Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) over the Nepalese cryosphere derived from an empirical model

In this manuscript, we demonstrate the spatial and temporal variability of AOD over the Nepalese cryosphere may be reconstructed through empirical relationships developed from numerical weather model analysis fields and geographic variables. Our manuscript is novel, providing:
* a capability to extrapolate AOD over the cryospheric portion of Nepalese Himalayas
* an understanding of the relationships between ECMWF Reanalysis with observed AOD
* and a cross-validation of an empirical model using MODIS derived AOD and AERONET data.

The empirical model that we present in this study, could potentially be applied to other mountains regions. We believe that the findings presented in our manuscript provide a novel approach to address the challenge of paucity of observations for aerosols in the cryospheric portion in Himalaya region.