Latest news with #ICIMOD
Time of India
2 days ago
- Science
- Time of India
Eastern Himalayas show highest black carbon levels; snow loss tied to biomass burning
New Delhi: Snow surface temperatures in the Himalayan region have risen by more than 4°C over the last two decades due to increasing levels of black carbon emissions , a new study by Delhi-based research consultancy Climate Trends has found. The analysis, based on 23 years of NASA satellite data (2000–2023), reports accelerated melting in areas with higher black carbon deposits, particularly in the Eastern and Central Himalayas. According to the study titled Impact of Black Carbon on Himalayan Glaciers: A 23-Year Trends Analysis, the average snow surface temperature rose from -11.27°C (2000–2009) to -7.13°C (2020–2023). The study found that regions with higher black carbon concentrations showed greater snow melt and reduced snow depth. The research attributes the presence of black carbon to emissions from biomass combustion, fossil fuel use, and open burning in the Indo-Gangetic Plain. 'Glacier melt is accelerating, threatening freshwater resources to nearly two billion people downstream,' said Dr Palak Baliyan, lead author of the study. Black carbon reduces the reflectivity (albedo) of snow, causing it to absorb more solar radiation and melt faster. Although concentrations plateaued somewhat between 2019 and 2023, the long-term warming trend is clear. 'Black carbon acts like a heat lamp on snow,' the report stated. Speaking at the India Heat Summit 2025, Dr Farooq Azam, Senior Cryosphere Specialist, ICIMOD, cited 2022 as the worst year for glacier mass balance, with Himalayan glaciers such as Chhota Shigri in Himachal Pradesh losing up to two metres of ice. 'Since 2022, glacial mass loss is four times higher than normal. With more temperature, glaciers shrink and more heavy metals melt into river water,' he said. Dr Azam also said that black carbon from the Indo-Gangetic Plain is carried by winds and deposited on glaciers. 'This darkens the snow surface, reducing albedo, and accelerates heat absorption,' he added. Some studies estimate that the additional radiation absorbed due to darkened snow is equivalent to 14–15 volts per square kilometre. The study found a strong positive correlation between black carbon and snow surface temperature and a negative correlation with snow depth, even when controlling for temperature, indicating a direct impact of black carbon on snowpack. 'Reducing black carbon, especially from cookstoves, crop burning, and transport, can offer quick wins for climate and water security,' said Aarti Khosla, Director, Climate Trends. The report advocates targeted policy interventions in the Indo-Gangetic region to mitigate black carbon emissions. Dr Azam added that signs of climatic impact are evident in increased avalanches, shifting agricultural zones, and glacier loss, including the near disappearance of Yala Glacier in Nepal. 'In 2022 alone, glaciers experienced up to four times the normal mass loss, equivalent to 2 metres of ice from Chhota Shigri Glacier,' he said. The report concludes that cutting black carbon emissions can yield short-term regional cooling and help slow glacial retreat.
NDTV
3 days ago
- Science
- NDTV
Extreme Glaciers Could Lose Most Of Their Ice If Global Warming Continues: Study
Kathmandu: More than twice as much global glacier mass will remain if countries restrict temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to the warming level of 2.7 degrees Celsius resulting from the current policies, says a new study released. Glaciers are even more sensitive to global warming than previously estimated, and, if the world warms to 2.7 degrees Celsius compared to the pre-industrial levels, only 24 per cent of the present-day glacier mass will remain in contrast to preserving 54 per cent by limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the study published in 'Science' suggests. "These figures, however, are global, skewed mostly by the very large glaciers around Antarctica and Greenland. The glacier regions most important to human communities are even more sensitive, with several losing nearly all glacier ice already at 2 degrees Celsius," a press release from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) here says, quoting the study. These results come amid growing concern regarding the impacts of glacier and snowpack loss by world leaders as the first global UN conference focused on glaciers opens in Dushanbe, Tajikistan on Friday, with the participation of officials from over 50 countries. Glaciers are a perennial source of water and are very sensitive to the changing climate. Scientists define mass balance as the difference between snow accumulated in winter and the loss of snow and ice in summer. Knowing or calculating mass balance is critical as it is a direct indicator of total water availability for any given glacier. The Hindu Kush Himalaya-where glaciers feed river basins supporting 2 billion people across eight countries, including India and Nepal-shows only 25 per cent of 2020 ice levels remaining at 2 degrees Celsius, warns the study. "Staying close to 1.5 degrees Celsius on the other hand preserves at least some glacier ice in all regions, even Scandinavia, with 20-30 per cent remaining in the four most sensitive regions; and 40-45 per cent in the Himalayas and Caucasus," pointed out the study. The study stresses the growing urgency of the 1.5 degrees Celsius temperature goal and rapid de-carbonisation to achieve it. Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, more than 180 countries agreed to cut down on emissions to restrict temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius and to pursue efforts to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2100 above pre-industrial levels (1850-1900). The study also mentions glaciers of the European Alps, the Rockies of the Western US and Canada, and Iceland, with only 10-15 per cent of their 2020 ice levels remaining at 2 degrees Celsius sustained warming. "Most hard-hit will be Scandinavia, with no glacier ice remaining at all at 2 degrees Celsius," says the study. To get these results, a team of 21 scientists from 10 countries used eight glacier models to calculate the potential ice loss of more than 2,00,000 glaciers worldwide, under a wide range of global temperature scenarios, according to the study. "In all scenarios, the glaciers lose mass rapidly over decades and then continue to melt at a slower pace for centuries, even without further warming," the study points out. "This means they will feel the impact of today's heat for a long time before settling into a new balance as they retreat to higher altitudes." "Our study makes it painfully clear that every fraction of a degree matters," remarked co-lead author Dr Harry Zekollari from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. "The choices we make today will resonate for centuries, determining how much of our glaciers can be preserved." "Glaciers are good indicators of climate change because their retreat allows us to see with our own eyes how climate is changing... but the situation for glaciers is actually far worse than visible in the mountains today," warns co-lead author Dr Lilian Schuster from the University of Innsbruck. According to a five-year forecast released Wednesday, there is an 80 per cent chance the world will break another annual temperature record in the next five years. "And it's even more probable that the world will again exceed the international temperature threshold set 10 years ago," the forecast by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the UK Meteorological Office says. Earlier in the month, speaking at a high-level dialogue on mountains and glaciers-named the Sagarmatha Dialogues to honour Mt Everest or Sagarmatha in Nepali-Nepal's Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli said: "Mountains may seem far away. But their breath keeps half the world alive." "From the Arctic to the Andes, from the Alps to the Himalayas - they are the Earth's water towers... and they are in danger." (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV
4 days ago
- Climate
- NDTV
Scientists Warn Heat Waves To Last Longer, Affect More Areas In India
New Delhi: Heat waves in India are expected to last longer and affect larger regions, scientists have warned, as climate change continues to intensify extreme weather events. Climate models show that the area and duration of heat waves in India would increase, said Krishna Achuta Rao, Head, Centre for Atmospheric Sciences at Delhi's Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). Speaking at the India Heat Summit 2025, organised by research group Climate Trends, Rao said "this means the northern plains and several states across the southern peninsula will experience heat waves that last longer and cover larger areas". "What might have been a week-long event could turn into a month-and-a-half or two-month-long event. Our future looks very stark," he added. The scientist said the models also suggest that heat waves may occur during the monsoon months which could be more dangerous. "This is especially worrying because it will be hot and humid, with temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius," added Rao. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) sixth assessment report and recent scientific papers have warned of more frequent and intense heat waves in South Asia even during monsoon months. Farooq Azam, senior cryosphere specialist at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), said the rising temperatures are melting glaciers faster, affecting water availability in India's rivers. Azam said the country depends heavily on water from glaciers for agriculture and electricity generation. At present, there is more water because of warming-driven glacier melt, but there is a threshold beyond which glaciers will start contributing less water, called peak water. Some models project that peak water could occur around 2050 in the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra river basins, while some studies suggest it may have already been reached in the Brahmaputra system, he added. Azam warned that this could mean "more floods until 2050" and water shortages afterwards. He said that 2022 saw the most negative glacier mass balance -- more ice was lost than gained -- although annual temperatures were higher in 2023 and 2024. "This is because early heat waves in March 2022 led to early melting of glaciers, resulting in high river flows when water was not needed. The early heat waves and early monsoon contributed to the devastating floods in Pakistan that year," added Azam. ICIMOD's Hindu Kush Himalaya Assessment and studies by the World Weather Attribution have linked glacier melt and climate change to increased flood risk in the region. The senior cryosphere specialist also said that glacier melt in the Himalayas has more immediate impacts than glacier loss in Iceland or the Arctic, as the Himalayan glaciers supply water to more than a billion people in the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra river basins.
Free Malaysia Today
21-05-2025
- Science
- Free Malaysia Today
Nepal holds tribute for disappearing glacier
Dozens of trekkers fly prayer flags as Buddhist monks perform a ceremony for the preservation of the fast-shrinking Yala glacier. (AFP pic) KATHMANDU : Dozens trekked to Nepal's Yala glacier for a ceremony Monday to mark its rapid disappearance due to climate change and put a spotlight on global glacial retreat. The Yala glacier, located between 5,170 and 5,750 metres above sea level, is in the Langtang Valley in northern Nepal. Since 1974, the glacier has shrunk in area by 66% and retreated 784 metres, according to the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). Scientists warn it may eventually disappear by the 2040s if the warming trend continues, and might be among the first in Nepal to join the growing numbers of glaciers declared 'dead' worldwide. 'In the 40 years I have studied this glacier, I have seen it halve with my own eyes. We worry that the next generation might not be able to see it,' Sharad Prasad Joshi, a cryosphere specialist at ICIMOD, told AFP. Prayer flags fluttered Monday as Buddhist monks performed a ceremony for Yala, with the Himalayas towering behind them. Two granite plaques were unveiled engraved with memorial messages in Nepali, English and Tibetan. 'This monument is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it,' part of the message in one of the plaques read. The words were by Icelandic writer Andri Snaer Magnason, whose message is also at the site of the world's first glacier funeral in Iceland. Glacier funerals have also been held in Mexico, the United States and Switzerland. The ceremony comes as the world marked near-record high global temperatures in April, according to the EU's climate monitor. In its latest bulletin, the Copernicus Climate Change Service said that April was the second-hottest in its dataset, which draws on billions of measurements from satellites, ships, aircraft and weather stations. All but one of the last 22 months exceeded 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the warming limit enshrined in the Paris agreement, beyond which major and lasting climate and environmental changes become more likely. 'Time to act' Yala is one of seven glaciers in the 3,500-kilometre-long arc of the Hindu Kush Himalayas to have been monitored annually for a decade or more, according to ICIMOD. Joshi said that the ceremony was also to honour the glacier as it has been an 'open textbook' for young researchers and glaciologists. Himalayan glaciers, providing critical water to nearly two billion people, are melting faster than ever before due to climate change, exposing communities to unpredictable and costly disasters. Experts say that on current melt rates, many glaciers worldwide will not survive the 21st century. Last month, the United Nations said that all 19 of the world's glacier regions experienced a net loss of mass in 2024 for the third consecutive year. Together, they lost 450 billion tonnes of mass, the organisation said, citing new data from the Swiss-based World Glacier Monitoring Service. Maheshwar Dhakal, chief at the Nepal government's climate change management division, said in a statement shared by ICIMOD that Nepal is at the frontlines of the impacts of temperature rise despite minimal emissions. 'We are urging world leaders to pay attention to the changes in mountain glaciers, such as Yala, because our own fate, and futures, is bound up in those of our frozen freshwater reserves,' Dhakal said. 'Glacier loss is irreversible on human timescales. The time to act is now.'
Korea Herald
13-05-2025
- Science
- Korea Herald
Nepal holds tribute for disappearing glacier
KATHMANDU, Nepal (AFP) — Dozens trekked to Nepal's Yala glacier for a ceremony Monday to mark its rapid disappearance due to climate change and put a spotlight on global glacial retreat. The Yala glacier, located between 5,170 and 5,750 meters above sea level, is in the Langtang Valley in northern Nepal. Since 1974, the glacier has shrunk in area by 66 percent and retreated 784 meters, according to the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development. Scientists warn it may eventually disappear by the 2040s if the warming trend continues, and might be among the first in Nepal to join the growing numbers of glaciers declared "dead" worldwide. "In the 40 years I have studies this glacier, I have seen it halve with my own eyes. We worry that the next generation might not be able to see it," Sharad Prasad Joshi, a cryosphere specialist at ICIMOD, told Agence France-Presse. Prayer flags fluttered Monday as Buddhist monks performed a ceremony for Yala, with the Himalayas towering behind them. Two granite plaques were unveiled engraved with memorial messages in Nepali, English and Tibetan. "This monument is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it," part of the message in one of the plaques read. The words were by Icelandic writer Andri Snaer Magnason, whose message is also at the site of the world's first glacier funeral in Iceland. Glacier funerals have also been held in Mexico, the United States and Switzerland. The ceremony comes as the world marked near-record high global temperatures in April, according to the EU's climate monitor. In its latest bulletin, the Copernicus Climate Change Service said that April was the second-hottest in its dataset, which draws on billions of measurements from satellites, ships, aircraft and weather stations. All but one of the last 22 months exceeded 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the warming limit enshrined in the Paris agreement, beyond which major and lasting climate and environmental changes become more likely. Time to act Yala is one of seven glaciers in the 3,500 kilometer-long arc of the Hindu Kush Himalayas to have been monitored annually for a decade or more, according to ICIMOD. Joshi said that the ceremony was also to honour the glacier as it has been an "open textbook" for young researchers and glaciologists. Himalayan glaciers, providing critical water to nearly two billion people, are melting faster than ever before due to climate change, exposing communities to unpredictable and costly disasters. Experts say that on current melt rates, many glaciers worldwide will not survive the 21st century. Last month, the United Nations said that all 19 of the world's glacier regions experienced a net loss of mass in 2024 for the third consecutive year. Together, they lost 450 billion tonnes of mass, the organization said, citing new data from the Swiss-based World Glacier Monitoring Service. Maheshwar Dhakal, chief at the Nepal government's climate change management division, said in a statement shared by ICIMOD that Nepal is at the frontlines of the impacts of temperature rise despite minimal emissions. "We are urging world leaders to pay attention to the changes in mountain glaciers, such as Yala, because our own fate, and futures, is bound up in those of our frozen freshwater reserves," Dhakal said. "Glacier loss is irreversible on human timescales. The time to act is now."
