This paper provides an alternative method of comprehensive research on glacier variation using multi-source and multi-temporal data.This work quantifies glacier variations of the Mt.Naimona’Nyi area by integrating glacier spatial data from ASTER and the Landsat series of satellite imagery at four different times:1976

1990

1999

and 2003.Comparison of the results from individual images with those from the Tupu method indicates that the Tupu approach provides a better result in the research.Glacier variations were mapped and analyzed;discrepancies between images could be detected and removed from the integrated Grid data using remap tables in Arc/Info GRID module both graphically and numerically.Our results show that glaciers in the region both retreated and advanced during the last 28 years;however

retreat dominates and increases with time.The variation of glaciers in the western Himalayan region is dramatic compared with other regions in high Asia.From 1976 to 2003

glacier area decreased from 84.41km2 to 77.29km2.By the sequential images

it shows that glacier areas shrank by 0.17km2 a-1

0.19km2 a-1

and 0.77 km2 a1

on average

during the periods 1976—1990

1990—1999

and 1999—2003

respectively

suggesting that glacier retreat has accelerated.The retreat was most likely due to the negative glacial mass balance and was affected by rising temperature and decreasing precipitation in the region over the Tibetan Plateau.