Climate, Land-Use Change and Hydrology of the Beas River Basin, Western Himalayas
Climate, Land-Use Change and Hydrology of the Beas River Basin, Western Himalayas

Author: Seema Rani

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2023-04-18

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 3031295250

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There is a need of strengthening the global and local response to cope with the threat of climate change and adverse effects of rising anthropogenic activities in the mountain ecosystem. This book provides an up-to-date and comprehensive scientific and technical knowledge based on climate and land cover change impact assessment, adaptation and mitigation strategies in the Indian Himalayan watershed. The text updates the understanding scientific analysis to promote evidence-based policy formulation at regional and local levels. It can be used as reference materials with regards to climate and land cover change for those new learners interested in the mountainous region. This comprehensive book covers a wide range of potential research areas including climate change scenarios, science and its applications, adaptation to climate change-theory and assessment, water resources, agriculture, forest, biodiversity, and ecosystems, indigenous knowledge etc.

Water, Cryosphere, and Climate Change in the Himalayas
Water, Cryosphere, and Climate Change in the Himalayas

Author: Ajay Kumar Taloor

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2021-04-24

Total Pages: 362

ISBN-13: 3030679322

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This edited book summarizes numerous research studies on remote sensing and GIS of natural resource management for the Himalaya region done by Indian Institutions and Universities over the last decade. It gives an overview of hydrometeorological studies on Himalayan water resources and addresses concerns in the development of water resources in this region, which is dealing with an increased pressure in population, industrialization and economic development. While the source of some of the major rivers of India are found in the Himalayas, the glaciers and water bodies in the region are continuously shrinking leading to a depletion of water and deterioration of water quality. This is affecting a population of up to 2.5 billion people. The ecosystems have been under threat due to deforestation, loss of biodiversity, expansion of agriculture and settlement, overexploitation of natural resources, habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching, mining, construction of roads and large dams, and unplanned tourism. Spaceborne remote sensing with its ability to provide synoptic and repetitive coverage has emerged as a powerful tool for assessment and monitoring of the Himalayan resources and phenomena. This work serves as a resource to students, researchers, scientists, professionals, and policy makers both in India and on a global level.

The Indus Basin of Pakistan
The Indus Basin of Pakistan

Author: Winston H. Yu

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 188

ISBN-13: 0821398741

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This study, Indus basin of Pakistan: the impacts of climate risks on water and agriculture was undertaken at a pivotal time in the region. The weak summer monsoon in 2009 created drought conditions throughout the country. This followed an already tenuous situation for many rural households faced with high fuel and fertilizer costs and the impacts of rising global food prices. Then catastrophic monsoon flooding in 2010 affected over 20 million people, devastating their housing, infrastructure, and crops. Damages from this single flood event were estimated at US dollar 10 billion, half of which were losses in the agriculture sector. Notwithstanding the debate as to whether these observed extremes are evidence of climate change, an investigation is needed regarding the extent to which the country is resilient to these shocks. It is thus timely, if not critical, to focus on climate risks for water, agriculture, and food security in the Indus basin of Pakistan.

The Hindu Kush Himalaya Assessment
The Hindu Kush Himalaya Assessment

Author: Philippus Wester

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2019-01-04

Total Pages: 638

ISBN-13: 3319922882

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This open access volume is the first comprehensive assessment of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region. It comprises important scientific research on the social, economic, and environmental pillars of sustainable mountain development and will serve as a basis for evidence-based decision-making to safeguard the environment and advance people’s well-being. The compiled content is based on the collective knowledge of over 300 leading researchers, experts and policymakers, brought together by the Hindu Kush Himalayan Monitoring and Assessment Programme (HIMAP) under the coordination of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). This assessment was conducted between 2013 and 2017 as the first of a series of monitoring and assessment reports, under the guidance of the HIMAP Steering Committee: Eklabya Sharma (ICIMOD), Atiq Raman (Bangladesh), Yuba Raj Khatiwada (Nepal), Linxiu Zhang (China), Surendra Pratap Singh (India), Tandong Yao (China) and David Molden (ICIMOD and Chair of the HIMAP SC). This First HKH Assessment Report consists of 16 chapters, which comprehensively assess the current state of knowledge of the HKH region, increase the understanding of various drivers of change and their impacts, address critical data gaps and develop a set of evidence-based and actionable policy solutions and recommendations. These are linked to nine mountain priorities for the mountains and people of the HKH consistent with the Sustainable Development Goals. This book is a must-read for policy makers, academics and students interested in this important region and an essentially important resource for contributors to global assessments such as the IPCC reports.

Glacier Systems and Seasonal Snow Cover in Six Major Asian River Basins
Glacier Systems and Seasonal Snow Cover in Six Major Asian River Basins

Author: Savoskul, O. S.

Publisher: IWMI

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 57

ISBN-13: 929090769X

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The hydrological roles of glaciers and seasonal snow in the Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra, Amu Darya, Syr Darya and Mekong basins are, for the first time, assessed comprehensively at a major river basin scale in this paper. Contribution of glacier runoff, subdivided into renewable and nonrenewable components, and seasonal snowmelt to mean annual flow is evaluated for two time slices: 1961-1990 and 2001-2010. The recent changes of the hydrological roles of glaciers and snow, and the most likely changes of those under future climate change are analyzed.

Climate Change, Extreme Events and Disaster Risk Reduction
Climate Change, Extreme Events and Disaster Risk Reduction

Author: Suraj Mal

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2017-12-05

Total Pages: 316

ISBN-13: 3319564692

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This book discusses the science, causes, impacts and risk reduction strategies for climate change and disasters. It focuses on the use of traditional knowledge, new innovation and education to build a culture of safety and resilience at all levels in order to promote sustainable development goals in general and disaster risk reduction in particular. The global climate has changed substantially over the last century. There is strong evidence of global climate change in the form of increase in air and sea surface temperature, recession of glaciers, changes and shifting of climate regimes, increasing number of extreme events and sea levels changes. The increasing frequency of climate change induced disasters in particular is posing a threat to resilience, lives and livelihoods at global, regional and local levels. Major ecosystems of the world have experienced several climate induced disaster events in recent past. This book provides new insights into the occurrence and impacts of climatic extremes and strategies for disaster risk reduction. It includes studies on rainfall and temperature trends, floods and drought disasters, weather and climatic related disasters in mountains, changes in plant activities, risk assessment and responses in different ecosystems of the world. The book is particularly useful for environmental and disaster managers, researchers and graduate students, as well as policy makers.

Advances in Remote Sensing for Natural Resource Monitoring
Advances in Remote Sensing for Natural Resource Monitoring

Author: Prem C. Pandey

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2021-01-26

Total Pages: 528

ISBN-13: 1119615976

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Sustainable management of natural resources is an urgent need, given the changing climatic conditions of Earth systems. The ability to monitor natural resources precisely and accurately is increasingly important. New and advanced remote sensing tools and techniques are continually being developed to monitor and manage natural resources in an effective way. Remote sensing technology uses electromagnetic sensors to record, measure and monitor even small variations in natural resources. The addition of new remote sensing datasets, processing techniques and software makes remote sensing an exact and cost-effective tool and technology for natural resource monitoring and management. Advances in Remote Sensing for Natural Resources Monitoring provides a detailed overview of the potential applications of advanced satellite data in natural resource monitoring. The book determines how environmental and - ecological knowledge and satellite-based information can be effectively combined to address a wide array of current natural resource management needs. Each chapter covers different aspects of remote sensing approach to monitor the natural resources effectively, to provide a platform for decision and policy. This important work: Provides comprehensive coverage of advances and applications of remote sensing in natural resources monitoring Includes new and emerging approaches for resource monitoring with case studies Covers different aspects of forest, water, soil- land resources, and agriculture Provides exemplary illustration of themes such as glaciers, surface runoff, ground water potential and soil moisture content with temporal analysis Covers blue carbon, seawater intrusion, playa wetlands, and wetland inundation with case studies Showcases disaster studies such as floods, tsunami, showing where remote sensing technologies have been used This edited book is the first volume of the book series Advances in Remote Sensing for Earth Observation.

The Himalayan Dilemma
The Himalayan Dilemma

Author: Jack D. Ives

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2003-09-02

Total Pages: 326

ISBN-13: 1134982410

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`This is an important book that deserves to be read by everyone concerned with presenting major environmental issues.' Geography ` ... an essential text for policy makers and aid professionals, as well as for students of environmental studies and international development ... It is indeed, a book appropriate to the urgent and critical issues which it addresses.' - Journal of Environmental Management

Mountain Landscapes in Transition
Mountain Landscapes in Transition

Author: Udo Schickhoff

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2021-11-02

Total Pages: 665

ISBN-13: 3030702383

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This book compiles available knowledge of the response of mountain ecosystems to recent climate and land use change and intends to bridge the gap between science, policy and the community concerned. The chapters present key concepts, major drivers and key processes of mountain response, providing transdisciplinary orientation to mountain studies incorporating experiences of academics, community leaders and policy-makers from developed and less developed countries. The book chapters are arranged in two sections. The first section concerns the response processes of mountain environments to climate change. This section addresses climate change itself (past, current and future changes of temperature and precipitation) and its impacts on the cryosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and human-environment systems. The second section focuses on the response processes of mountain environments to land use/land cover change. The case studies address effects of changing agriculture and pastoralism, forest/water resources management and urbanization processes, landscape management, and biodiversity conservation. The book is designed as an interdisciplinary publication which critically evaluates developments in mountains of the world with contributions from both social and natural sciences.

The Himalayan Cryosphere:
The Himalayan Cryosphere:

Author: N.C. Pant

Publisher: Geological Society of London

Published: 2018-08-31

Total Pages: 214

ISBN-13: 1786203243

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The Himalaya mountains contain not only one of the largest concentrations of ice outside the polar regions, but contribute to the hydrological requirements of large populations spread over seven nations. The exceptionally high elevations of this low-latitude cryosphere presents a natural laboratory and archives to study climate–tectonics interactions as well as regional v. global climate influences. The existing base-level data on the Himalayan cryosphere are highly variable. Several climate fluctuations occurred during the late Quaternary (MIS1–MIS5, especially the last c. 100 ka), which led to the evolution of the Himalayan landscape. Detailed studies of these archives, along with those of the present cryosphere and related hydrosphere, are essential for understanding the controls on present and future hydrology of the glacial-fed mountain rivers. This volume, a follow-up of the XII International Symposium on Antarctic Earth Science, Goa (A SCAR symposium), provides new data from locales spread over the entire Himalaya region and from Tibet. It provides a glimpse of the late Quaternary cryosphere, as well as a discussion in the last section on sustainability in the context of geohazard mitigations as well as the hydrological budget.