This site uses cookies, as explained in our terms of use. If you consent, please close this message and continue to use this site.
1 min Read
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.
Share
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.
Related Contents
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation Chambers of Commerce and Industry (SAARC CCI) and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development ...
A team of officials from the Department for International Development (DFID) under the United Kingdom government visited the districts of ...
Although Myanmar has the highest forest cover in Southeast Asia, the country is facing rapid deforestation and has lost around ...
From 26-28 January 2016, the first writers’ workshop for the coordinating lead authors of the Hindu Kush Himalayan Monitoring and ...
Haa Valley is a pilot site of the Kangchenjunga Landscape Conservation and Development Initiative (KLCDI) of the International Centre for ...
Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal inaugurated the Sixth Nepal International Trade Fair in Bhrikutimandap, Kathmandu, Nepal, on 16 March ...
A memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed between the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain ...
The annual ‘Regional Review and Annual Planning Workshop for the year 2016 and 2017’ on Kailash Sacred Landscape Conservation and ...