ix
Pandey and Arunachalam in their paper drive home the point that changing climatic conditions have impacted weather events, further exacerbating the frequency
and intensity of various climatic disasters, affecting the Himalayan ecology and
livelihood security. The authors have described the attempts made under the National
Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE) to face new challenges
and provide opportunities to enhance the quality of life of the farmers by utilizing
the locally available resources and introducing important modern tools and technologies to generate a sustainable source of livelihood vis-à-vis climate resilience.
On a similar note, the final paper of the section by Nandi and co-workers have
emphasized a need for reorienting and balancing the research in the field of climate
change in the Himalaya.
The third section includes seven papers dealing with the Himalayan cryosphere
and climate change. It presents findings of a few Himalayan glaciers together with
high-resolution dynamic downscaling of winter climate and the response of Indian
summer monsoon dynamics to Late Quaternary fluvial deposits.
Kar, Sarita Tiwari and Pushp Raj Tiwari in their paper High-Resolution Dynamic
Downscaling of Winter Climate over the Himalaya show the results of dynamic
downscaling simulations using a high-resolution WRF model and a regional climate
model (RegCM) with enlightened sensitivity of cloud microphysics schemes in the
WRF model. This allows for the simulation of snowfall over the high mountain top
or on the slopes.
Ashit Kumar Swain in his paper Glacier Stress Pattern as an Indicator for
Climate Change discusses the relation of climate change to glacier stress patterns.
He describes the result of ice thickness measurements using GPR and discusses different types of forces such as traction, stresses and strains as studied in Vestre
Broggerbreen glacier of Svalbard. Similar studies carried out in a part of Antarctica
are also discussed.
Parmanand Sharma, and his group in their paper Glacier Response to Climate in
Arctic and Himalaya During Last Seventeen Years: A Case Study of Svalbard,
Arctic and Chandra Basin, Himalaya, presents the results on different glacial
parameters such as ice density, annual/cumulative mass balance, mean annual temperature and precipitation, etc. obtained from different glaciers in Chandra Basin,
Himachal Pradesh (India) and Svalbard (Arctic). They conclude that though the
Arctic glaciers and ice caps are losing more glacier mass as compared to the
Himalaya, the rate of melting of the Himalayan glaciers is significantly higher than
those in the Arctic.
Ganju and Negi in their paper Implications of Changing Climatic Pattern on the
Geopolitical Situation of NW Himalaya, India have cautioned that the changing pattern of climate may prove disastrous in some regions where the regolith is loose and
dry. The rapid erosion from mountain slopes would give rise to unprecedented hazards downstream. The prediction with a view to offer reasonable solutions in the
context of an increasing frequency of extreme weather events will continue to be the
future research area of work in the Himalaya.
In a paper Glacier Melt Water Characteristics of Hamtah Glacier, Lahaul and
Spiti District, Himachal Pradesh, India based on field investigations of a Himalayan
Introduction
Pandey and Arunachalam in their paper drive home the point that changing climatic conditions have impacted weather events, further exacerbating the frequency
and intensity of various climatic disasters, affecting the Himalayan ecology and
livelihood security. The authors have described the attempts made under the National
Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE) to face new challenges
and provide opportunities to enhance the quality of life of the farmers by utilizing
the locally available resources and introducing important modern tools and technologies to generate a sustainable source of livelihood vis-à-vis climate resilience.
On a similar note, the final paper of the section by Nandi and co-workers have
emphasized a need for reorienting and balancing the research in the field of climate
change in the Himalaya.
The third section includes seven papers dealing with the Himalayan cryosphere
and climate change. It presents findings of a few Himalayan glaciers together with
high-resolution dynamic downscaling of winter climate and the response of Indian
summer monsoon dynamics to Late Quaternary fluvial deposits.
Kar, Sarita Tiwari and Pushp Raj Tiwari in their paper High-Resolution Dynamic
Downscaling of Winter Climate over the Himalaya show the results of dynamic
downscaling simulations using a high-resolution WRF model and a regional climate
model (RegCM) with enlightened sensitivity of cloud microphysics schemes in the
WRF model. This allows for the simulation of snowfall over the high mountain top
or on the slopes.
Ashit Kumar Swain in his paper Glacier Stress Pattern as an Indicator for
Climate Change discusses the relation of climate change to glacier stress patterns.
He describes the result of ice thickness measurements using GPR and discusses different types of forces such as traction, stresses and strains as studied in Vestre
Broggerbreen glacier of Svalbard. Similar studies carried out in a part of Antarctica
are also discussed.
Parmanand Sharma, and his group in their paper Glacier Response to Climate in
Arctic and Himalaya During Last Seventeen Years: A Case Study of Svalbard,
Arctic and Chandra Basin, Himalaya, presents the results on different glacial
parameters such as ice density, annual/cumulative mass balance, mean annual temperature and precipitation, etc. obtained from different glaciers in Chandra Basin,
Himachal Pradesh (India) and Svalbard (Arctic). They conclude that though the
Arctic glaciers and ice caps are losing more glacier mass as compared to the
Himalaya, the rate of melting of the Himalayan glaciers is significantly higher than
those in the Arctic.
Ganju and Negi in their paper Implications of Changing Climatic Pattern on the
Geopolitical Situation of NW Himalaya, India have cautioned that the changing pattern of climate may prove disastrous in some regions where the regolith is loose and
dry. The rapid erosion from mountain slopes would give rise to unprecedented hazards downstream. The prediction with a view to offer reasonable solutions in the
context of an increasing frequency of extreme weather events will continue to be the
future research area of work in the Himalaya.
In a paper Glacier Melt Water Characteristics of Hamtah Glacier, Lahaul and
Spiti District, Himachal Pradesh, India based on field investigations of a Himalayan
Introduction