Climate Change and Dynamics of Glaciers and Vegetation in the Himalaya: An Overview

2016 ◽  
pp. 1-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Udo Schickhoff ◽  
R. B. Singh ◽  
Suraj Mal
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
The Himalaya

Opportunities for harnessing the increased contribution of glacier and snowmelt flows in the Ganges basin

Water Policy ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 15 (S1) ◽  
pp. 9-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bharat R. Sharma ◽  
Devaraj de Condappa
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Eastern India ◽  
Ganges Basin ◽  
Additional Water ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Tehri Dam ◽  
The Ganges ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Himalaya

The topography of the Ganges basin is highly variable, with the steep mountainous region of the Himalaya upstream and the large fertile plains in eastern India and Bangladesh downstream. The contribution from the glaciers to streamflows is supposed to be significant but there is uncertainty surrounding the impact of climate change on glaciers. An application of the Water Evaluation and Planning model was set up which contained an experimental glaciers module. The model also examined the possible impacts of an increase in temperature. The contribution from glaciated areas is significant (60–75%) in the Upper Ganges but reduces downstream, falling to about 19% at Farakka. Climate change-induced rise in temperature logically increases the quantity of snow and ice that melts in glaciated areas. However, this impact decreases from upstream (+8% to +26% at Tehri dam) to downstream (+1% to +4% at Farakka). Such increases in streamflows may create flood events more frequently, or of higher magnitude, in the upper reaches. Potential strategies to exploit this additional water may include the construction of new dams/reservoir storage and the development of groundwater in the basin through managed aquifer recharge. The riparian states of India, Nepal and Bangladesh could harness this opportunity to alleviate physical water scarcity and improve productivity.

Glaciohydrology of the Himalaya-Karakoram

Science ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. eabf3668
Author(s):  
Mohd. Farooq Azam ◽  
Jeffrey S. Kargel ◽  
Joseph M. Shea ◽  
Santosh Nepal ◽  
Umesh K. Haritashya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Snow Melt ◽  
Resources Management ◽  
Critical Knowledge ◽  
Glacier Melt ◽  
Sustainable Water Resources Management ◽  
The Himalaya ◽  
Sustainable Water Resources

Understanding the response of Himalayan-Karakoram (HK) rivers to climate change is crucial for ~1 billion people who partly depend on these water resources. Policymakers tasked with the sustainable water resources management for agriculture, hydropower, drinking, sanitation, and hazards require an assessment of rivers’ current status and potential future changes. This review demonstrates that glacier and snow melt are important components of HK rivers, with greater hydrological importance for the Indus than Ganges and Brahmaputra basins. Total river runoff, glacier melt, and seasonality of flow are projected to increase until the 2050s, with some exceptions and large uncertainties. Critical knowledge gaps severely affect modeled contributions of different runoff components, future runoff volumes and seasonality. Therefore, comprehensive field- and remote sensing-based methods and models are needed.

Climate Change Observations of Indigenous Communities in the Indian Himalaya

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 245-257
Author(s):  
Vikram S. Negi ◽  
Shinny Thakur ◽  
Rupesh Dhyani ◽  
Indra D. Bhatt ◽  
Ranbeer S. Rawal
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Western Himalaya ◽  
Warming Trend ◽  
Indian Himalaya ◽  
Climate Anomalies ◽  
Change Perceptions ◽  
The Himalaya ◽  
Instrumental Temperature

AbstractMountains are important global sites for monitoring biological and socioecological responses to climate change, and the Himalaya has some of the world’s most rapid and visible signs of climate change. The increased frequency and severity of climate anomalies in the region are expected to significantly affect livelihoods of indigenous communities in the region. This study documents the perceptions of indigenous communities of climate change in the western Himalaya of India. The study highlights the power of knowledge and understanding available to indigenous people as they observe and respond to climate change impacts. We conducted a field-based study in 14 villages that represent diverse socioecological features along an altitudinal range of 1000–3800 m MSL in the western Himalaya. Among the sampled population, most of the respondents (>95%) agreed that climate is changing. However, people residing at low- and high-altitude villages differ significantly in their perception, with more people at high altitudes believing in an overall warming trend. Instrumental temperature and rainfall from nearby meteorological stations also supported the perception of local inhabitants. The climate change perceptions in the region were largely determined by sociodemographic variables such as age, gender, and income as well as altitude. A logistic regression, which exhibited significant association of sociodemographic characteristics with climate change perceptions, further supported these findings. The study concluded that the climate change observations of local communities can be usefully utilized to develop adaptation strategies and mitigation planning in the Himalayan region.

Cambial phenology in Abies pindrow (Pinaceae) along an altitudinal gradient in northwestern Himalaya

IAWA Journal ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 186-201
Author(s):  
Rayees Malik ◽  
Sergio Rossi ◽  
Raman Sukumar
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Altitudinal Gradient ◽  
Cell Formation ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Wood Formation ◽  
Warming Climate ◽  
The World ◽  
Abies Pindrow ◽  
The Himalaya ◽  
Impacts Of Climate Change

Abstract Climate change is expected to be heterogeneous across the world, with high impacts on the Himalayan ecosystems. There is a need to precisely document cambial phenology and wood formation in these regions to better understand climate-growth relationships and how trees face a warming climate. This study describes the dynamics of cambial phenology in pindrow fir (Abies pindrow) along its altitudinal gradient in the Himalaya. The stages of xylem phenology, and the duration and rate of wood formation were assessed from anatomical observations during the growing season from samples collected weekly from three sites at various altitudes (2392–2965 m a.s.l.) over two years. There were significant differences in the duration and rate of cell formation along the altitudinal gradient, which decreased at increasing altitudes. The growing season duration decreased by 5.2 and 3.7 days every 100 m of increase in altitude in 2014 and 2015, respectively, while the rate of cell formation decreased from 0.38 and 0.44 cells /day to 0.29 and 0.34 cells/day in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Cell production decreased from 63.3 and 67.0 cells to 38.3 and 45.2 cells with a decrease of 4.3 and 3.8 cells per 100 m increase in altitude in 2014 and 2015, respectively. The higher precipitation in 2015 increased the growth rate and resulted in a higher xylem production. Our findings give new insights into the dynamics of cambial phenology and help in better understanding of the potential impacts of climate change on tree growth and forest productivity of Himalayan forests.

scholarly journals Herding in Crisis in the Himalaya

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 28-36
Author(s):  
Jiban Mani Poudel
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
State Intervention ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
Community Forest ◽  
Private Lands ◽  
Cash Crops ◽  
The People ◽  
Border Policy ◽  
State Programs ◽  
The Himalaya

This paper focuses on the change and transformation of herding over the last seven decades to the Nhāson Valley of Manang based on an ethnographic study in 2018. The findings reveal that herding as a traditional source of living for the mountain dwellers, has gradually been transformed due to the linkage to wider political and economic processes, namely, the changes in open-border policy between China and Nepal, the intervention of state programs and its policies toward the people, the expansion of trade and business with tourism, commercialization of Himalayan herbs, climate change, and intervention of agroforestry in the community forest and plantation of high-value cash crops in private lands, youth opportunities to work in aboard. Hence, looking at herding by placing it in a particular place or in isolation by ignoring the wider political and economic processes is misleading, one-sided, and superficial. Moreover, the market economy and the state intervention have brought some new livelihood opportunities to the Himalayan dwellers, although the questions always remain in its sustainability.

Insights from present distribution of an alpine mammal Royle’s pika (Ochotona roylei) to predict future climate change impacts in the Himalaya

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (8) ◽  
pp. 2423-2435 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabuj Bhattacharyya ◽  
Ninad Avinash Mungi ◽  
Takeo Kawamichi ◽  
Gopal Singh Rawat ◽  
Bhupendra Singh Adhikari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Future Climate ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Present Distribution ◽  
Ochotona Roylei ◽  
The Himalaya

scholarly journals Climate Change and its Increasing Impacts in Nepal

1970 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 30-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madhav Karki ◽  
Pradip Mool ◽  
Arun Shrestha
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Leadership Role ◽  
Global Changes ◽  
Developed Country ◽  
Food And Nutrition ◽  
Global Events ◽  
Big Rivers ◽  
The Himalaya

There is a general agreement that Climate Change impacting Nepal rather disproportionately compared to its size and its own meagre contribution of the green house gases. However, given its location between two rapidly growing economies of India and China, Nepal cannot escape the rapidly increasing influence of climate and global changes. The rapidly retreating glaciers (average retreat of more than 30 m/year), rapid rise in temperature (>0.06°C), erratic rainfalls and increase in frequency of extreme events such as floods and drought like situation are some of the effects Nepal is facing during the last few years. Most of the big rivers of Nepal are glacier-fed and its main resources of water and hydroelectricity will be seriously affected due to the ongoing changes in glacier reserves, snowfall and natural hazards. Nepal has to prepare itself to try and mitigate these effects if possible and if not adapt to them to reduce their impacts on our lives and livelihoods. Nepal is largely a mountainous country and current indications are that the mountain regions are more vulnerable due to increased warming trends as well as extreme changes in altitude over small distances. These alarming trends not only make Nepal's major sectors of economy such as agriculture, tourism and energy more vulnerable but also endanger the health, safety and wellbeing of Nepali people. Biodiversity - the other important resources of Nepal is also being affected as invasive species will spread fast and useful medicinal, food and nutrition related plants may disappear. Climate change is becoming already dangerous to our survival and we have to do everything possible to prevent it being catastrophic to us. The globally accepted strategy to contain disastrous climate change impacts is Adaptation and Mitigation. For a least developed country such as Nepal, adaptation should be the priority. Nepal is currently preparing National Action Plan on Adaptation (NAPA) which should be made as comprehensive and topical as possible. Well coordinated, quick and serious implementation of NAPA will be extremely important to mitigate and adapt to the growing impacts of climate change in Nepal. Nepal's central location in the Himalaya portends the fact that it is the prime target country of climate change impacts and calls for it to play a leadership role at least in showing political will and playing a responsible role in global events such as the COP-15 at Copenhagen.   DOI: 10.3126/init.v3i0.2425 The Initiation Vol.3 2009 p.30-37

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