Back to news
12 Oct 2015 | HKPL

Pakistani students learn about permafrost and glacier monitoring

1 min Read

70% Complete

A two day workshop on permafrost and glaciers was held 15-16 September at Karakoram International University (KIU) in Gilgit, Pakistan. The Permafrost Special Project and Cryosphere Initiative of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and KIU organised the two day workshop. Up to 40  participants from the university and other institutions attended, including students and researchers with varied backgrounds in geology, environmental science, and biology.

Participants were introduced to Essential Climate Variables (ECS), defined by the Global Climate Observing System, including permafrost, glaciers and snow, and the international cryosphere monitoring strategy, which contributes to a coordinated climate monitoring.

Day one included talks on permafrost, its relevance, methods to investigate permafrost and exercises to interpret ground surface temperatures. Permafrost is ground material that remains frozen for two or more consecutive years. The near surface layer above it thaws during the warm season and is termed the “active layer”. Permafrost thaw influences a broad range of systems including hydrology, ecosystems, vegetation, sediment loads in rivers, debris flows and rock fall. As a consequence, it can strongly affect regional livelihoods and economies. The existence and characteristics of permafrost depend on climatic setting, topography, surface cover and subsurface material.

On day two, participants learned about glacier mass balance as a climate indicator, its relationship to the climate, and monitoring techniques. Field equipment was demonstrated and field measurements were analysed to increase the understanding.

ICIMOD’s Senior Glaciologist and Permafrost Coordinator, Dorothea Stumm, who conducted the workshop, said the workshop was successful in introducing basic knowledge on permafrost and glaciers to the participants.

“We had a good gender balance among the participants, and both women and men took greater interest in learning more about glaciers and the impact of permafrost on the environment”, Stumm said.

Stay current

Stay up to date on what’s happening around the HKH with our most recent publications and find out how you can help by subscribing to our mailing list.

Sign Up

Related Contents

Continue exploring this topic

27 Jul 2015 HKPL
National Technical Consultation Meeting in Pakistan

ICIMOD, in collaboration with thegovernment of Kyber Pakhtunkhawa, hosted a National Technical Consultation meeting — Karakoram-Pamir-Wakhan Transboundary Conservation and Development ...

11 Jun 2015 News
Webinar on HIMALDOC

On 23 April 2015, Anil Kumar Jha, Information Resource Associate from ICIMOD, presented a Webinar on HIMALDOC: A one-stop portal for ...

16 Apr 2015 News
ICIMOD observes partnership with Myanmar

Greatly appreciating the Government of Myanmar’s partnership with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Minister U Win Tun ...

China, India, Nepal, and Pakistan Partners to Strengthen Sea Buckthorn Value Chain

Building on the successful experience of its pilot, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), through its Support to ...

26 May 2015 News
Indian farmers meet local entrepreneurs in Dadeldhura

ICIMOD and the Central Himalayan Environmental Association (CHEA) organized a five-day visit for the farmers/ beekeepers and the staff of partner organization ...

7 Aug 2017 Himalica
Options to Strengthen Agricultural Practices and Technologies in the Midhills of Nepal

Speaking at the inaugural session of the event, Dila Ram Bhandari, Director General of the Department of Agriculture (DoA), said, ...

10 Jun 2016 News
Heat Measurement Campaigns Ongoing In India, Pakistan And Bangladesh

Extreme heat conditions in South Asia are making the headlines for the second year in a row (http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/20/india-records-its-hottest-day-ever-as-temperature-hits-51c-thats-1238f?). The HI-AWARE ...

Accelerating change for sustainable water management in the HKH

As we join the global community in marking World Water Day with the theme ‘Accelerating Change’, we are yet again ...