Activity 6A

Mighty Himalaya is considered as the water tower of Asia and hosts major freshwater reserves that support a large population (for drinking, irrigation, hydropower) residing in the Himalayan region. This activity encircles the dynamics of glaciers, high altitude lakes and ponds in the Indian Himalaya (Karakoram, J&K, Ladakh, HP, UK, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh). The aim of this activity is to address glaciological issues ranging from scientific quests to societal relevance.

• To comprehend glaciers dynamics based on remote sensing and ground-based observations: mass balance, velocity, area, length, volume, thermal regime etc.
• Real-time glacier response to meteorological and hydrological parameters
• Assessment of snow-cover and snowline changes and their impact on glacier dynamics and regional hydrology
• Appraisal of glacial hazards (GLOF, debris flow, flash floods, etc.) using an integrated approach i.e. meteorological, hydrological, seismological and remote sensing data
• Processes-based modeling of melt and other glaciological processes based on such observations.
• Reconstruction of climatic variability using high-resolution proxies such as the tree-ring and shallow ice cores
• Anthropogenic forcing of Glaciers and pristine Lakes/Ponds: Real-time measurement of greenhouse gases (CO₂, CH₄, H₂O etc.) over the remote glacierised regions of Himalaya

Geothermal Studies

A lot of effort is on to meet the overwhelming energy requirements at one hand and to reduce the CO₂ emission on the other hand towards the energy security. For this purpose, several forms of renewable and unconventional energy resources are being explored. The geothermal field in the Himalaya offers a renewable energy resource that has a great potential for generating electricity, heating, and cooling. The aim of this activity is –

• To assess the energy reserve of springs from the NW Himalaya with a view to harnessing this green energy as electrical energy for domestic/local purposes.

Assessment of the emission of greenhouse gases (CO₂, CH₄ etc.) from the geothermal environment into the atmosphere

Team Members:

Manish Mehta(Activity In-charge) Scientist ‘E’ Phone No: 01352525409 Email:msmehta’AT’wihg[dot]res[dot]in	Sameer Kumar Tiwari Scientist ‘D’ Phone No: 01352525186 Email:sameer’AT’wihg[dot]res[dot]in	Dr.Pinkey Bisht Scientist ‘C’ Phone No: 01352525211 Email:pinkybisht’AT’wihg[dot]res[dot]in
Dr. Rakesh Bhambri Scientist ‘C’ Phone No: 01352525410 Email:rakeshbhambri’AT’wihg[dot]res[dot]in	Dr. Amit Kumar Scientist ‘C’ Phone No: 01352525411 Email:amitwalia’AT’wihg[dot]res[dot]in	Pankaj Chauhan Scientist ‘C’ Phone No: 01352525355 Email: pankaj’AT’wihg[dot]res[dot]in
Dr. Jairam Singh Yadav Scientist ‘B’ Phone No:01352525406  Email: jairam’AT’wihg[dot]res[dot]in