Sunday Reading

New Delhi, 7 August 2009

Receding Glaciers

THREAT TO HIMALAYAS REAL

By RK Rao

 
The warning is coming true. The Himalayan glaciers are receding. A joint research study by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Pune University Department of Geology has revealed that the north western Himalayas has become warmer by 1.4 degree Celsius over the last one century. This steady and shocking warming, says the path-breaking study, has not only led to the “delay in the onset of winter but also a reduction in snowfall.”

Another interesting finding is the universally high rate of increase in both maximum and minimum temperatures in the past three decades in the north western Himalayan region. As against this, in other high altitude mountainous regions of the world, such as the Alps and the Rockies, the minimum temperature has increased more rapidly than the maximum.

It has also been made known that in many parts of Lahual and Spiti region in Himachal Pradesh, glaciers have been receding at a phenomenally quick pace. A study by Ahmedabad-based Space Applications Centre (SAC) of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has revealed that the size of Samudra Tapu glacier has receded by 862 m between 1962 and 2005. And in the same region, since 1962 more than 100 glaciers of the size less than one sq.km have lost 38 per cent of their expanse.

Researchers drive home the point that the Himalayan glaciers, one of the largest expanse of glaciers outside the polar region, have receded by a substantial extent during the second half of the last century. According to R K Pachauri, Chairman, TERI, “Any evidence that glaciers are melting is a warning bell. We are seeing the phenomenon across the globe—the Arctic’s, the Andes, the Alps and now the Himalayas. It is likely to severely alter India’s fresh water balance and adversely impact food and energy production”. Indeed, the receding Himalayan glaciers are a grim warning that India can ignore only at its own peril.

On another front, the receding of the Gangotri glacier in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand has resulted in the declining flow of water into the Ganga. Pictures taken by a string of remote-sensing satellites over the years have shown that the glacier shrinkage in the Himalayan region has been taking place in a progressive manner over the years. Other glaciers of importance including Pindari and Milarn are also going through the process of shrinkage. Worse, Ratnakona glacier is believed to be on the verge of disappearance.

Indeed, as pointed out by researchers, the unchecked shrinkage of  glaciers not only poses a severe threat to the Himalayan rivers but also to the plains of the thickly-populated North India, drained by major rivers such as the Ganga and Yamuna fed by the Himalayan glaciers. Along with global warming, human interference into the finely-tuned Himalayan eco system has added to the process of glacier shrinkage in the snow-clad ranges. In this context, a fact-filled study by the International Commission for Snow and Ice states: “Glaciers in the Himalayas are receding faster than in any other part of the world and if the present trend continues, the likelihood of their disappearing is quite high”.

It has been computed that glaciers in the Himalayan region cover about three million hectares and make up more than 15 per cent of the total mountain expanse. Environmental scientists drive home the point that 15,000-odd Himalayan glaciers support perennial rivers including Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra, all of which constitute the lifeline of a major part of the Indian sub continent. On another front, researchers note, the Himalayan glacial snowfields store about 12,000 cubic km of fresh water and exert a remarkable cooling effect on the entire region.

As it is, the glaciers on the western side of the Himalayas are fed by winter and summer precipitation. On the other hand, glaciers in the eastern and central parts of Himalayas are fed by winter and summer precipitation. Since the Himalayan glaciers carry large amounts of silt and sediment, more water would mean silting of the dams. This would, in turn, reduce the lifespan of the dams. As stated by experts, the melting of glaciers could also affect the diverse flora and fauna of the Himalayan eco system.

Against this backdrop, ecologists specializing in the Himalayan region highlight the need for an ideal blend of traditional and modern concepts to stem the tide of receding glaciers and restore their health. In fact, research studies based on the satellite imageries have shown that the process of glacier melting is enhanced by global warming. With the global warming steadily pushing up the average temperature, the Himalayan glaciers are likely to undergo extinction at a faster pace.

On the global front, alarm bells are ringing over the fact that all the glaciers that flow into the seas off the Antarctica peninsula are fast receding. This remarkable shrinkage of Antarctica glaciers was noticed from the analysis of data in the form of satellite images and aerial photos covering a period of half a century. “Fifty years ago, most of glaciers were growing in length but the pattern is now reversed and the glaciers are fast shrinking” confirms the British Antarctica Survey (BAS).

Glaciers that drain inland ice on the Antarctica peninsula, a region previously identified as vulnerable to global warming, too are shrinking fast and more than 85 per cent in this part of South Pole are known to have broken part over the last one century, say researchers. Across the world, over the past five years the diminishing of glaciers has grown by an average of 30-metres. Antarctica, the fifth largest continent in the world, contributes more than 90 per cent of the world’s ice most of it is above the sea level. In the event of even a small fraction of the ice cap in Antarctica melting, it could result in a serious threat to low-lying areas including islands and coastal settlements. It is about time the world comes together to save the glaciers from extinction. Global action on a war-footing is the need of the hour. ---INFA

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