Greater Himalayan Region Research Articles

Controls of outbursts of moraine-dammed lakes in the greater Himalayan region

Abstract. Glacial lakes in the Hindu Kush–Karakoram–Himalayas–Nyainqentanglha (HKKHN) region have grown rapidly in number and area in past decades, and some dozens have drained in catastrophic glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs). Estimating regional susceptibility of glacial lakes has largely relied on qualitative assessments by experts, thus motivating a more systematic and quantitative appraisal. Before the backdrop of current climate-change projections and the potential of elevation-dependent warming, an objective and regionally consistent assessment is urgently needed. We use an inventory of 3390 moraine-dammed lakes and their documented outburst history in the past four decades to test whether elevation, lake area and its rate of change, glacier-mass balance, and monsoonality are useful inputs to a probabilistic classification model. We implement these candidate predictors in four Bayesian multi-level logistic regression models to estimate the posterior susceptibility to GLOFs. We find that mostly larger lakes have been more prone to GLOFs in the past four decades regardless of the elevation band in which they occurred. We also find that including the regional average glacier-mass balance improves the model classification. In contrast, changes in lake area and monsoonality play ambiguous roles. Our study provides first quantitative evidence that GLOF susceptibility in the HKKHN scales with lake area, though less so with its dynamics. Our probabilistic prognoses offer improvement compared to a random classification based on average GLOF frequency. Yet they also reveal some major uncertainties that have remained largely unquantified previously and that challenge the applicability of single models. Ensembles of multiple models could be a viable alternative for more accurately classifying the susceptibility of moraine-dammed lakes to GLOFs.

Temporal Concepts and Formulations of Time in Tibeto-Burman Languages

As a vast and diverse linguistic grouping, Tibeto-Burman languages vary in their usage of time constructs, both morphologically and semantically. Even between genetically related languages within the Tibeto-Burman language family, approaches to elements such as suffixation vary widely, while vocabulary from Indo-Aryan and distantly related Sinitic languages is differently incorporated and borrowed. In this article, we identify trends that only become apparent through the process of data collation and the careful comparison of numerous grammatical sketches and dictionaries. We further expand this rich, if understudied, area through the incorporation of original fieldwork data from the Thangmi/Thami-speaking communities of Nepal undertaken by one of the co-authors, and supplemented by the researcher's residence in the Himalayan region from 1996 to 2009. The literature review and linguistic scope of this survey includes multiple grammars of languages spoken across the Greater Himalayan region, with specific emphasis on the Rai-Kiranti sub-branch of languages autochthonous to eastern Nepal. In our comparative analysis, we focus on apparent cognates and shared paradigms with an emphasis on systems of segmental time measurement (e.g. two days hence,‘ this year‘) rather than on relative ones (e.g. now,‘ then‘). Through this compilation, the relationship between Tibeto-Burman languages and their often-dominant regional Indo-Aryan counterparts becomes more visible, mediated by a better understanding of the shared yet conflicting epistemological, astrological, and organisational views of time held by the communities who speak Tibeto-Burman languages.

Temporal Concepts and Formulations of Time in Tibeto-Burman Languages

As a vast and diverse linguistic grouping, Tibeto-Burman languages vary in their usage of time constructs, both morphologically and semantically. Even between genetically related languages within the Tibeto-Burman language family, approaches to elements such as suffixation vary widely, while vocabulary from Indo-Aryan and distantly related Sinitic languages is differently incorporated and borrowed. In this article, we identify trends that only become apparent through the process of data collation and the careful comparison of numerous grammatical sketches and dictionaries. We further expand this rich, if understudied, area through the incorporation of original fieldwork data from the Thangmi/Thami-speaking communities of Nepal undertaken by one of the co-authors, and supplemented by the researcher’s residence in the Himalayan region from 1996 to 2009. The literature review and linguistic scope of this survey includes multiple grammars of languages spoken across the Greater Himalayan region, with specific emphasis on the Rāī-Kiranti sub-branch of languages autochthonous to eastern Nepal. In our comparative analysis, we focus on apparent cognates and shared paradigms with an emphasis on systems of segmental time measurement (e.g. ‘two days hence,’ ‘this year’) rather than on relative ones (e.g. ‘now,’ ‘then’). Through this compilation, the relationship between Tibeto-Burman languages and their often-dominant regional Indo-Aryan counterparts becomes more visible, mediated by a better understanding of the shared yet conflicting epistemological, astrological, and organizational views of time held by the communities who speak Tibeto-Burman languages. Features of note include the assimilation of Chinese and Indian religious and spiritual systems, as well as imported vocabulary that does not always replace—but is in fact sometimes incorporated into—the lexicon of a given language by the speech community. It is our observation that in Tibeto-Burman languages, Indigenous concepts, categories and classifications of time are usually grammatically encoded in adverbial forms, while the influential Indo-Aryan languages of the region mostly make use of nominal morphology in order to express temporal concepts. In addition, reflexes of Proto-Tibeto-Burman (hereafter PTB) nouns are still evident across the language family. To conclude, we position this survey as a comparative and analytical contribution which focuses attention on the region’s rich linguistic variation and the importance of rigorous documentation, conservation and revitalisation programs for Indigenous languages of the Tibeto-Burman family, as the communities who speak these languages continue to grapple with severe socio-political challenges and face the hegemonic pressures of linguistic assimilation.

Devastating rainstorm of June-2013 in Uttarakhand

The state of Uttarakhand is prone to floods and landslides due to its topographic location. The state of Uttarakhand and neighbouring states experienced heavy to very heavy rainfall during 15-18 June, 2013. The analysis of this rainstorm is important because it caused severe floods, landslides, loss of thousands of lives, property etc. During this period, many stations reported very heavy rainfall with a few extremely heavy rainfall (more than 24.5 cm in a day) in Uttarakhand and also in the neighbouring states of Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab. Most part of the state of Uttarakhand lies in the Greater Himalayan region. For safety from floods, one of the methods is to store water in hydraulic structures. For planning and designing of hydraulic structures, the estimation of design storm is the primary and the basic input for the computation of design flood. In the estimation of design storm, all the heavy rainstorms occurred over or near the area have to be analysed. In this paper, this rainstorm and other heavy rainstorms over a wide area has been analysed for the purpose of computation of Design storm estimates of hydraulic structures in that area. The rainstorm of June 2013 is compared with the earlier historical heaviest rainstorm of 28th to 30th September, 1924 at Lansdowne and it is observed that the rainstorm of June 2013 has contributed more rainfall than the rainstorm of September 1924 rainstorm for an area up to 5000 km2 for 1-day duration, while the DAD estimates for two day and three duration of rainstorm of September 1924 are higher than the rainstorm of June 2013 for area up to 20,000 km2.

Impacts of Glacier Recession and Declining Meltwater on Mountain Societies

Glacierized mountains are often referred to as our world's water towers because glaciers both store water over time and regulate seasonal stream flow, releasing runoff during dry seasons when societies most need water. Ice loss thus has the potential to affect human societies in diverse ways, including irrigation, agriculture, hydropower, potable water, livelihoods, recreation, spirituality, and demography. Unfortunately, research focusing on the human impacts of glacier runoff variability in mountain regions remains limited, and studies often rely on assumptions rather than concrete evidence about the effects of shrinking glaciers on mountain hydrology and societies. This article provides a systematic review of international research on human impacts of glacier meltwater variability in mountain ranges worldwide, including the Andes, Alps, greater Himalayan region, Cascades, and Alaska. It identifies four main areas of existing research: (1) socioeconomic impacts; (2) hydropower; (3) agriculture, irrigation, and food security; and (4) cultural impacts. The article also suggests paths forward for social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences research that could more accurately detect and attribute glacier runoff and human impacts, grapple with complex and intersecting spatial and temporal scales, and implement transdisciplinary research approaches to study glacier runoff. The objective is ultimately to redefine and reorient the glacier-water problem around human societies rather than simply around ice and climate. By systematically evaluating human impacts in different mountain regions, the article strives to stimulate cross-regional thinking and inspire new studies on glaciers, hydrology, risk, adaptation, and human–environment interactions in mountain regions.

Development of an analytical function for optimizing the capacity of spring water storage structure

Now, there is no doubt that the Greater Himalayan region is facing the impact of climate change and that is specifically visible through the noticeable changes in the discharging patterns of the springs from the last four to five decades. Either the springs have become seasonal or their discharge rates (particularly during recession periods) have diminished to significant extent. In this changing scenario, the long-term survival of the inhabitants in the region vests in the adaption of suitable water management practices; and the most feasible option is to reserve the water stock when it is in excess during monsoon/post-monsoon season. However, the construction/purchase of water storage structure may become highly uneconomical for below mid-class families if the selected capacity of the structure is more than optimal. On the contrary, the undersized (than optimal capacity) will fail to serve its purpose. Thus, for accurately optimizing the capacity of water storage structure, an analytical function has been proposed in the present study. The application of the proposed function has been demonstrated by considering the realistic number of dependents on a western-Himalayan gravity spring named ‘Fakua’. The analyses show that with increase in the water shortage period, per cent reduction in the optimized storage from the actual demand decreases and this particular behavior depends on the spring discharge rate during recession period. With the use of formulated analytical function, the available discharge from the spring during recession period can be managed much more efficiently and economically in comparison to other flow mass curve methods.

Widespread albedo decreasing and induced melting of Himalayan snow and ice in the early 21st century.

BackgroundThe widely distributed glaciers in the greater Himalayan region have generally experienced rapid shrinkage since the 1850s. As invaluable sources of water and because of their scarcity, these glaciers are extremely important. Beginning in the twenty-first century, new methods have been applied to measure the mass budget of these glaciers. Investigations have shown that the albedo is an important parameter that affects the melting of Himalayan glaciers.Methodology/Principal FindingsThe surface albedo based on the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data over the Hindu Kush, Karakoram and Himalaya (HKH) glaciers is surveyed in this study for the period 2000–2011. The general albedo trend shows that the glaciers have been darkening since 2000. The most rapid decrease in the surface albedo has occurred in the glacial area above 6000 m, which implies that melting will likely extend to snow accumulation areas. The mass-loss equivalent (MLE) of the HKH glacial area caused by surface shortwave radiation absorption is estimated to be 10.4 Gt yr-1, which may contribute to 1.2% of the global sea level rise on annual average (2003–2009).Conclusions/SignificanceThis work probably presents a first scene depicting the albedo variations over the whole HKH glacial area during the period 2000–2011. Most rapidly decreasing in albedo has been detected in the highest area, which deserves to be especially concerned.

A Linguistically Informed Autosomal STR Survey of Human Populations Residing in the Greater Himalayan Region

The greater Himalayan region demarcates two of the most prominent linguistic phyla in Asia: Tibeto-Burman and Indo-European. Previous genetic surveys, mainly using Y-chromosome polymorphisms and/or mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms suggested a substantially reduced geneflow between populations belonging to these two phyla. These studies, however, have mainly focussed on populations residing far to the north and/or south of this mountain range, and have not been able to study geneflow patterns within the greater Himalayan region itself. We now report a detailed, linguistically informed, genetic survey of Tibeto-Burman and Indo-European speakers from the Himalayan countries Nepal and Bhutan based on autosomal microsatellite markers and compare these populations with surrounding regions. The genetic differentiation between populations within the Himalayas seems to be much higher than between populations in the neighbouring countries. We also observe a remarkable genetic differentiation between the Tibeto-Burman speaking populations on the one hand and Indo-European speaking populations on the other, suggesting that language and geography have played an equally large role in defining the genetic composition of present-day populations within the Himalayas.

Formulating the spring discharge-function for the recession period by analyzing its recession curve: A case study of the Ranichauri spring (India)

The Greater Himalayan region is witnessing a changing rainfall pattern from the last few decades. Low-intensity longer-duration rainfall events have now been replaced with intense and shorter-duration events that are further responsible for the reduced recharging of the spring catchments. Consequently, the natural springs are either drying up or becoming seasonal. Prediction of spring water availability during the recession period is the key to its proper management. The spring discharge-rate can be forecasted by studying its behaviour for the past recession periods. Expressing recession curve in mathematical terms requires its quantitative analyses in priori. It was found that the fitting of recession-curve (of the Ranichauri spring under study) with two exponential components gives accurate results. The maximum value of exponential coefficient (i.e., 0.0206) represents the major contribution to drainage from the spring-catchment’s portion with highest permeability, whereas the minimum value (i.e., 0.0016) represents the major contribution to spring discharge from the portion with lowest permeability. Analyses show that the permeability of the porous medium is responsible for discharge rate and its capacity is responsible for perennial or seasonal behaviour of the spring. Using the mean values of the recession parameters, the master discharge-function of the spring for the recession period is formulated for calculating its discharge-rate during the recession period of any year. Apart from the year 2001, its predictions are in close agreement with the actually monitored data. The efficiency of the formulated master discharge function of the spring for the recession period has been evaluated equal to 0.965 using the Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency criterion.

Feasibility of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy for the Study of the Temporal Distribution of Trace Elements Trapped in Snow Collected from Greater Himalayan Range

ABSTRACT The potential merit of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has been demonstrated for detection and quantification of trace pollutants trapped in snow/ice samples. In this technique, a high-power pulsed laser beam from Nd:YAG Laser (Model no. Surelite III-10, Continuum, Santa Clara, CA, USA) is focused on the surface of the target to generate plasma. The characteristic emissions from laser-generated plasma are collected and recorded by a fiber-coupled LIBS 2000+ (Ocean Optics, Santa Clara, CA, USA) spectrometer. The fingerprint of the constituents present in the sample is obtained by analyzing the spectral lines by using OOI LIBS software. Reliable detection of several elements like Zn, Al, Mg, Fe, Ca, C, N, H, and O in snow/ice samples collected from different locations (elevation) of Manali and several snow samples collected from the Greater Himalayan region (from a cold lab in Manali, India) in different months has been demonstrated. The calibration curve approach has been adopted for the quantitative analysis of these elements like Zn, Al, Fe, and Mg. Our results clearly demonstrate that the level of contamination is higher in those samples that were collected in the month of January in comparison to those collected in February and March.

Mapping wetland cover in the greater Himalayan region: a hybrid method combining multispectral and ecological characteristics

In the greater Himalayan region, wetland ecosystems such as lakes, marshes, and peat lands play an important role in regulating the flow of major rivers. These ecosystems are often overlooked and not well represented on land-use planning and conservation maps. Wetland complexes are partly ephemeral and difficult to map accurately either with digital image processing or visual interpretation. This study developed a hybrid method of extracting spatial patterns of wetland areas which combines month-on-month multispectral classifications of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer data with a sample wetland extraction method based on knowledge of the spectral characteristics of satellite data and wetland ecological systems. The results were compared with the best available sources for lakes and wetlands on global and national scales. It was demonstrated that the method could extract wetlands automatically to a reasonable degree of accuracy and, therefore, reduce the need for extensive ground knowledge. The model was transferred by adjusting parameters through application of high-resolution satellite data (Landsat) in some sub-basin areas. These findings are cognizant with field interviews conducted by wetland experts. The hybrid method and high-altitude wetlands maps will provide decision makers with valuable information about wetland distribution and change in response to global warming and human activities.

Mountain poverty in the Hindu-Kush Himalayas

Cohesive information is lacking when it comes to the socioeconomic status of more than 210 million people residing in the greater Himalayan region. The reasons for socioeconomic disparities between mountain and non-mountain areas, as well as within the mountain system, have not yet been fully explored. To address this gap, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) has carried out a study in order to identify and understand the specificity of mountain poverty. Empirical findings based on national livelihood survey data show that poverty is higher in mountain areas and has different causes when compared to other geographic areas in the same country. Résumé Il manque d'informations concernant le statut socioéconomique des 210 million de personnes résidant dans la région himalayenne. Les raisons expliquant ce manque d'information concernant les inégalités présentes dans les régions montagneuses ainsi bien que les disparités entre les régions montagneuses et non montagneuses ne sont toujours pas explorées. Pour combler cette lacune de recherche, Le centre international pour le développement intégré des montagnes (ICIMOD) a mené une étude afin d'identifier et de comprendre la spécificité de la pauvreté montagneuse. La recherche empirique, s'appuyant sur les données nationales, démontre que la pauvreté est plus élevée dans les régions montagneuses et qu'elle est causée par des facteurs différents que ceux présentent dans les autres régions géographiques dans le pays.

The Melting Himalayas: Cascading Effects of Climate Change on Water, Biodiversity, and Livelihoods

The Greater Himalayas hold the largest mass of ice outside polar regions and are the source of the 10 largest rivers in Asia. Rapid reduction in the volume of Himalayan glaciers due to climate change is occurring. The cascading effects of rising temperatures and loss of ice and snow in the region are affecting, for example, water availability (amounts, seasonality), biodiversity (endemic species, predator-prey relations), ecosystem boundary shifts (tree-line movements, high-elevation ecosystem changes), and global feedbacks (monsoonal shifts, loss of soil carbon). Climate change will also have environmental and social impacts that will likely increase uncertainty in water supplies and agricultural production for human populations across Asia. A common understanding of climate change needs to be developed through regional and local-scale research so that mitigation and adaptation strategies can be identified and implemented. The challenges brought about by climate change in the Greater Himalayas can only be addressed through increased regional collaboration in scientific research and policy making.