Journal
CURRENT SCIENCE
Volume 111, Issue 3, Pages 550-553Publisher
INDIAN ACAD SCIENCES
DOI: 10.18520/cs/v111/i3/550-553
Keywords
Ground surface temperature; hazards; permafrost; rock glacier
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Funding
- Department of Science and Technology, Government of India
- Government of Himachal Pradesh
- IHCAP
- Global Programme Climate Change of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
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Collaborative Indo-Swiss research on permafrost has thrown new light on this rarely studied component of the Indian Himalayan cryosphere. Under a pilot study, first maps of estimated permafrost distribution in Kullu district, Himachal Pradesh, India have been produced, using a combination of simple topographic and climatic principles, more sophisticated numerical modelling, and mapping of permafrost indicators. Overall, 9% (420 sq. km) of the land area in Kullu is classified as permafrost terrain, extending down to as low as similar to 4200 m amsl in isolated instances. Between similar to 4200 and 5000 m amsl, permafrost underlies a surface area comparable in size to that overlaid by glacier ice. Hence, permafrost is identified as a significant component of the local cryosphere. These results now provide a scientific basis for assessing the wide-ranging potential impacts, hazards and risk associated with warming and thawing of frozen ground, with relevance for climate change adaptation studies across the entire Himalaya.
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