International Workshop on Cryosphere and Hazards for the
Hindu Kush-Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau
31 March-2 April 2008
Kathmandu, Nepal
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 the more than 70 international
scientists who met at a three-day workshop on ‘Cryosphere and Hazards for the
Hindu Kush Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau’ from to discuss the problems of glaciers,
glacial fluctuations, and loss of permafrost in the mountains and plateaus of the
Himalayas.
The meeting, held 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 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 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 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.