Global warming is no longer a new phenomenon. A study carried out by city-based researchers,M R Bhutiyani,DRDO scientist,HOD,Geology,College of Military Engineering (CME),Pune,Vishwas S Kale and N J Pawar of University of Pune,was published in latest issue of International Journal of Climatology from Royal Meteorological society,UK. The study that keenly examines the climate change data in North Western Himalayas over the past 140 years,attempts to answer some fascinating climate-related questions,such as- how sensitive are the Himalayas to the specter of climate change now sweeping the globe or what are the causes and the manifestations and what these changes portend for the future. While examining the data,many interesting facts came to light. Over the 140 years from 1866 till 2006,the climate in Himalayan region has been constantly changing. But the striking reality is that the change is accelerated over the past 30 years. To give an example- glaciers are known to exist for millions of years. The temperature variations associated with the glaciers were 2-3 degrees Celsius over millions of years but in Himalayas however,in the past 100 years,temperature has increased by 1.5 degrees Celsius which is significantly high compared to the temperature difference spread over the ice age, said Bhutiyani. The overall impact of the phenomenon has also resulted in a decreased precipitation meaning- snowfall plus rainfall in the Himalayan region says the paper. Over the past 30 years,precipitation consists of more of rainfall and lesser snowfall. Further,earlier,snow crystals had attracting shapes such as- star shaped,onion shaped and so on. This has also undergone a noticeable change. Another thing,over the past 30 years,the effective duration of winter has gone down. Lesser accumulation as a result of reduced snowfall followed by early melting of the snow has resulted in a reduced water collection over the catchments. This in turn is directly associated with the ecology of the surrounding area, said he. The research points towards- Increased tourist activities,urbanization,pollution,uncontrolled development,emission and accumulation of green house gases as the main reasons behind the phenomenon. Farmers and residents in the Himalayan region report that reduction in potato,apple production. Increase in the number of insects affecting the crop has also been recorded, added Bhutiyani as he suggested the remedies,The government has to take strict preventive measures otherwise there will be a day when the Himalayan peaks will have no snow fall. Sustainable development,controlled tourism,stricter development rules are some of the ways we can help prevent the ice loss and in turn the ecology loss.
