Your search found 10 records
1 Sharma, Bharat; de Condappa, D.; Bharati, Luna. 2011. Opportunities for harnessing the increased contribution of glacier and snowmelt flows in the Ganges Basin. Keynote speech presented at the International Conference on Cooperation on the Ganges: Barriers, Myths, and Opportunities, Institute of Water Policy, LKY School, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 13-14 November 2010. 16p.
River basins ; Climate change ; Glaciers ; Snowmelt ; Environmental temperature ; Upstream ; Downstream ; Mountains / South Asia / India / Nepal / Bangladesh / Ganges River Basin
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H044143)
(0.71 MB)
The topography of Ganges basin (GB) is much contrasted with upstream steep mountainous region of the Himalayas and downstream large fertile plains in eastern India and Bangladesh. The Himalays are partly covered by snow and glaciers that seasonally release water to the river network of GB and provide cushion against the annual fluctuations. The contribution from the glaciers to the streamflows is supposed to be significant although spatilly distributed quantification is unavailable. Moreover, there is uncertainity on the impact of climate change on glaciers and the resultant streamflows. We set up an application of the Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP)model which contained an experimental glaciers module that accounts for snow and glaciers processes in the GB. The model also examined the possible impacts of an increase in temperature of +1, +2 or +3 degree Celsius over 20 years of the simulation period (1982-2002). The average annual stream flows in the GB that comes from melting of snow and ice in glaciated areas is significant (60-75%) in the Upper Ganga and in the Nepalese sub-basins. The share, however, reduces significantly further downstream, falling to about 19% at Farakka as flows from glaciated areas are diluted by streamflows generated by rainfall/ runoff processes. Climate change-induced rise in temperature logically increases the quantity of snow and ice that melts in glaciated areas , causing an augmentation of streamflows. However, this impact decreases from upstream ( +8% to +26% at Tehri Dam in Uttaranchal in India) to downstream (+1% to +4% at Farakka in West Bengal). Such increases in streamflows may create flood events more frequently or of higher magnitude in the Upper Ganga or in the mountainous sub-basins. In terms of water use, most of the extra water from glaciated areas do not flow when water is most required i.e. during the lean flow winter and early summer season. Potential strategy to exploit this additional water may include construction of new dams/ reservoir storages that could be used locally or within the transboundary agreements or to capture this extra water just at the end of the dry season (April-June) when flows from glaciated areas become noticeable. Enhancing the development of groundwater in the basin (from the present low level of ~ 30 per cent) through managed aquifer recharge and other suitable options shall be an equally viable option. The riparian states within India and India-Nepal- Bangladesh may harness this opportunity to alleviate physical water scarcity and transboundary water conflicts.
2 Savoskul, Oxana S.; Smakhtin, Vladimir. 2013. Glacier systems and seasonal snow cover in six major Asian river basins: hydrological role under changing climate. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 45p. (IWMI Research Report 150) [doi: https://doi.org/10.5337/2013.204]
Glaciers ; Runoff ; Snowmelt ; Snow cover ; Melt water ; Assessment ; Seasonal variation ; Water resources ; Groundwater recharge ; Aquifers ; River basins ; Catchment areas ; Flow discharge ; Hydrological cycle ; Climate change ; Precipitation ; Simulation models / Asia
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H045909)
(1.12MB)
The hydrological roles of glaciers and seasonal snow in the Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra, Amu Darya, Syr Darya and Mekong basins are, for the first time, assessed comprehensively at a major river basin scale in this paper. Contribution of glacier runoff, subdivided into renewable and nonrenewable components, and seasonal snowmelt to mean annual flow is evaluated for two time slices: 1961-1990 and 2001-2010. The recent changes of the hydrological roles of glaciers and snow, and the most likely changes of those under future climate change are analyzed.
3 Sharma, Bharat R.; de Condappa, D. 2013. Opportunities for harnessing the increased contribution of glacier and snowmelt flows in the Ganges basin. Water Policy, 15(S1):9-25. [doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wp.2013.008]
Climate change ; Temperature ; Glaciers ; Snowmelt ; River basins ; Aquifers ; Dams ; Models ; Water scarcity ; Water resources ; Stream flow ; Upstream ; Downstream / India / Bangladesh / Ganges Basin
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: PER Record No: H046155)
(0.51 MB)
The topography of the Ganges basin is highly variable, with the steep mountainous region of the Himalaya upstream and the large fertile plains in eastern India and Bangladesh downstream. The contribution from the glaciers to streamflows is supposed to be significant but there is uncertainty surrounding the impact of climate change on glaciers. An application of the Water Evaluation and Planning model was set up which contained an experimental glaciers module. The model also examined the possible impacts of an increase in temperature. The contribution from glaciated areas is significant (60–75%) in the Upper Ganges but reduces downstream, falling to about 19% at Farakka. Climate change-induced rise in temperature logically increases the quantity of snow and ice that melts in glaciated areas. However, this impact decreases from upstream (þ8% to þ26% at Tehri dam) to downstream (þ1% to þ4% at Farakka). Such increases in streamflows may create flood events more frequently, or of higher magnitude, in the upper reaches. Potential strategies to exploit this additional water may include the construction of new dams/reservoir storage and the development of groundwater in the basin through managed aquifer recharge. The riparian states of India, Nepal and Bangladesh could harness this opportunity to alleviate physical water scarcity and improve productivity.
4 Sene, K. 2010. Hydrometeorology: forecasting and applications. London, UK: Springer. 355p.
Hydrometeorology ; Hydrology ; Weather forecasting ; Radar satellite ; Meteorological stations ; Climate change ; Rain ; Runoff ; Water levels ; Water quality ; Water supply ; Water power ; Water demand ; Rivers ; Flow discharge ; Catchment areas ; Monitoring ; Models ; Energy generation ; Decision support systems ; Flooding ; Drought ; Snowmelt ; Reservoirs ; Dams ; Drainage systems ; Environmental impact ; Lakes ; Risk management ; Early warning systems
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: 551.57 G000 SEN Record No: H046312)
(0.35 MB)
5 Tahir, A. A.; Chevallier, P.; Arnaud, Y.; Ashraf, M.; Bhatti, Muhammad Tousif. 2015. Snow cover trend and hydrological characteristics of the Astore River basin (Western Himalayas) and its comparison to the Hunza basin (Karakoram region) Science of the Total Environment, 505:748-761. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.10.065]
Snow cover ; Glaciers ; Snowmelt ; Hydrological regime ; River basins ; Climatic data ; Meteorological stations ; Satellite observation ; Water resources ; Catchment areas / Pakistan / India / Western Himalayas / Karakoram Region / Indus River Basin / Astore River Basin / Hunza Basin
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H046709)
(4.13 MB)
A large proportion of Pakistan's irrigation water supply is taken from the Upper Indus River Basin (UIB) in the Himalaya–Karakoram–Hindukush range. More than half of the annual flow in the UIB is contributed by five of its snow and glacier-fed sub-basins including the Astore (Western Himalaya — south latitude of the UIB) and Hunza (Central Karakoram — north latitude of the UIB) River basins. Studying the snow cover, its spatiotemporal change and the hydrological response of these sub-basins is important so as to better managewater resources. This paper compares new data from the Astore River basin (mean catchment elevation, 4100 m above sea level; m asl afterwards), obtained using MODIS satellite snow cover images, with data from a previouslystudied high-altitude basin, the Hunza (mean catchment elevation, 4650 m asl). The hydrological regime of this sub-catchment was analyzed using the hydrological and climate data available at different altitudes from the basin area. The results suggest that the UIB is a region undergoing a stable or slightly increasing trend of snow cover in the southern (Western Himalayas) and northern (Central Karakoram) parts. Discharge from the UIB is a combination of snow and glacier melt with rainfall-runoff at southern part, but snow and glacier melt are dominant at the northern part of the catchment. Similar snow cover trends (stable or slightly increasing) but different river flow trends (increasing in Astore and decreasing in Hunza) suggest a sub-catchment level study of the UIB to understand thoroughly its hydrological behavior for better flood forecasting and water resources management.
6 Mukhopadhyay, B.; Khan, A. 2015. A reevaluation of the snowmelt and glacial melt in river flows within Upper Indus Basin and its significance in a changing climate. Journal of Hydrology, 527:119-132. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2015.04.045]
Climate change ; Glaciers ; Snowmelt ; River basins ; Flow discharge ; Watersheds ; Hydrological regime ; Valuation ; Temperature / Pakistan / Upper Indus Basin / Western Himalayas / Karakoram Mountains / Hindu Kush Region
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H047441)
(5.03 MB)
The hydrograph separation method, previously proposed to quantify base flow, seasonal snowmelt, and glacial melt components in river flows within Upper Indus basin underestimates glacial melt component. This is particularly limiting for highly glacierized watersheds. The limitation has been corrected by a further refinement of the method. The results with the refined procedure are highly consistent with the physical characteristics such as hypsometry and glacier extents of the watershed even though the method itself is completely independent of the physical characteristics of the watershed where it is applied. Glacial melt far outweigh snowmelt in the rivers draining the Karakoram and Zanskar ranges. In the Karakoram, on an annualized basis, glacial melt proportion varies from 43% to 50% whereas snowmelt varies from 27% to 31%. On the other hand, snowmelt dominates over glacial melt in the rivers draining the western Greater Himalayas and the Hindu Kush. Here snowmelt percentage in river discharge varies from 31% to 53% whereas that of glacial melt ranges from 16% to 30%. In the main stem of Upper Indus River, snowmelt fraction in most cases is slightly greater than the glacial melt fraction. In the main stem, snowmelt percentage ranges from 35% to 44% whereas glacial melt percentage ranges from 25% to 36%. Upper Indus River just upstream of Tarbela Reservoir carries annual flows constituted of 70% melt water of which 26% is contributed by glacial melts and 44% by snowmelts. We also show that during the later part of twentieth century and continuing into the early part of twenty first century glacial melt contributions to river discharge has decreased compared to the previous decades. This phenomenon can be ascribed to either basin wide loss of glacial mass in the recent decades in the elevation range from where most of the glacial melt originates or glacier growth and stability due to either reduction in energy inputs or increase in precipitation or both at the high altitude bands wherefrom glacial melt water originates.
7 Nepal, S. 2016. Impacts of climate change on the hydrological regime of the Koshi River Basin in the Himalayan region. Journal of Hydro-environment Research, 10:76-89. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jher.2015.12.001]
Climate change ; Hydrological regime ; River basins ; Water balance ; Glaciers ; Snowmelt ; Meltwater ; Runoff ; Discharges ; Precipitation ; Temperature ; Evapotranspiration ; Monsoon climate ; Models ; Forecasting / Nepal / Himalayan Region / Koshi River Basin / Dudh Koshi Subbasin
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048027)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1570644315000805/pdfft?md5=1f2ca936f939e2bf8feb7225370227f3&pid=1-s2.0-S1570644315000805-main.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H048027.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H048027.pdf
(2.96 MB) (2.96 MB)
Understanding the potential impact of climate change on the hydrological regime in the Himalayan region is of great importance for sustainable water resources management. This study assessed the historic and projected climate trends in the Koshi river basin using statistical analysis. The hydrological characteristics and the contribution of different runoff components under present and projected future conditions were investigated in the Dudh Koshi sub-basin using the J2000 model. Data for 1995 to 2096 from the Providing REgional Climates for Impacts Studies (PRECIS) regional climate model were used in the J2000 model to project the impact of climate change under the A1B climate scenario in mid-century (2040–2050) and late-century (2086–2096), compared to baseline (2000–2010). Present climate showed an increase in average temperature in the river basin at a rate of 0.058 °C/year for maximum temperature and 0.014 °C/year for minimum temperature over the past forty years. The model simulation of the hydrological regime from 1985 to1997 was satisfactory. The average annual contribution of snow and glacier melt to total discharge was about 34%, whereas it was 63% in the pre-monsoon season (March to May). The projected future results from the model indicate a 13% increase in annual discharge by mid-century followed by a slight decrease; and a 16% increase in evapotranspiration by the end of the century. Snowfall is projected to decrease substantially due to the rise in temperature, the basin will lose snow storage capacity, and there will be a marked decrease in snowmelt runoff from non-glaciated areas. In contrast, melt from glaciated areas will increase up to mid-century and start decreasing thereafter. The model results suggest that snowfall pattern, snowmelt, discharge, and evapotranspiration are all sensitive to the effects of climate change.
8 Jeelani, G.; Shah, R. A.; Deshpande, R. D.; Fryar, A. E.; Perrin, J.; Mukherjee, A. 2017. Distinguishing and estimating recharge to karst springs in snow and glacier dominated mountainous basins of the western Himalaya, India. Journal of Hydrology, 550:239-252. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2017.05.001]
Water springs ; Recharge ; Karst ; Highlands ; Precipitation ; Snow cover ; Glaciers ; Snowmelt ; Flow discharge ; Temperature ; Rain ; Hydrogeology ; Hydrography ; Isotope analysis ; Elements ; Ions ; Chlorides ; Uncertainty / India / Western Himalaya / Liddar Basin / Kuthar Basin / Bringi Basin
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048190)
(4.76 MB)
Recharge assessment is a challenge in snow and glacier dominated Himalayan basins. Quantification of recharge to karst springs in these complex geological environments is important both for hydrologic understanding and for effective water resource management. We used spring hydrographs and environmental tracers (isotopes and solutes) to distinguish and estimate the sources of spring water and to identify the flow paths of the recharging waters in three mountainous basins of the western Himalaya. The karst springs are perennial with high discharge amplitudes. The results indicate that ambient temperature has a strong influence on the hydrological behavior of the springs. Although the spring flow is dominantly controlled by the melting of snow and/or glaciers, rain events produce sharp spikes in spring hydrographs. The facies patterns in springs within the Bringi basin (Ca-HCO3) and the Liddar basin (Ca-HCO3 and Ca-Mg-HCO3) suggest flow dominantly through limestone and dolomite. Higher concentrations of SO4 2 and Na+ in warm springs of the Kuthar basin indicate flow through carbonate, silicate and other rocks. The isotopic composition (d18O, d2 H) of precipitation, snowpacks, glacier melt and karst springs show wide variation both in space and time, and are strongly influenced by the basin relief and meteorology. The tracer-based two- and three-component mixing models suggest that the snowmelt dominantly contributes to the spring flow (55–96%), followed by glacier melt (5–36%) and rain (4–34%). Based on tracer tests with good recovery rates, springs are dominantly recharged through point sources rather than by diffuse infiltration. Changes in the timing, form, and amount of winter precipitation substantially affect the timing and magnitude of spring discharge during the rest of the year.
9 Li, D.; Lu, X.; Walling, D. E.; Zhang, T.; Steiner, J. F.; Wasson, R. J.; Harrison, S.; Nepal, Santosh; Nie, Y.; Immerzeel, W. W.; Shugar, D. H.; Koppes, M.; Lane, S.; Zeng, Z.; Sun, X.; Yegorov, A.; Bolch, T. 2022. High Mountain Asia hydropower systems threatened by climate-driven landscape instability. Nature Geoscience, 15(7):520-530. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-022-00953-y]
Hydropower ; Climate change ; Mountains ; Landscape ; Glaciers ; Snowmelt ; Extreme weather events ; Floods ; Rain ; Sediment load ; Erosion ; Resilience ; Dams ; Reservoirs ; Lakes / Asia / High Mountain Asia / Himalaya
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051234)
(2.58 MB)
Global warming-induced melting and thawing of the cryosphere are severely altering the volume and timing of water supplied from High Mountain Asia, adversely affecting downstream food and energy systems that are relied on by billions of people. The construction of more reservoirs designed to regulate streamflow and produce hydropower is a critical part of strategies for adapting to these changes. However, these projects are vulnerable to a complex set of interacting processes that are destabilizing landscapes throughout the region. Ranging in severity and the pace of change, these processes include glacial retreat and detachments, permafrost thaw and associated landslides, rock–ice avalanches, debris flows and outburst floods from glacial lakes and landslide-dammed lakes. The result is large amounts of sediment being mobilized that can fill up reservoirs, cause dam failure and degrade power turbines. Here we recommend forward-looking design and maintenance measures and sustainable sediment management solutions that can help transition towards climate change-resilient dams and reservoirs in High Mountain Asia, in large part based on improved monitoring and prediction of compound and cascading hazards.
10 Shrestha, M.; Nepal, Santosh. 2022. Quantifying water-related ecosystem services potential of the Kangchenjunga Landscape in the eastern Himalaya: a modeling approach. Hydrology Research, 53(6):892-907. [doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/nh.2022.012]
Water availability ; Ecosystem services ; Water yield ; Hydrological modelling ; Regulating services ; Precipitation ; Glaciers ; Snow cover ; Snowmelt ; Rivers ; Discharge ; Indicators / Nepal / Bhutan / Himalaya / Kangchenjunga Landscape
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051235)
https://iwaponline.com/hr/article-pdf/53/6/892/1065586/nh0530892.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051235.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051235.pdf
(1.25 MB) (1.25 MB)
Quantifying water-related ecosystem services (WES) helps to secure limited and valuable water resources sustainably. Mainstreaming these ecosystem services into policy and decision-making requires accurate information at the local level. This paper aims to quantify provisioning and regulating freshwater ecosystem services potential in the Kangchenjunga Landscape using a hydro-ecological model. This study is the first to use the J2000 hydrological model to estimate annual and seasonal WES. The model output was validated against snow-cover and river discharge, after conducting a sensitivity analysis of the input parameter. High precipitation and low evapotranspiration resulted in rich water availability in the landscape. It was found that the precipitation amount in the landscape is highly seasonal, resulting in high variation in water availability. Snowfall, accounting for 4% of the total precipitation still plays an important role in regulating water resources. Nearly 100% of the discharge during the dry period originates from groundwater and melt runoff. This study highlights the importance of the presence of snow and glacier to sustain the ecosystem in the landscape. This model-derived information could further be used for decision-making and evaluating the impact of climatic and land use changes.
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