The special issue includes seven papers, with one overviewing recent. The mountains act as a barrier to atmospheric circulation for both the summer monsoon and the winter westerlies. Downstream implications of climate change in the himalayas. Nov 17, 2010 climate change can be particularly hardhitting for small underdeveloped countries, relying heavily on natural resources for the economy and livelihoods. Glacier length glacier retreat and flow rate have longer response times to climate change compared mass balance thickness, which has a nearimmediate response. Since we are concerned about the consequences of global warming and climate change in the future, it is necessary to study the effect of global climate changes on the regional scale. Pdf climate changerelated health impacts in the hindu. Climate change impacts and vulnerability in the eastern himalayas. The signals of global warming are causing the retreat of glaciers particularly in the himalayas, although the pattern of climate change, glacier retreats, thinning, advances, and surges is complex. Everest to highlight the importance of climate change to the nepali people prelude to summiteers summit to save the himalayas held in copenhagen on december 11, 2009.
Amantha pereraips jhirpu phulpingkatt, nepal, jun 2 20 ips residents of jhirpu phulpingkatt, a village nestled in the foothills of the himalayas, about 110 km from nepals capital kathmandu, are on red alert. Snowfall variability dictates glacier mass balance. Climate change, water resources, and water security makes recommendations and sets guidelines for the future of climate change and water security in the himalayan region. Climate changes are in response to changes in the hydrosphere, biosphere and other atmospheric and interacting factors. Climate change climate change is already happening and represents one of the greatest environmental, social and economic threats facing the planet. This atlas was developed as part of the himalayan climate change. Treeline dynamics with climate change at the central nepal. We would like to show you a description here but the site wont allow us. This particular image was taken by nasas advanced spaceborne thermal emission and reflection radiometer aster, flying aboard the terra. Since changes in temperature and precipitation are immediately. Climate change vulnerability of mountain ecosystems in the eh 1. Climate shift linked to rise of himalayas, tibetan plateau may 3, 2001 by terry devitt by probing ancient dust deposits in china and deep ocean sediments from the north pacific and indian oceans, scientists have constructed the most detailed portrait to date of the effects on climate of the himalaya mountains and the great tibetan plateau. Melting glaciers, erratic and unpredictable weather. Such studies from the himalayan regions are of further interest as the himalayas are highly sensitive to climate change and variability 1.
The impacts of climate change in these high altitude terrains could be farreaching and competition for natural resources will increase. Climate shift linked to rise of himalayas, tibetan plateau. Perspectives on water and climate change adaptation 1. Climate change is a major concern in the subregion. According to available data, average annual mean temperatures have been increasing in nepal by 0.
This open access volume is the first comprehensive assessment of the hindu kush himalaya hkh region. This falsecolor image shows snowcapped peaks and ridges of the eastern himalayas between major rivers in southwest china. Gaire et al treeline dynamics with climate change at the himalaya 1279 similarly, b. In other words, the past is not a good basis for prediction, and past trends in the climate, hydrology, glaciers, and population of the region will not be a viable guide for the future e.
This book analyzes the issues associated with climate change in the himalayas. Because glaciers are melting faster than they are accumulating ice, the himalayan region stands to lose its glacier insurance in the longterm. Finally, it examines the potential vulnerability to climate change of tourism in three protected areas as a result of interaction between climate change, physiographic. Possible impacts of climate change on agriculture 2. Climate change impacts and vulnerability in the eastern himalayas 1 climate change impacts and vulnerability in the eastern himalayas eklabya sharma, nakul chettri, karma tsering, arun b shrestha, fang jing, pradeep mool and mats eriksson little is known in detail about the vulnerability of mountain ecosystems to climate change. Environmentthe basic possible impacts of climate change. The himalayas are made up of three parallel mountain ranges that together stretch for more than 1800 miles 2,900 kilometers. Also, recently the debate on climate change and environment has. Himalayan climate change adaptation programme hicap. The work presented here describes some current trends in weather and climate over the western himalaya and suggests some possible explanations in the context of climate change. Climate change impacts agriculture in the northern. The indian himalaya continues to suffer from anthropogenic stressors, and coupled with the adverse influences of climate change, the regions biodiversity is under threat. Climate change in the himalayas, a biodiversity hotspot, home of many sacred landscapes, and the source of eight largest rivers of asia, is likely to impact the wellbeing of. Request pdf farmers understanding of climate change in nepal himalayas.
It is vital to understand the effects of climate induced impacts on. Poverty is widespread and the capacity of people and the country to cope with. The himalayas, as a great climatic divide affecting large systems of air and water circulation, help determine meteorological conditions in the indian subcontinent to the south and in the central asian highlands to the north. In the southwest of the sub himalayas lies the singalila ridge, the western end of a group of uplands in nepal. The response rate of most glaciers in the himalayas is. Limitedarea models, which are mostly used for mesoscale weather forecasting, are also being used for regional climate change studies, by nesting. Pdf climate change and species distribution in the. The indian monsoon is the main driver of climate and the impact of the monsoon. Widespread climate change in the himalayas and associated.
The mountains of snow have also been called the third pole, since they are the third largest body of snow on our planet after the antarctic and arctic. Climate change vulnerability of mountain ecosystems in the. Climate change geographical issues in the himalayas. The himalayas are changing for the worse inter press service. Water resources management and the provision of clean water and sanitation is already a challenge in the hindu kush himalayan region. The changing himalayas 2 himalayan climate and water the himalayas display great climatic variability. Mar 22, 20 almost half of the world gets its water from the himalayas and other high mountains, but little is known about how global warming will affect these sources.
May 20, 2015 climate change impacts in nepal and its future 1. The eastern himalayas have a much more sophisticated geomorphic history and pervasive topographic features than the central himalayas. The changing himalayas impact of climate change on water resources and livelihoods in the greater himalayas. New images show 50 years of climate change in the himalayas. If you have not been to the himalayas before you might make the mistake of thinking the climate is fairly uniform across the entire mountain range but nothing could be further from the truth. Climate and natural ecosystems are tightly coupled, and the stability of that coupled system is an important ecosystem service. The himalayas play an important role in shaping the climate of the subcontinent and the recent erratic weather is the direct result of the desecration of the himalayas. Nepal has an extreme altitudinal range from 608850 m with heterogeneous topography and distinct climatic zones. The himalayan climate and water atlas, impact of climate change.
The climate of the study area is monsoon dominated. A global hotspot the himalayas is one of the worlds most sensitive hotspots to global climate change, with impacts manifesting at a particularly rapid rate. Significant glacial melting will undoubtedly have extreme consequences on residents. It comprises important scientific research on the social, economic, and environmental pillars of sustainable mountain development and will serve as a basis for evidencebased decisionmaking to safeguard the environment and advance peoples wellbeing. Nov 18, 2015 immerzeel w 2011 climate change impacts on the water resources of the hindu kush himalayas. This report emphasizes that social changes, such as changing patterns of water use and water management decisions, are likely to have at least as much of. Climate change, water resources, and water security. Vulnerability to climate change of naturebased tourism in. Climate change related health impacts in the hindu kush himalayas. Response of karakoram himalayan glaciers to climate variability and climatic change.
The impact of climate change at the top of the world could. The ebook is optimized for ereader devices and apps, which means that it offers a much better digital reading experience than a pdf, including resizable text and. Existing observations indicate that the temperature is rising at a higher rate in nepal and chinese regions of the himalayas compared. This will be supplemented by an understanding of how key plants and animals respond to a changing climatic pattern over time. Unravelling climate change in the hindu kush himalaya. Aimed at tackling the environment and climate change related issues in nepal held a cabinet meeting on the lap of mt. This report emphasizes that social changes, such as changing patterns of water use and water management decisions, are likely to have at least as much of an impact on water demand as environmental factors do on water supply. Whereas climate specialists using measurements and simulations play down this statement by underlining uncertainties and differences between the west and east of the range, the media and development agencies tend to. The incidence of droughts, snowstorms, blizzards and the like in the himalayas has risen. However, despite the extraordinary environmental, cultural, and socioeconomic importance of the himalayas, and despite their rapidly increasing ecological degradation, not much is known.
The changes in climate and water availability warrant smallscale adaptations with effective, flexible management that can adjust to the changing conditions. Climate change impacts in himalayan region have its implications on food production, natural ecosystems, retreat of glacier, water supply, human and animal health and overall human well being. The basic possible impacts the issue of climate change. A declining trend of monsoon in the western indian himalayas and an increasing trend in the. Paper presented at the authors workshop for the regional report on climate change in the hindu kushhimalayas. Paper presented at the authors workshop for the regional report on climate change in the hindu kush himalayas. Nepal is one among these countries, being landlocked, with diverse physiographical characteristics within a relatively small territory and with rugged terrain. A situation that is predicted to intesify in coming years, with dire and farreaching impacts on food, water and energy security, as well as biodiversity and species loss. Existing observations indicate that the temperature is rising at a higher rate in nepal and chinese regions of the himalayas compared with rest of the himalayas. Bhutan will be one of the few places in the himalayas to have a comprehensive set of climate data that will be vital for helping understand climate change.
In this article, jointly written with my wife vani narayanan, i have briefly captured our experiences and learnings from our trek to annapurna base camp abc in the himalayas recently. The fragile landscapes of the himalayan region are highly susceptible to natural hazards, and there is ongoing concern about current and potential climate change impacts. Climate change impacts and its future in nepal a small country in south asia with 147, 181 sq. Nepal and the surrounding himalayan region are particularly vulnerable to climate change because of their abrupt ecological and climatic transitions. Climate change effects in the western himalayan ecosystems of india. Indeed, mountains represent unique areas for the detection of climate change and the assessment of climate related impacts beniston 2003. Climate change in nepal and its impact on himalayan glaciers.
The country is considered a biodiversity hotspot, with nearly a quarter of the land area located in protected areas. A pdf is a digital representation of the print book, so while it can be loaded into most ereader programs, it doesnt allow for resizable text or advanced, interactive functionality. Climate change impacts nearly 20 per cent of the worlds population depends on the freshwater rivers fed by the himalayan glaciers. This is a preface of the advance in climate change research special issue climate change in the hindu kush himalaya. Climate change effects in the western himalayan ecosystems. Climate free fulltext the impact of climate change on. Human activities driven by demographic, economic, technological and social. In the hindu kush himalayan hkh region, climate change will have varying implications for various sectors such as agriculture, energy and water resources, among others 2.
Contribution of himalayan ecosystems to water, energy, and food. Immerzeel w 2011 climate change impacts on the water resources of the hindu kush himalayas. The purpose of choosing the himalayas as a focus is because it is a particularly fragile mountain system, highly sensitive to climate change impacts, and it contains one of the largest human populations affected by climate change. Technology convergence an enabling environment providing a unifying framework. After the observation of ipcc 4th assessment that the himalayas are data deficient with regard to climate change, some progress has been made particularly in the areas of glacier shrinkage. The work also shows how the special features of indian orography in the western himalaya affect climate change in the long term, changing the pattern of precipitation. Dec 30, 2014 temperatures in the central himalayas increased by about 0. The average annual precipitation has increased by 163 mm or 6. The impacts of climate change in the himalayas are real. If youre planning a trip its key to understand how the weather changes throughout the year in each part of the himalayas. The himalayas have the largest deposits of snow and ice in the world outside the polar regions and is often referred to as the third pole and also as the water tower of asia. Climate change impacts and vulnerability in the eastern. With global climate change, the temperatures on the tibetan plateau in the himalayas are rising substantially compared to other regions.
Background climate change in the himalayas, a biodiversity hotspot, home of many sacred landscapes, and the source of eight largest rivers of asia, is likely to impact the wellbeing of. Experts warn that climate change is responsible for melting glaciers on the himalayas. The purpose of choosing the himalayas as a focus is because it is a. Climate change adaptation policies in himalayan region of. Climatechange studies in the western himalaya annals of. Climate change and water resources in the himalayas. However, despite the extraordinary environmental, cultural, and socioeconomic importance of the himalayas, and despite their rapidly increasing ecological degradation, not much is. Jamia millia islamia, new delhi organized by the centre for north east studies and policy research, jamia millia islamia introduction the undps human development report of 200708 described climate change.
Climate change in the himalayas geospatial world forum. Provides concise knowledge on sources and impacts of climate change in the himalayas. If global warming goes unchecked, the himalayan melt will certainly get worse. The himalayas are also known as the third pole as they comprise the third largest amount of snow on the earth after the arctic and antarctica. By virtue of its location and stupendous height, the great himalaya range obstructs the passage of cold continental air from the north. The snow and avalanche study establishment sase, located near manali in himachal pradesh, has recorded that in the last 25 years, while rainfall has increased, snowfall has decreased. The greater himalayan region, sometimes called the roof of the world, is noticeably impacted by climate change. Since 1960, almost a fifth of the indian himalayas ice coverage has disappeared, and the 2007 globalwarming assessment by the intergovernmental panel on climate change judged that glaciers in the himalayas were receding faster than at any other place in the world. Rising tempera tures due to climate change are causing glaciers worldwide to shrink in volume and mass, a phenomenon known as glacial retreat see box 1. In the himalayas, where the increase in temperatures is higher than the world average, climate change is expected to impact water resources in a particularly significant manner. While 80% of their water demands are supplied by the monsoon in the wet season, residents rely heavily on glacial meltwater, precipitation and underground springs in the dry season. The summer monsoon dominates the climate, lasting eight months marchoctober in the eastern himalayas, four. Climate change in the himalayas the himalaya support nearly half of humanity him means snow alaya means mountain.
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