In Case Of Other Glaciers, No Acceleration In Process Of Shrinkage
Himalayan glaciers are going through a phase of retreat, with some glaciers in specific basins having shrunk by upto an alarming 38% in 40 years while at the same time satellite maping has not shown any acceleration of the process even as the rate of Gangotri’s shrinkage has slowed.
The overall process of shrinking is leading glaciers to fragment &, therefore, the total number of glaciers in Himalayas is increasing. These were some of the conclusions Isro scientists drew up during a presentation at a meeting – organized by the ministry of environment – of all institutions & experts in glaciology.
The ministry has decided to support Isro & the department of science & technology to undertake long-term & extensive glacial surveys across the eastern & western Himalayas. Environment & forests minister Jairam Ramesh told TOI, “We will institutionalize scientific studies of not only glaciers but also studies on terrestrial hydrology & agriculture as well as measurement of green house gases along with the department of science & technology & Isro.”
Scientists at the meeting recorded there is no evidence yet to claim the rate of retreat of glaciers, ranging from a few cms to couple of metres a year, has accelerated in the recent past. Scientists from the Geological Survey of India noted that the rate of recession of the Gangotri glacier has actually reduced in recent years.
The scientific community also observed that the process of retreat & advance of the glaciers was a natural process & that at present there was no evidence to prove that the current glacial recession phase is a consequence of climate change.
The meeting also noted that currently most of the automated weather stations are located in Jammu & Kashmir & serve the Army. These should be extended to Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh & Uttarakhand in order to record data across the Himalayas.
Himalayan glaciers are going through a phase of retreat, with some glaciers in specific basins having shrunk by upto an alarming 38% in 40 years while at the same time satellite maping has not shown any acceleration of the process even as the rate of Gangotri’s shrinkage has slowed.
The overall process of shrinking is leading glaciers to fragment &, therefore, the total number of glaciers in Himalayas is increasing. These were some of the conclusions Isro scientists drew up during a presentation at a meeting – organized by the ministry of environment – of all institutions & experts in glaciology.
The ministry has decided to support Isro & the department of science & technology to undertake long-term & extensive glacial surveys across the eastern & western Himalayas. Environment & forests minister Jairam Ramesh told TOI, “We will institutionalize scientific studies of not only glaciers but also studies on terrestrial hydrology & agriculture as well as measurement of green house gases along with the department of science & technology & Isro.”
Scientists at the meeting recorded there is no evidence yet to claim the rate of retreat of glaciers, ranging from a few cms to couple of metres a year, has accelerated in the recent past. Scientists from the Geological Survey of India noted that the rate of recession of the Gangotri glacier has actually reduced in recent years.
The scientific community also observed that the process of retreat & advance of the glaciers was a natural process & that at present there was no evidence to prove that the current glacial recession phase is a consequence of climate change.
The meeting also noted that currently most of the automated weather stations are located in Jammu & Kashmir & serve the Army. These should be extended to Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh & Uttarakhand in order to record data across the Himalayas.
