In summer 2022, extreme heatwaves affected many mountain ranges across the Northern Hemisphere-including the Himalaya, Alps, Rockies, and Tibetan Plateau-causing exceptional glacier mass loss. Chhota Shigri Glacier, a benchmark site for long-term monitoring in the western Himalaya, has recorded an average mass balance of - 0.47 ± 0.19 m w.e. a⁻¹ over 2002-2023. The 2021-22 hydrological year was characterized by pronounced spring and summer warming, resulting in the most negative annual mass balance in the observational record (-1.71 ± 0.24 m w.e. a⁻¹). In contrast, the following year (2022-23) exhibited a slightly positive mass balance (0.22 ± 0.27 m w.e. a⁻¹), despite 2023 registering the highest global mean temperature on record. This anomalous outcome was associated with cooler spring conditions (-1.16 °C anomaly) and exceptionally high summer precipitation. A major snowfall event in July 2023 delivered > 300 mm of precipitation over three days during the peak ablation season, increasing surface reflectivity and coinciding with a marked reduction in modeled melt. Although not derived from a full surface energy balance analysis, multiple independent indicators consistently support the interpretation of snowfall-induced melt suppression. Contrasting years such as 2021-22 and 2022-23 underscore the growing dominance of extreme weather events under continued warming. While positive mass balance years, such as 2022-23, represent a blip in the long-term glacier wastage trend, they should not be misinterpreted as a sign against ongoing climate change.
Kaushik et al. (Wed,) studied this question.