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Title:Climate Change and Glacial retreat
Credit:Compiled from multiple sources by Pragya |
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| Climate change refers to any long-term deviation from normal (expected) weather conditions over a period of time. Apart from natural factors like intensity of solar radiation, tectonic movements and volcanic activities, anthropogenic factors like amount of carbon emissions, change in land use and deforestation also influence climate. Some ecosystems are more vulnerable than others in terms of the impacts of climate change on them. The Himalayas, home to some of the largest glaciers in the world, are highly sensitive to any climate aberration, which is manifested in glacial retreat, untimely floods and species extinctions. |
| The Himalayas have the largest concentration of glaciers outside of the polar ice caps, covering 33,000 square kilometers. It is the source of nine of Asia’s biggest rivers, whose basins are home to over 1.3 billion people. Himalayan glaciers cover about 17% of the mountain region. Recent studies have found that 67% of these glaciers are now rapidly retreating because of global climate change due to increasing emission of greenhouse gases. With the 0.03 to 0.06° C rise in global temperature, glaciers have thinned and in severe cases, retreated. This could mean disaster for the countless people relying on the glaciers to feed the north Indian rivers during the dry seasons. Scientists found that between 1985 and 2001, the Gangotri glacier had been receding at a rate of about 23 m per year. |
| The broad outcomes of glacial retreat can be: |
- Reduced water availability to people in the plains because of the detrimental affect on major river systems.
- Increased intensity and frequency of natural disasters such as avalanches, floods and droughts.
- Increase in the number of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs). These outbursts cause catastrophic damage to life, property, and infrastructure.
- Increased incidences of erosion in barren areas that have negligible vegetative cover.
- Increase in soil erosion and landslides because of the loose debris (terminal moraines) receding left behind by receding glaciers. The debris serves as source material for future landslides.
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| Thus, it is crucial to comprehend the manifold repercussions of climate change on the Himalayan glaciers and the impact it will have on human life as well as the biodiversity of the region. |
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