Back to news
12 Oct 2015 | HKPL

Pakistani students learn about permafrost and glacier monitoring

1 min Read

70% Complete

A two day workshop on permafrost and glaciers was held 15-16 September at Karakoram International University (KIU) in Gilgit, Pakistan. The Permafrost Special Project and Cryosphere Initiative of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and KIU organised the two day workshop. Up to 40  participants from the university and other institutions attended, including students and researchers with varied backgrounds in geology, environmental science, and biology.

Participants were introduced to Essential Climate Variables (ECS), defined by the Global Climate Observing System, including permafrost, glaciers and snow, and the international cryosphere monitoring strategy, which contributes to a coordinated climate monitoring.

Day one included talks on permafrost, its relevance, methods to investigate permafrost and exercises to interpret ground surface temperatures. Permafrost is ground material that remains frozen for two or more consecutive years. The near surface layer above it thaws during the warm season and is termed the “active layer”. Permafrost thaw influences a broad range of systems including hydrology, ecosystems, vegetation, sediment loads in rivers, debris flows and rock fall. As a consequence, it can strongly affect regional livelihoods and economies. The existence and characteristics of permafrost depend on climatic setting, topography, surface cover and subsurface material.

On day two, participants learned about glacier mass balance as a climate indicator, its relationship to the climate, and monitoring techniques. Field equipment was demonstrated and field measurements were analysed to increase the understanding.

ICIMOD’s Senior Glaciologist and Permafrost Coordinator, Dorothea Stumm, who conducted the workshop, said the workshop was successful in introducing basic knowledge on permafrost and glaciers to the participants.

“We had a good gender balance among the participants, and both women and men took greater interest in learning more about glaciers and the impact of permafrost on the environment”, Stumm said.

Stay current

Stay up to date on what’s happening around the HKH with our most recent publications and find out how you can help by subscribing to our mailing list.

Sign Up

Related Contents

Continue exploring this topic

31 Jan 2020 Cryosphere
ICIMOD releases new improved MODIS snow data for High Mountain Asia

Snow is a significant component of the ecosystem and water resources in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH). Snow monitoring is ...

28 Apr 2017 Atmosphere Initiative
Collaboration Marks Improved Efforts to Combat Kathmandu Valley’s Air Pollution Challenges

Increasing air pollution in the Kathmandu valley and throughout the country has increased interest among citizens, who have become more ...

12 Oct 2015 News
Scientists assess wetland ecosystems services on top of the world

  In August 2015, a team consisting of experts from China’s Yunnan Institute of Environmental Sciences and ICIMOD carried out a ...

17 Jul 2017 News
A Milestone for Local Water Management in the Koshi Basin

The local community in Saptari, a district in the Terai region of Nepal, is elated with news that their local ...

6 Apr 2016 News
MAIL of Afghanistan: Creating Stronger Collaborative Partnerships

The first stakeholder coordination committee meeting of the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation & Livestock (MAIL) was held on 2 March 2016 at ...

30 Nov 2018 Cryosphere
Knowledge sharing on the 3D motion of glaciers in China’s Central Tien Shan region

Li’s work focused on the derivation of high-resolution 3D glacier motion to understand the interaction between a glacial lake and ...

19 Jun 2018 Cryosphere
Geodetic training for Cryosphere Monitoring Programme in Bhutan

According to Tshering Tashi, Senior Hydromet Officer at Bhutan’s National Center of Hydrology and Meteorology (NCHM), Bhutan has very little ...

15 Jun 2015 News
Interview with Mr Chewang Lachenpa on Tourism in North Sikkim

Mr Chewang Lachenpa, a former executive member of the Lachen Tourism Development Committee, ...