Snow data analysis in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region using R and Google Earth Engine

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About the training

Meltwater from glaciers and snow – major water resources for the region – are crucial for downstream water availability and hydropower generation, and information about their status is crucial for mitigating flood and avalanche risk. However, information about snow conditions and understanding of the accumulation and ablation processes remain limited. Additionally, regular monitoring of snow is important in the HKH region, as recent climate change impacts, such as rise in air temperature across the region, is likely to influence snowfall patterns and snow cover even further.

ICIMOD’s Cryosphere Initiative is organizing a training on analysing snow data using R and Google earth engine (GEE). The training will cover theoretical lectures on snow and provide hands-on exercises related to snow mapping using remote sensing, processing climate data from automatic weather stations and running snowpack energy balance models using RStudio and GEE.

Through the workshop, participants will gain theoretical understanding of snow remote sensing retrieval and processing, and important snow processes in the high mountain Asia. They will also learn how to calculate snow cover persistency and snowpack energy balance using open-source tools.

Capacity building is a key priority as the HKH region has a limited number of researchers investigating high altitude regions. The use of open source and free software such as R, python, QGIS, GEE has become a preferred choice due to easy accessibility.

Expected participants

This virtual training is aimed at organizations, students and early career scientists working on snow dynamics over the HKH region. Participants are invited through request and an open call. The training will accommodate a maximum of 30 participants, with half of them being representatives of our key cryosphere research partners in Afghanistan, Bhutan, Nepal, and Pakistan. The remaining 15 participants will be selected through an open call, followed by an interview.

Application process

Graduate students, government employees, and full-time early career scientists from research institutes in the following countries can apply: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, or Pakistan.

Applicants should be involved in or must have plans to start snow research. Preference will be given to those with prior knowledge on snowpack energy balance, remote sensing of snow, and familiarity with data from automatic weather station. To participate in the virtual training, applicants should have basic experience in using R and GEE.

We strongly encourage women to apply.

The training is complete. Please access the resources here

Important Dates

10 August 2021: Application deadline

13 August 2021: Interviews of shortlisted applicants via Microsoft Teams

16 August 2021: Announcement of selected participants

Agenda

All speakers/facilitators are from ICIMOD. All time is in Nepal Standard Time.