From Our Bureau
NEW DELHI: A team led by Dr Pankaj Kumar, an associate professor at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhopal has solved the mystery of the glaciers in the central Karakoram range of the Himalayas not melting due to the global warming, defying the trend across the globe, including the Himalayas.
They have attributed this phenomenon called ‘Karakoram Anomaly’ to recent revival of western disturbances (WDs).
Himalayan glaciers are of paramount importance in the Indian context, especially for the millions of dwellers living downstream who rely on these perennial rivers for their day-to-day water needs. They are fast receding under the impact of the global warming and stiffling stress on the water resources is inevitable in the coming decades.
In contrast, the glaciers of central Karakoram have surprisingly remained unchanged or slightly increased in the last few decades. This phenomenon has been puzzling glaciologists and providing climate deniers with a very rare straw to clutch at.
The team found this peculiar because the behaviour seems to be confined to a very small region, with only Kunlun ranges being another example of showing similar trends in the whole of Himalayas.
In a paper published in the American Meteorological Society’s Journal of Climate, his group claimed that the recent revival of western disturbance has been instrumental in triggering and sustaining the Karakoram Anomaly since the advent of the 21st century.
Aaquib Javed, a Ph.D. student of Dr. Kumar and lead author of the study, said, “Western Disturbances (WDs) are the primary feeder of snowfall for the region during winters. Our study suggests they constitute about around 65% of the total seasonal snowfall volume and about 53% of the total seasonal precipitation, easily making them the most important source of moisture. The precipitation intensity of WDs impacting Karakoram has increased by around 10% in last two decades, which only enhances their role in sustaining the regional anomaly.”
While previous studies have highlighted the role of temperature in establishing and sustaining the anomaly over the years, it is for the first time that the impact of precipitation in feeding the anomaly has been highlighted. The researchers have also quantified the impact of precipitation in feeding the anomaly.
Calculations by the scientists reveal that contribution of WDs in terms of snowfall volume over the core glacier regions of Karakoram have increased by about 27% in recent decades, while precipitation received from non-WD sources have significantly decreased by around 17%, further strengthening their claims.
“The anomaly provides a very bleak but nonetheless a ray of hope towards delaying the inevitable. After recognising the importance of WDs in controlling the anomaly, their future behaviour might very well decide the fate of Himalayan glaciers as well,” Dr. Kumar pointed out.
