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Permafrost Studies in Kullu District, Himachal Pradesh


Affiliations
1 Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
2 State Centre on Climate Change, State Council for Science, Technology & Environment, Himachal Pradesh, B-34 SDA Complex, Kasumpti, Shimla 171 009, India
3 Aryabhatta Geo-informatics and Space Application Centre, Department of Environment, Science and Technology, Paryavaran Bhawan, US Club, Shimla 171 001, India
4 Department of Geosciences, University of Fribourg, Chemin du Musée 4, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
 

Collaborative Indo-Swiss research on permafrost has thrown new light on this rarely studied component of the Indian Himalayan cryosphere. Under a pilot study, first maps of estimated permafrost distribution in Kullu district, Himachal Pradesh, India have been produced, using a combination of simple topographic and climatic principles, more sophisticated numerical modelling, and mapping of permafrost indicators. Overall, 9% (420 sq. km) of the land area in Kullu is classified as permafrost terrain, extending down to as low as ~4200 m amsl in isolated instances. Between ~4200 and 5000 m amsl, permafrost underlies a surface area comparable in size to that overlaid by glacier ice. Hence, permafrost is identified as a significant component of the local cryosphere. These results now provide a scientific basis for assessing the wideranging potential impacts, hazards and risk associated with warming and thawing of frozen ground, with relevance for climate change adaptation studies across the entire Himalaya.

Keywords

Ground Surface Temperature, Hazards, Permafrost, Rock Glacier.
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  • Permafrost Studies in Kullu District, Himachal Pradesh

Abstract Views: 363  |  PDF Views: 178

Authors

S. K. Allen
Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
J. Fiddes
Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
A. Linsbauer
Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
S. S. Randhawa
State Centre on Climate Change, State Council for Science, Technology & Environment, Himachal Pradesh, B-34 SDA Complex, Kasumpti, Shimla 171 009, India
B. Saklani
Aryabhatta Geo-informatics and Space Application Centre, Department of Environment, Science and Technology, Paryavaran Bhawan, US Club, Shimla 171 001, India
N. Salzmann
Department of Geosciences, University of Fribourg, Chemin du Musée 4, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland

Abstract


Collaborative Indo-Swiss research on permafrost has thrown new light on this rarely studied component of the Indian Himalayan cryosphere. Under a pilot study, first maps of estimated permafrost distribution in Kullu district, Himachal Pradesh, India have been produced, using a combination of simple topographic and climatic principles, more sophisticated numerical modelling, and mapping of permafrost indicators. Overall, 9% (420 sq. km) of the land area in Kullu is classified as permafrost terrain, extending down to as low as ~4200 m amsl in isolated instances. Between ~4200 and 5000 m amsl, permafrost underlies a surface area comparable in size to that overlaid by glacier ice. Hence, permafrost is identified as a significant component of the local cryosphere. These results now provide a scientific basis for assessing the wideranging potential impacts, hazards and risk associated with warming and thawing of frozen ground, with relevance for climate change adaptation studies across the entire Himalaya.

Keywords


Ground Surface Temperature, Hazards, Permafrost, Rock Glacier.



DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv111%2Fi3%2F550-553