The Centre of Excellence for Glacial Studies in the western Himalaya is an inter disciplinary research effort involving researchers cutting across various domains of Cryosphere, Hydrology and Climate change established at the University of Kashmir with partnership from the relevant institutes within and outside the region. The initiative was launched with the support of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India as part of the National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE) in March, 2020.

The Himalayan region is highly prone to the climate change due to its ecological fragility, biophysical setting and geographic location. The vast snow and glacier resources, trans-boundary river basins, and inherent socio-economic instabilities are some of the factors that make it important to study the climate change impacts in the Himalaya. The concern over the depletion of the cryosphere in the Himalayan region has attracted the attention of the scientists, decision makers, and policymakers to understand the dynamics and driving factors of Himalayan cryosphere. In order to provide a flip to the glaciological research activities, it was therefore thought necessary to establish a Centre for Excellence (CoE) for Glacial Studies at the University of Kashmir.

Objectives

  • Quantify the past, present and future climate changes in the western Himalayan region

  • Reconstructing the past glaciation in the western Himalaya using multi-proxies

  • Conduct climate change impact studies on glaciers and water in the western Himalaya

  • Impacts of depleting cryosphere on springs/lakes  for sustainable development strategies