(a) whether the US satellite TERRA launched last December under an International programme named GLIMS (Global Land Ice Management from Spac
(e) has started sending data on the Himalayan Glaciers, feeding Ganges, Brahmaputra and Indus rivers; and
(b) if so, the arrangements made by the Government for studying the same and main objectives of the study?
THE MINISTER OF STATE OF THE MINISTRY OF SMALL SCALE INDUSTRIES,
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND
PENSIONS, MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PLANNING AND MINISTER OF
STATE IN THE DEPARTMENT OF ATOMIC ENERGY AND DEPARTMENT OF SPACE (SMT. VASUNDHARA RAJE)
(a)&(b) Yes, Sir. The United States (US) has acquired data from its TERRA satellite over different parts of the world. The Advanced Space Borne Thermal Emission and reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instrument onboard the TERRA is being used to monitor the world`s glaciers under the GLIMS (Global Land Ice Management from Space) programme. ASTER data has been acquired by the US for most of the Ice and Glacier regions of the world including the Himalayan region. In India, the Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi is a Regional Centre for the GLIMS programme and obtains TERRA / ASTER data from the US. The data is available to registered research project teams to study the aerial extent of glaciers, location of snow line, velocity fields and location of terminus of glaciers.