Annualmeeting:2017 CSDMS meeting-071
Browse abstracts
Understanding the current state and predictable future changes in the state of permafrost distribution in North-Western Himalayas, India
[[Image:|300px|right|link=File:]]The impacts of climate change on extent of permafrost degradation in the Himalayas are not well understood due to lack of historical ground-based observations. The area of permafrost exceeds that of glaciers in almost all Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) countries. However, very little is known about permafrost in the region as only a few local measurements have been conducted which is not sufficient to produce the fundamental level of knowledge of the spatial existence of permafrost. We intend to simulate permafrost conditions in Western Himalayas in India using Hyperspectral and Microwave remote sensing methods and computational models for the quantitative assessment of the current state of permafrost and the predictions of the extent and impacts of future changes. We also aim to identify the strength and limitations of remotely sensed data sets when they are applied together with data from other sources for permafrost modelling. We look forward to modelling ground temperatures using remote sensing data and reanalysis products as input data on a regional scale and support our analysis with measured in situ data of ground temperatures. Overall, we approach to model the current state and predictable future changes in the state of permafrost in Western Himalayas and also couple our results with similar research outcomes in atmospheric sciences, glaciology, and hydrology in the region.
