Status and change of the cryosphere in the extended Hindu Kush Himalaya region
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.
Citation
Bolch , T , Shea , J M , Liu , S , Azam , F M , Gao , Y , Gruber , S , Immerzeel , W W , Kulkarni , A , Li , H , Tahir , A A , Zhang , G & Zhang , Y 2019 , Status and change of the cryosphere in the extended Hindu Kush Himalaya region . in P Wester , A Mishra , A Mukherji & A B Shrestha (eds) , The Hindu Kush Himalaya Assessment : Mountains, Climate Change, Sustainability and People . Springer , pp. 209-255 . https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92288-1_7
Publication
The Hindu Kush Himalaya Assessment
Type
Book item
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