Back to news
25 Jun 2018 | CryoHub

Regional Dialogue on Cryosphere Monitoring

A conference on “State of the Cryosphere in the Himalaya: Focus on Sikkim and the Eastern Himalaya – Gaps, Challenges, and Opportunities,” held in Gangtok, Sikkim, India on 19–20 February 2018, concluded with a declaration to strengthen glacier research in Sikkim and the eastern Himalayas. Inka Koch and Anna Sinisalo of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) briefed researchers on the Centre’s latest snow research and highlighted common snow and ice research interests in the region and the need to standardize methods and work together on transboundary issues, such as mitigating the risk of glacier lake outburst floods (GLOFs).

0 mins Read

70% Complete

Over 50 cryosphere researchers attended the conference. Participants aimed to develop a policy framework where scientific research might help develop mitigation and adaptation strategies to address societal needs. The eight point declaration recommended better assessments of water security, improved access to scientific information for actors such as farmers and hydropower companies, exploring state-of-the art techniques to monitor the cryosphere, monitoring air quality and black carbon deposition on glaciers, building capacity in cryosphere research through work exchanges, and establishing glaciology as a topic in high school curriculums.

The conference was hosted by the Sikkim chapter of the Integrated Mountain Initiative (IMI) and the Department of Science and Technology and Climate Change, Government of Sikkim. ICIMOD was a co-organizer. The conference proceeding may be found on the Department of Science and Technology and Climate Change website.

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 content

Continue exploring this topic

When the levee breaks: Reducing GLOF risks through dam breach modelling

Given the Koshi basin’s susceptibility to disasters, many communities near the Koshi River are constantly at risk. In a bid ...

8 Sep 2015 News
A Paramount Rural Experience

Traveling to the remote far western district of Darchula for the first time put me in a state of pandemonium ...

12 Jun 2017 News
ICIMOD Celebrates the World Environment Day 2017

Articles written by ICIMOD staff members on the occasion of World Environment Day 2017 River basin management approach could increase agricultural ...

8 Mar 2018 Gender in Koshi
Women and Fieldwork: Reclaiming public spaces and transgressing curfews

Women’s Day brings into focus women situated at various intersections of class, age, caste, race, education, culture, and geographical location. ...

1 May 2019 DFAT Brahmaputra
Refresher training for spring management partners in Bhutan

Experts from ICIMOD and the Advanced Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (ACWADAM) facilitated the refresher training which included ...

24 Aug 2018 SANDEE
Nurturing Evidence-based Solutions for a Sustainable Future in South Asia

Twice a year, SANDEE requests research concept notes in any area of environmental and resource economics with implications for poverty ...

8 May 2015 News
ICIMOD maps earthquake-affected settlements to aid relief and recovery efforts

Responding to a request from the Ministry of Home Affairs, ICIMOD has deployed a task force made up of GIS ...