High-altitude lakes in High Mountain Asia (HMA) are important sources of freshwater and sensitive indicators of environmental change. Using satellite data from 2010 to 2024, we examine water level changes in 232 lakes across HMA. Results show rising lake levels on the Tibetan Plateau, while lakes in the Himalaya are declining. These contrasting patterns highlight strong regional differences and provide valuable information for understanding water availability and associated hazards.

Glacier AX010 in Nepal, monitored since the 1970s, has been shrinking at an accelerating rate, mainly due to rising temperatures. Drone surveys, modeling, and reanalysis data show mass loss began in the early 1970s and intensified after 2000. While rising temperatures drive shrinkage, precipitation changes have neither accelerated nor mitigated mass loss. At the current rate, the glacier may disappear within 10–20 years.

This study examines how avalanches striking a glacial lake can cause sudden floods downstream in Nepal's Manaslu region. We used computer simulations to simulate various avalanche sizes and their effects on the lake. These simulations revealed that medium and large avalanches could lead to severe flooding in a short amount of time. This highlights the pressing need for early warning systems and better disaster preparedness to protect at-risk communities.

The Himalayan river basins have complex terrain and lack detailed hydrological and meteorological information. This has motivated us to develop a fast and distributed model named PyGDM to simulate the hydrology of this region, which is home to both glaciers and snow. PyGDM is good at simulating glacier and snow melt. Hence, the model is suitable for studying different aspects of the Himalayan region, such as the impact of climate change and hydropower scenarios.

We have estimated hydropower potential in the two glacierized river basins of the Nepalese Himalayas. The Glacio-hydrological Degree-Day Model (GDM) was used with different geospatial criteria. In order to force the model simulation and to assess potential future hydrological regimes, a variety of climate variables were combined and used. The sensitivity of climate variables and their impact on hydropower potential were investigated with a combination of different climate variables.