KATHMANDU, Nepal: With a view to sharing knowledge of the cryosphere of the Hindu Kush Himalayas (HKH), the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), with the support of the Royal Norwegian Embassy (RNE) and the United States Embassy in Kathmandu, is organizing the second international conference “Cryosphere of the Hindu Kush Himalaya: State of the Knowledge” and the “Hindu Kush Himalayan Cryosphere Data Sharing Workshop” from May 13- 16, 2014.
The conference cum workshop will provide a common platform for national, regional and international institutions to share their research findings about the HKH cryosphere, which includes snow, glacier, permafrost, glacio-hydrological monitoring and mass balance.
More than 150 experts, researchers, scientists, academics and professionals will participate in the event.
The conference will primarily focus on coordination and knowledge sharing in the following areas: a) satellite-based mapping of snow, glacier and permafrost extent in the HKH region; b) glacier mass balance measurements in the region; c) glacio-hydrological measurements, and d) knowledge and modeling in the region. The workshop will focus on the framework for data sharing in the HKH region.
During the workshop, the ICIMOD will launch a publication titled “Status and Decadal Glacier Change from 1980s to 2010 in Nepal based on Satellite Data” and release four-decade glacier data from Nepal (1980s, 1990, 2000 and 2010) and Bhutan (1980s, 1990, 2000 and 2010), as well as glacier data from five river basins (Amu Darya, Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra and Irrawaddy) of the HKH region.
The conference cum workshop will provide an opportunity to individuals and organizations working in cryospheric science, including policy makers, to share their knowledge, develop a network for cryosphere monitoring in the HKH region, and initiate the process of data sharing.
This platform is also expected to contribute significantly to strengthening regional cooperation in cryosphere monitoring and promoting regional-level efforts to create and disseminate knowledge of the cryosphere of the HKH region.
In addition, the event will help enhance the Regional Cryosphere Knowledge Hub that was created by the ICIMOD in May 2012.
