Su rvey of India) for fruitful suggestions; the
Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi for fina ncial sup-
port and Fa ram Bhandari, Dhanveer Panwar and Pratap Singh (WIH G)
for hel p du ring data collection.
Receiv ed 8 April 201 6; revised accepted 2 4 O ctober 2016
doi: 10.18 520/ cs/v112/i0 7/155 3-1560