scholarly journals An Exigency for Ice Core Studies to Determine Spatio-temporal Variability in Moisture Sources and Impact of Black Carbon – Mineral Aerosols on the Himalayan Glaciers

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheikh Nawaz Ali ◽  
Anil D. Shukla
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Water Resource Management ◽  
River Flow ◽  
Human Impacts ◽  
Current Trend ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Cascading Effects ◽  
Himalayan Glaciers

Himalayan glaciers‒ the store house of fresh water outside the polar region contributes ~45% of the total river flow by glacial melt in the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra watersheds which supports the livelihood of ~500 million people . The sustainability of these rivers is being questioned because of the growing evidences of accelerated glacier retreat in the recent decades, which is expected to have cascading effects on the mountainous areas and their surrounding lowlands. The rapid melting of Himalayan glaciers reveals their sensitivity to ongoing changes in climate dynamics, and if the current trend continues, rivers that rely heavily on snow/ice melt are expected to suffer hydrological disruptions to the point where some of the most populous areas may ‘run out of water’ during the dry season. Therefore, efforts are being made to study the glacier mass balance trends in order to understand the patterns and causes of recent recessional trend. Despite their importance, the absence of long-term mass-balance and remote sensing data restricts our knowledge of the Himalayan glaciers’ sensitivity/ response to climate change. Furthermore, such studies may be insufficient unless are compared to long-term glacier fluctuations (millennial and multi-millennial time scales), which aid in better understanding the natural trends of and human impacts on climate change, as well as assessing the causes and possible future of contemporary shrinking glaciers. This will also improve our understanding of past glacier behaviour in the context of primary causes of glacier change, which is critical for water resource management and understanding climate variability in high alpine areas where alternative proxy climate archives are typically scarce. Therefore, it is pertinent to pool our scientific resources and energy (i) towards understanding the Himalayan glaciers’ feeders (precipitation sources) and how they changed over time (geological and historical), as well as the causes of glaciers recession, one of which has been identified as (ii) black soot (carbon) in aerosol pollution.

scholarly journals The influence of changes in glacier extent and surface elevation on modeled mass balance

2010 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 737-766 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Paul
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Swiss Alps ◽  
Surface Elevation ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Atmospheric Conditions

Abstract. Glaciers are widely recognized as unique demonstration objects for climate change impacts, mostly due to the strong change of glacier length in response to small climatic changes. However, glacier mass balance as the direct response to the annual atmospheric conditions can be better interpreted in meteorological terms. When the climatic signal is deduced from long-term mass balance data, changes in glacier geometry (i.e. surface extent and elevation) must be considered as such adjustments form an essential part of the glacier reaction to new climatic conditions. In this study, a set of modeling experiments is performed to assess the influence of changes in glacier geometry on mass balance for constant climatic conditions. The calculations are based on a simplified distributed energy/mass balance model in combination with information on glacier extent and surface elevation for the years 1850 and 1973/1985 for a larger sample of glaciers in the Swiss Alps. The results reveal that about 50–70% of the glacier reaction to climate change (here a one degree increase in temperature) is "hidden" in the geometric adjustment, while only 30–50% can be measured as the long-term mean mass balance. Thereby, changes in glacier extent alone have an even stronger effect, but they are partly compensated for by a lowered surface elevation which gives on average a slightly more negative balance despite an increase of topographic shading. In view of several additional reinforcement feedbacks that are observed in periods of strong glacier decline, it seems that the climatic interpretation of mass balance data is also rather complex.

scholarly journals The influence of changes in glacier extent and surface elevation on modeled mass balance

2010 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 569-581 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Paul
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Swiss Alps ◽  
Surface Elevation ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Atmospheric Conditions

Abstract. Glaciers are widely recognized as unique demonstration objects for climate change impacts, mostly due to the strong change of glacier length in response to small climatic changes. However, glacier mass balance as the direct response to the annual atmospheric conditions can be better interpreted in meteorological terms. When the climatic signal is deduced from long-term mass balance data, changes in glacier geometry (i.e. surface extent and elevation) must be considered as such adjustments form an essential part of the glacier reaction to new climatic conditions. In this study, a set of modelling experiments is performed to assess the influence of changes in glacier geometry on mass balance for constant climatic conditions. The calculations are based on a simplified distributed energy/mass balance model in combination with information on glacier extent and surface elevation for the years 1850 and 1973/1985 for about 60 glaciers in the Swiss Alps. The results reveal that over this period about 50–70% of the glacier reaction to climate change (here a one degree increase in temperature) is "hidden" in the geometric adjustment, while only 30–50% can be measured as the long-term mean mass balance. For larger glaciers, the effect of the areal change is partly reduced by a lowered surface elevation, which results in a slightly more negative balance despite a potential increase of topographic shading. In view of several additional reinforcement feedbacks that are observed in periods of strong glacier decline, it seems that the climatic interpretation of long-term mass balance data is rather complex.

Model based climate change impact assessment of river water quality in Wales

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Dallison ◽  
Sopan Patil
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Quality ◽  
Water Resource Management ◽  
River Flow ◽  
Global Climate Models ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Climate Projections ◽  
Worst Case ◽  
Water Quality Variables

<p>Climate change is likely to threaten the consistent provision of clean drinking water in the UK, in terms of both water quantity and quality. Water quality could be especially problematic due to projected increases in extreme weather events such as droughts and flooding, both of which have a deleterious impact on water quality.</p><p>This study uses the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) with UK Climate Projections (UKCP) 2018 data to model the impacts of a worst-case global emissions scenario (RCP8.5), on water quality for five catchments in Wales, UK. Our five study catchments (Clwyd, Conwy, Dyfi, Teifi, and Tywi) cover approximately 21% of the total area of Wales and are an important source of water supply for the North, West, and South-West Wales regions. We use an ensemble of 12 regionally downscaled Global Climate Models as inputs to account for uncertainty in the projections and temporal snapshots are taken for the 2020-39, 2040-59 and 2060-78 periods. We focus on the concentrations of four specific water quality variables: nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), suspended sediment (SS), and dissolved oxygen (DO).</p><p>At all five catchments, SWAT is calibrated using river flow data only, due to the lack of water quality measurements. SWAT parameters related to water quality are kept at their default values. While this approach increases the uncertainty related to the specific values of water quality variables, it does provide the relative changes in specific water quality variables under future climate conditions. Results show that changing river flow patterns, both long term averages and extreme events, have a large impact on water quality. Concentrations of all four water quality variables show clear correlations with river flow. The largest changes in seasonal water quality are generally observed in spring and autumn, especially for P and N concentrations. Sediment concentrations and DO levels have an inverse relationship, with SS levels increasing with increased river flow and DO levels decreasing.</p><p>Results of this study are useful for water resource management and planning, especially in terms of the potential adaptation measures required to cope with the additional treatment required at water treatment works. By taking twenty-year snapshots our study also allows for short, medium and long term solutions to be planned.</p>

scholarly journals High Mountain Asian glacier response to climate revealed by multi-temporal satellite observations since the 1960s

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Atanu Bhattacharya ◽  
Tobias Bolch ◽  
Kriti Mukherjee ◽  
Owen King ◽  
Brian Menounos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Loss ◽  
River Flow ◽  
Tien Shan ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
Multi Temporal ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Northern Tien Shan

AbstractKnowledge about the long-term response of High Mountain Asian glaciers to climatic variations is paramount because of their important role in sustaining Asian river flow. Here, a satellite-based time series of glacier mass balance for seven climatically different regions across High Mountain Asia since the 1960s shows that glacier mass loss rates have persistently increased at most sites. Regional glacier mass budgets ranged from −0.40 ± 0.07 m w.e.a−1 in Central and Northern Tien Shan to −0.06 ± 0.07 m w.e.a−1 in Eastern Pamir, with considerable temporal and spatial variability. Highest rates of mass loss occurred in Central Himalaya and Northern Tien Shan after 2015 and even in regions where glaciers were previously in balance with climate, such as Eastern Pamir, mass losses prevailed in recent years. An increase in summer temperature explains the long-term trend in mass loss and now appears to drive mass loss even in regions formerly sensitive to both temperature and precipitation.

scholarly journals Role of glaciers in watershed hydrology: a preliminary study of a "Himalayan catchment"

2010 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. Thayyen ◽  
J. T. Gergan
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
River Flow ◽  
Initial Increase ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
Humid Climate ◽  
Flow Response ◽  
Sustainable Water Resources Management ◽  
South West Monsoon

Abstract. A large number of Himalayan glacier catchments are under the influence of humid climate with snowfall in winter (November–April) and south-west monsoon in summer (June–September) dominating the regional hydrology. Such catchments are defined as "Himalayan catchment", where the glacier meltwater contributes to the river flow during the period of annual high flows produced by the monsoon. The winter snow dominated Alpine catchments of the Kashmir and Karakoram region and cold-arid regions of the Ladakh mountain range are the other major glacio-hydrological regimes identified in the region. Factors influencing the river flow variations in a "Himalayan catchment" were studied in a micro-scale glacier catchment in the Garhwal Himalaya, covering an area of 77.8 km2. Three hydrometric stations were established at different altitudes along the Din Gad stream and discharge was monitored during the summer ablation period from 1998 to 2004, with an exception in 2002. These data have been analysed along with winter/summer precipitation, temperature and mass balance data of the Dokriani glacier to study the role of glacier and precipitation in determining runoff variations along the stream continuum from the glacier snout to 2360 m a.s.l. The study shows that the inter-annual runoff variation in a "Himalayan catchment" is linked with precipitation rather than mass balance changes of the glacier. This study also indicates that the warming induced an initial increase of glacier runoff and subsequent decline as suggested by the IPCC (2007) is restricted to the glacier degradation-derived component in a precipitation dominant Himalayan catchment and cannot be translated as river flow response. The preliminary assessment suggests that the "Himalayan catchment" could experience higher river flows and positive glacier mass balance regime together in association with strong monsoon. The important role of glaciers in this precipitation dominant system is to augment stream runoff during the years of low summer discharge. This paper intends to highlight the importance of creating credible knowledge on the Himalayan cryospheric processes to develop a more representative global view on river flow response to cryospheric changes and locally sustainable water resources management strategies.

scholarly journals Reanalysing glacier mass balance measurement series

2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 1227-1245 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Zemp ◽  
E. Thibert ◽  
M. Huss ◽  
D. Stumm ◽  
C. Rolstad Denby ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Data Quality ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Error Estimation ◽  
Standard Procedure ◽  
Systematic Errors ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Uncertainty Estimates ◽  
Measurement Series

Abstract. Glacier-wide mass balance has been measured for more than sixty years and is widely used as an indicator of climate change and to assess the glacier contribution to runoff and sea level rise. Until recently, comprehensive uncertainty assessments have rarely been carried out and mass balance data have often been applied using rough error estimation or without consideration of errors. In this study, we propose a framework for reanalysing glacier mass balance series that includes conceptual and statistical toolsets for assessment of random and systematic errors, as well as for validation and calibration (if necessary) of the glaciological with the geodetic balance results. We demonstrate the usefulness and limitations of the proposed scheme, drawing on an analysis that comprises over 50 recording periods for a dozen glaciers, and we make recommendations to investigators and users of glacier mass balance data. Reanalysing glacier mass balance series needs to become a standard procedure for every monitoring programme to improve data quality, including reliable uncertainty estimates.

scholarly journals Estimation of Water Storage Changes in Small Endorheic Lakes in Northern Kazakhstan; The Effect of Climate Change and Anthropogenic Influences 

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vadim Yapiyev ◽  
Kanat Samarkhanov ◽  
Dauren Zhumabayev ◽  
Nazym Tulegenova ◽  
Saltanat Jumassultanova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Balance ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Human Impacts ◽  
Water Storage ◽  
Minor Importance ◽  
Climatic Data

Both climate change and anthropogenic activities contribute to the deterioration of terrestrial water resources and ecosystems worldwide. Central Asian endorheic basins are among the most affected regions through both climate and human impacts. Here, we used a digital elevation model, digitized bathymetry maps and Landsat images to estimate the areal water cover extent and volumetric storage changes in small terminal lakes in Burabay National Nature Park (BNNP), located in Northern Central Asia (CA), for the period of 1986 to 2016. Based on the analysis of long-term climatic data from meteorological stations, short-term hydrometeorological network observations, gridded climate datasets (CRU) and global atmospheric reanalysis (ERA Interim), we have evaluated the impacts of historical climatic conditions on the water balance of BNNP lake catchments. We also discuss the future based on regional climate model projections. We attribute the overall decline of BNNP lakes to long-term deficit of water balance with lake evaporation loss exceeding precipitation inputs. Direct anthropogenic water abstraction has a minor importance in water balance. However, the changes in watersheds caused by the expansion of human settlements and roads disrupting water drainage may play a more significant role in lake water storage decline. More precise water resources assessment at the local scale will be facilitated by further development of freely available higher spatial resolution remote sensing products. In addition, the results of this work can be used for the development of lake/reservoir evaporation models driven by remote sensing and atmospheric reanalysis data without the direct use of ground observations.

scholarly journals An estimate of glacier mass balance for the Chandra basin, western Himalaya, for the period 1984–2012

2017 ◽  
Vol 58 (75pt2) ◽  
pp. 99-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sayli Atul Tawde ◽  
Anil V. Kulkarni ◽  
Govindasamy Bala
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Water Resource Management ◽  
Western Himalaya ◽  
Ratio Method ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Equilibrium Line Altitude ◽  
Temperature Index ◽  
Field Investigations ◽  
Basin Scale ◽  
Accumulation Area Ratio

ABSTRACTAn improved understanding of fresh water stored in the Himalaya is crucial for water resource management in South Asia and can be inferred from glacier mass-balance estimates. However, field investigations in the rugged Himalaya are limited to a few individual glaciers and short duration. Therefore, we have recently developed an approach that combines satellite-derived snowlines, a temperature-index melt model and the accumulation-area ratio method to estimate annual mass balance of glaciers at basin scale and for a long period. In this investigation, the mass balance of 146 glaciers in the Chandra basin, western Himalaya, is estimated from 1984 to 2012. We estimate the trend in equilibrium line altitude of the basin as +113 m decade−1and the mean mass balance as −0.61 ± 0.46 m w.e. a−1. Our basin-wide mass-balance estimates are in agreement with the geodetic method during 1999–2012. Sensitivity analysis suggests that a 20% increase in precipitation can offset changes in mass balance for a 1 °C temperature rise. A water loss of 18% of the total basin volume is estimated, and 67% for small and low-altitude glaciers during 1984–2012, indicating a looming water scarcity crisis for villages in this valley.

Impact of Climate Change on the Retreat of Himalayan Glaciers and Its Impact on Major River Hydrology

2018 ◽  
pp. 681-694
Author(s):  
Ram Karan Singh
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Climatic Changes ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Run Off ◽  
Himalayan Glaciers ◽  
Freshwater Resource ◽  
River Hydrology ◽  
Major River ◽  
Cyclic Phenomenon

Himalayan Glaciers are the largest freshwater resource on earth and the rivers originating from them are an important source of water. They significantly modify stream flow both in quantity and timing as annual basin run-off is enhanced or decreased in years of negative or positive glacier mass balance respectively. Although glacial advances and retreats are a part of its natural cyclic phenomenon, the rate of de-glaciations has accelerated in recent times due to climatic changes and global warming caused by anthropogenic activities. Some of the important glaciers of Himalayas are receding at an alarming rate, which could have dire consequences on river hydrology of the main rivers of this region namely, Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra, initially causing floods and the paradoxically, scarcity of water later. This chapter is an attempt to summarize some of the studies on Himalayan glacier retreats and also to assess its impact on the availability of freshwater in the sub-continent.

scholarly journals Anthropogenic and Climate Effects on a Free Dam Tropical River: Measuring the Contributions on Flow Regime

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (23) ◽  
pp. 10030
Author(s):  
Verônica Léo ◽  
Hersília Santos ◽  
Letícia Pereira ◽  
Lilia Oliveira
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Flow Regime ◽  
River Flow ◽  
Human Impacts ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Rate Of Change ◽  
Hydrologic Alteration ◽  
Tropical River ◽  
Range Of Variability Approach ◽  
Flow Components

The demand for freshwater resources and climate change pose a simultaneous threat to rivers. Those impacts are often analyzed separately, and some human impacts are widely evaluated in river dynamics—especially in downstream areas rather than the consequences of land cover changes in headwater reaches. The distinction between anthropogenic and climate on the components of the flow regime is proposed here for an upstream free dam reach whose watershed is responsible for the water supply in Rio de Janeiro. Indicators of hydrologic alteration (IHA) and the range of variability approach (RVA) combined with statistical analyses of anthropogenic and climate parameters indicated that (1) four river flow components (magnitude, frequency, duration, and rate of change) were greatly altered from the previous period (1947 to 1967) and the actual (1994 to 2014); (2) shifts in the sea surface temperature of the Atlantic correlated with flow magnitude; (3) the cattle activity effects on the flow regime of the studied area decreased 42.6% of superficial discharge; global climate change led to a 10.8% reduction in the same river component. This research indicated that climate change will impact the intensification of human actions on rivers in the southeast Brazilian headwaters.

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