Continuous Ground-based Monitoring Of Glaciers Imperative To Cope GLOF: Experts

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Mar, 2022 ) :The experts at a training workshop organized by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) on remote sensing and field-based glacier and snow monitoring in Pakistan, underscored that continuous monitoring of glaciers and snow was imperative to cope with disastrous impacts of rapid melting and glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) risks.

The four-day training workshop was jointly organized by the ICIMOD and Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) here on Monday enhance the capacity of academia, students, researchers and professionals working on glacier, glacial lakes, and snow monitoring. At the end of the training, the participants would be capable enough to generate and analyze data on their own.

Addressing the participants, Remote Sensing Specialist, ICIMOD Sher Mohammed said there were almost 26,000 square kilometers (km2) glaciers existing in the Indus Basin that fed 1/5th of the world population.

He said the training was based on the monitoring techniques of these glaciers and would help the participants increase their capabilities to access field data tools specially those freely accessible worldwide to improve research and data generation.

Sher noted that improved access to data would also help in predicting better future models of glacial changes in the norther region of the country.

He mentioned that the ICIMOD was holding regional and local level trainings since 2019 to buildup existing capacities of the professionals working on glaciers and snow monitoring.

Sher informed that almost 550 applications were received from across the country for participation where only 17 individuals were given approval to participate and 17 participants were approved from the partner agencies to attend the workshop.

Global Change Impact Studies Centre (GCISC), Senior Scientific Officer and Climate Expert Dr Shaukat Ali told that increasing green house gases emissions (GHGs) were increasing the burden of global warming leading to accelerated glacier and snow melting in the northern region of the country.

He added that the GCISC developed the 1st climate scenario of South Asia region that was utilised by India, Bangladesh, Nepal and other regional states for developing their local models.

He added that the model predicted 419 GHGs particles per million (ppm) in 2021 in the atmosphere and was estimated to reach 450ppm in 2030 that would cause 2 degrees Celsius increase in world temperature.

Dr Shaukar warned that increased data availability, proper policy frameworks, enforcement and public awareness was must to adapt with rising risk of natural calamities due to climate change and global warming.

The workshop has been participated by the students, academia of renowned varsities, experts of public and private sector entities working on glacier monitoring and snow melting inter-spatial studies.