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For mountains and people
The mountains of the Hindu Kush Himalaya hold more of the earth’s snow and ice than anywhere beyond the poles.
Sometimes called the Third Pole, the region stores 10 percent of all freshwater non-polar ice and snow, including 60,000 square kilometers of glaciers and 0.76 million km2 of snow cover.
It’s a key part of the cryosphere, the scientific term for regions where water is found in solid form as snow, ice, glaciers or within frozen ground called permafrost.
The cryosphere influences the world’s climate and is influenced by it in turn, responding to the dynamics of the lower atmosphere, such as precipitation patterns and the presence in the air of black carbon and other pollutants.
Featured Publication
Atmosphere Initiative was established on 1 January 2013, as part of the Regional Programme on Cryosphere and Atmosphere to improve our understanding of atmospheric issues and to promote regional cooperation for addressing such issues in the HKH region.
News and features
The Cryosphere team at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) collaborates with its partners to study the importance of snow, ice, and permafrost for downstream communities in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH).
The Atmospheric Watch Initiative was established in 2013 as part of the Centre’s Atmosphere Regional Programme. The Atmosphere Watch Initiative was established in 2013 as part of the Centre’s Atmosphere Regional Programme. Until December 2019, this Initiative was known as the Atmosphere Initiative.
You will find publications produced or related to this topic in HimalDoc, our publications repository. These resources include journal articles, books, book chapters, research reports, working papers, brochures, information sheets, and publicity materials, among other products.
