International scientists during a workshop held in Kathmandu, Nepal have called for better monitoring and improved data sharing on Himalayan ice and snow. These resources are undergoing rapid changes and can have a major impact on the lives and livelihoods of millions of people in the region.
Kathmandu: There is a major need for better long-term monitoring of glaciers in the Himalayas using direct observations in the field, as well as for improved sharing of data among the different countries in the region.
These were among the conclusions drawn by more than 70
international scientists who met recently at a three-day workshop on
‘Cryosphere and Hazards for the Hindu Kush Himalayas and Tibetan
Plateau’ to discuss the problems of glaciers, glacial fluctuations, and
loss of permafrost in the mountains and plateaus of the Himalayas.
The workshop brought together the best geoscience expertise
available for the region. Experts brainstormed on new ideas and
procedures for obtaining information about the status and trends of
snow and ice resources in this extended mountain area.
The massive stores of water in the region in the form of snow and
ice have given it the nicknames of ‘Water Tower of Asia’ and the ‘Third
Pole’ – the largest ice reserves in the world outside of the Arctic and
Antarctic.
However, these snow and ice resources are undergoing rapid changes
that are generally attributed to climate change and could have a major
impact on the lives and livelihoods of millions of people in the region
and the river basins downstream.
This mass of snow and ice also plays an important role in
determining the global climate. Solid scientific understanding of the
processes taking place is essential for future planning, and this
workshop helped bring together the knowledge that is available, and
also to highlight the gaps.
The event was designed to engage scientists in cross-border
scientific dialogue about the problems and possibilities associated
with snow and ice in the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau.
The meeting, held in Kathmandu, Nepal, at the International Centre
for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), was organised by the
University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO), Global Land Ice Measurements
from Space Regional Centre for Southwest Asia (GLIMS), Monsoon Asia
Integrated Regional Study (MAIRS), Institute for Development and
Innovation (IDI), Mountain Research Initiative (MRI), and ICIMOD; with
participants mainly from the USA, China, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and
other Asian countries.
The six-point conclusion of the workshop urged the governments of
the Himalayan countries to facilitate data generation and sharing, and
to identify at least one model glacier in each country for long-term
field-based study.
A standard method should be developed and used for monitoring and
assessing glaciers across the region to facilitate comparative
analysis. Development of basin-wide water scenarios should be
encouraged for all major water basins in the region.
Scientists needed to be educated and trained on emerging
technologies and a database developed on glaciological data resources.
For the future, discussions will now take place on new regional
projects involving ICIMOD, MAIRS, MRI, and others to address some of
these issues.
