The World Meteorological Organization’s State of the Climate in Asia 2024 report warns that the region is warming nearly twice as fast as the global average, driving more extreme weather and posing serious threats to lives, ecosystems, and economies. In 2024, Asia experienced its warmest or second warmest year on …
Glaciers in the Satluj river basin in western Himalaya are likely to lose 33% of their area by 2050 and 81% by the end of the century, under Representative Concentration Pathway - RCP 8.5 scenario, based on the output from CNRM-CM5 and GFDL-CM3 climate models respectively. Original Source
Climate and its variability have been and continues to be the principal source of exceptional fluctuations which wreaked havoc on forests. In Chamba, up to an elevation of 1,800 m chir pine (Pinus roxburghii Sargent) is the main naturally occurring coniferous tree in forests. Plantations of Chir pine are also …
The present study was carried out to assess floristic diversity, community composition and regeneration status of different forests in Nanda Devi National Park after prohibition of human activities in 1983 with a view to understand the impact of ban, and provide a basis for assessing subsequent changes on plant diversity …
Two cases of intense western disturbances which affected the northwest India have been investigated using the India Meteorological Department’s operational limited area analysis and forecast system. The model results are compared with the synoptic observations, which have been enriched by additional stations installed under the national project ‘Parwat’. The analysis …
Western disturbances have a long history of climatological, synoptic and satellite observations based studies. In present study an attempt has been made to understand the different aspects of western disturbances like movement, associated convection, induce systems and associated weather. The western disturbances (WDs) during post monsoon and winter season have …
Aerosols play an important role in climate change processes. Among the various aerosols, black carbon (BC) has been recognized as the second most important anthropogenic agent for climate change and the primary tracer for adverse health effects caused by air pollution. The increasing concentration of BC in the atmosphere has …
Religious and traditional beliefs, cultural mores, and practices play a crucial role in the conservation of environment and biodiversity. The present paper describes a case study of two sacred groves in Western Himalaya. Sacred groves (SGs) are patches of land that are communally protected with religious zeal. A preliminary survey …
Precipitation samples were collected across the Himalayas from Kashmir (western Himalaya) to Assam (eastern Himalaya) to understand the variation of the stable isotopic content (δ 18O and δD) in precipitation associated with two dominant weather systems of the region: western disturbances (WDs) and Indian summer monsoon (ISM). Original Source
Hamtah and Chhota Shigri are two nearby, well monitored glaciers of western Himalaya, lying in the same climatic zone and driven by the same climatic conditions. In this study, topographical characteristics of both the glacier have been explored to understand the role of topography in controlling the glacier response. Further, …
The history of glacier length fluctuations serves as a reliable indicator of the past climate. In this paper, a numerical flowline model has been used to study the relationship between length variations of Chhota Shigri glacier and local climate since 1876. The simulated front positions of Chhota Shigri glacier are …
Forests meet 40% of the energy needs of India and about 30% of fodder needs of the cattle population. Agriculture along with animal husbandry is the principal occupation and source of livelihood for over 70% of the population of Western Himalaya. Like with other high-altitude communities, animal husbandry is practised …
Long-term measurements (from August 2009 to December 2014) of aerosol black carbon mass concentration (MBC) and spectral aerosol optical depth (AOD) were carried out from a high-altitude location, Hanle in western trans-Himalaya as part of the Regional Aerosol Warming Experiment. Original Source
A study based on farm household survey was conducted in mid-hills of Himachal Pradesh to gain insights on people s perceptions and adaptations to climate change and variability. Results of the study indicated that 88.9 % of people perceived rise in temperature of the region while 88.4 % perceived a …
Physico-chemical properties of soil of two dominant forest types in Western Himalaya, viz. oak (Quercus leucotrichophora) and pine (Pinus roxburghii) across three soil depths, and winter and rainy seasons were analysed. In general, all the soil parameters, viz. soil moisture, water-holding capacity, organic carbon and total nitrogen decreased significantly with …
The present study was carried out in parts of a protected area of Garhwal Himalaya, namely, Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary (KWLS). The main aim of the study was to gather and analyze information from the sanctuary dwellers on conservation of natural resources and its value focusing on the needs of local …
The Main Central Thrust (MCT) in Himalaya is seismically active in segments. In recent times, strain release within these active segments produce five spatial clusters (A to E; Figure 1). The seismicity within the cluster zones occurs in two depth bands; corresponding to the base of upper and lower crust. …
How well do the IPCC-AR4 models simulate the observed 20th century warming as well as its future projection over the Western Himalayan region of India? - A presentation by Dr. L. Das and M. Dutta at the 4th National Research Conference on Climate Change, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, October …
Intense rainfall often leads to floods and landslides in the Himalayan region even with rainfall amounts that are considered comparatively moderate over the plains; for example, ‘cloudbursts’, which are devastating convective phenomena producing sudden high-intensity rainfall (∼10 cm per hour) over a small area. Early prediction and warning of such …
In engineering practice, simple methods are important for predicting runoff from watersheds particularly for flood forecasting and water balance calculations. In the present study, it is illustrated that the often-used SCS runoff curve-number approach in its most elementary form can be derived from assuming that only saturated areas contribute to …
The present study tested the hypothesis that "game species are lost when forest areas are subjected to hunting and populations of already threatened species may become locally extinct from many forests of the Western Indian Himalaya". The study was designed to determine effects of vegetation structure and heterogeneity, and behaviour …
