Runoff characteristics of a glacierized catchment, Garhwal Himalaya, India

Discharge characteristics and the role of monsoonal rainfall in the glacierized Dokriani catchment in the Ganga River headwaters, Garhwal Himalaya, India are examined for the summer ablation period of 1994. Monsoonal rainfall over the glacierized area appears to be an important factor controlling the characteristics of the discharge hydrograph. Monsoonal cloud cover reduces the energy input resulting in subdued ice melt. The monsoonal component was separated from the bulk flow hydrograph recorded close to the glacier snout using a mass balance approach: 11.46% of the total discharge of 62.38 x 10(6) m(3) was contributed by the rainfall over the catchment.