Himalayan Glaciers Climate change,water Resources and Water Security full PDF.

 

Many glaciers and snowpacks around the world are receding. The rates and 

timing of glacial wasting, the volume of ice melt that causes a net loss of glacier volume, 

vary and the causes are complex. In most instances there are multiple influences that 

interact in complicated ways. In the early stages of glacial wasting streamflows increase 

while in the later stages they may decline. Wherever glaciers are wasting continuously 

there are concerns about the consequences for available water supplies. 

The glaciers of the Hindu Kush-Himalayan (HKH) region are among the largest 

and most spectacular in the world. Although there is some scientific knowledge and 

information about the state of the glaciers of the HKH region, with implications for future 

water supplies, there is also significant uncertainty. Concern has been heightened by 

several highly visible pronouncements which upon examination proved to be highly 

qualitative, local in scale, or to lack any credible scientific basis. This report, prepared by 

a Committee appointed by the National Research Council, seeks to describe and analyze 

the scientific knowledge about the glaciers of the region, their impact on regional 

waterscape, and likely impacts of changes in the glaciers on the population of South Asia. 

More specifically, the Committee addressed the following questions: 

 How sensitive are the Himalayan glaciers to climate and other environmental 

factors? 

 What are the potential impacts of changes in climate and glaciers on the timing 

and volume of river flows in the regions and what are the likely implications for 

water supplies and extreme climatic events such as floods? 

 What water management systems are in place to help adapt to changes in regional 

hydrologic systems and how might those systems be strengthened? 

 What are the main vulnerabilities of downstream populations to changes in water 

supplies, what are the prospects for conflict and/or cooperation, and what are the 

implications for national security? 

The Committee addressed these questions from several perspectives: the physical 

geography of the region, the human geography of the region, and the environmental 

security of the region. The Committee also identifies additional scientific and data needs 

as well as possible means of adapting to changes in water security, and draws a series of 

conclusions. 

To help inform its analyses the Committee hosted an interdisciplinary workshop 

in the fall of 2011 in Washington, D.C. The two-day workshop included both invited 

presentations and extended discussion to explore the many issues that bear on 

streamflows, water supplies, and the problems of adaptation in the region. The agenda for 

the workshop and a list of participants comprise Appendix A. The Committee expressesits appreciation to all of the workshop participants for sharing their perspectives and 

wisdom. The Committee would like to thank Richard Matthew, who assisted with 

revisions to the report. The Committee is also grateful for the assistance of NRC staff 

Lauren Brown and Daniel Muth who served as note takers at the workshop, and Keren 

Charles and Zhen Liu who prepared data and graphics. 

The Committee was especially fortunate in being supported by three different 

units of the National Research Council, the Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate 

(BASC); the Water Science and Technology Board (WSTB); and the Committee on 

Population (CPOP). We are particularly grateful for the help and guidance of Program 

Officers Maggie Walser of BASC, Laura Helsabeck of WSTB, and Malay Majmundar of 

CPOP. These three ably kept the Committee on task and provided many of their own 

valuable insights, which substantially improved the report. Shelly Freeland of BASC 

provided all manner of administrative support, which helped to make the Committee’s 

efforts both efficient and pleasant. Finally, the Committee would like to thank the 

individuals responsible for the review of this report. Their comments were valuable and 

strengthened the report significantly. 

Henry J. Vaux, Jr., Chair

Committee on Himalayan Glaciers, 

Hydrology, Climate Change, 

and Implications for Water Security

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