Status and Change of the Cryosphere in the Extended Hindu Kush Himalaya Region

Tobias Bolch, Joseph M. Shea*, Shiyin Liu, Farooq M. Azam, Yang Gao, Stephan Gruber, Walter W. Immerzeel, Anil Kulkarni, Huilin Li, Adnan A. Tahir, Guoqing Zhang, Yinsheng Zhang

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

The cryosphere is defined by the presence of frozen water in its many forms: glaciers, ice caps, ice sheets, snow, permafrost, and river and lake ice. In the extended Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region, including the Pamirs, Tien Shan and Alatua, the cryosphere is a key freshwater resource, playing a vital and significant role in local and regional hydrology and ecology. Industry, agriculture, and hydroelectric power generation rely on timely and sufficient delivery of water in major river systems; changes in the cryospheric system may thus pose challenges for disaster risk reduction in the extended HKH region.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationThe Hindu Kush Himalaya Assessment
Subtitle of host publicationMountains, Climate Change, Sustainability and People
PublisherSpringer International Publishing AG
Pages209-255
Number of pages47
ISBN (Electronic)9783319922881
ISBN (Print)9783319922874
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2019
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Earth and Planetary Sciences
  • General Environmental Science
  • General Agricultural and Biological Sciences

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