CRYOSPHERE NEPAL

BIKRAM SHRESTHA ZOOWA Sr. Hydrologist Department of Hydrology

and Meteorology

NEPAL

2016

Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment

DEPARTMENT OF HYDROLOGY AND METEOROLOGY

ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE

ACTIVITIES

I. Snow, Glacial Lake and Glacier Lake Survey, Study and

Monitoring

II. Snow Melt Evaluation

III. Water Quality and Sediment Survey, Data Collection,

Processing and Publication

IV. Water Resource and Environmental Study

V. Climate Change Impact Assessment on Glacial Lake, Glacier

and overall Water Resource

The main objective of snow section is to collect the hydro

meteorological data in Nepal Himalayas, process data, publish and

disseminate data to users

OBJECTIVE OF SNOW SECTION

CRYOSPHERE STATION NETWORK

REGULAR OBSERVATIONS A. HDROLOGICAL PARAMETER

• Water Level • Discharge • Sediment • Water Quality

OTHER OBSERVATIONS

• Glacier Mass Balance • Bathymetric Survey of Glacial Lakes • Inventory of Glacial Lakes and

Glaciers

B. METEOROLOGICAL PARAMETER • Rainfall • Temperature • Humidity • Solar Radiation • Wind • Snow Depth

including other staton network

AWS station at Rika Samba and Glacier Expedition October 2015: Source: Sunny Maharjan, DHM

CRYOSPHERE STUDY

Makalu Humla

Station Elevation (m) River Station

Elevation

(m) River

Langtang 3800 Langtang Humla 3500 Panchamukhi Khola

Khumbu 4335 Imja Syangboche 3800

Annapurna 3470 Modi Tshorolpa 4580 Rolwaling

Makalu 3980 Barun Ngozumpa 4800 Dudh Kosi

Kanjiroba 3770 Sanu Bheri Thulagi 2000 Dona Khola

Gokyo

CRYOSPHERE MONITORING STATION

INSTRUMENTS

A. MANUAL • Rain Gauge • Totalizer • Thermometer • Staff Gauge

B. SEMI-AUTOMATIC • Thermohygrograph • Actinograph • Anemograph

C. AUTOMATIC • AWS • TELEMETRY

• Pluvio Meter • Gynoptic Sensor • Bubbler WL • Radar WL

MODERNISATION

Community Based Early Warning System

CRYOSPHERE STUDY

A. 1968 to 1973

Nagoya University, Japan Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University

ACTIVITIES

1. Collection of photographs of glaciers taken by members of mountaineering

parties and other travelers in Nepal.

2. Collection of data on the topography and climate in the glacier area in Nepal.

3. Request to mountaineering parties and other travelers to collect data on glaciers in areas of Nepal where the data obtained on regular scientific expedition are poor.

4. Observations of glaciers by taking oblique photographs from the air in the remote area where few mountaineering parties and travelers have visited.

INITIAL PHASE OF CRYOSPHERE STUDY

A. 1968 to 1973

Nagoya University, Japan Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University

STUDY AREA

1967 Kanchanjunga region

1968 Rolwaling region

1969 Khumbu region

1970 Khumbu, Langtang and Rolwaling regions

1971 Khumbu and Rolwaling regions

INITIAL PHASE OF CRYOSPHERE STUDY

B. 1973 to 1974

Glaciological Expedition to Nepal (GEN), JAPAN OBJECTIVE

1. Establish relation between glaciers and climate 2. Quantify amount, distribution and variation of glaciers and their melting

processes in the glaciated area ACTIVITIES

1. Observe the change of state of glaciers in the Himalayas.

INITIAL PHASE OF CRYOSPHERE STUDY

SNOW AND GLACIER HYDROLOGY PROJECT (SGHP) 1. Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM), Nepal initiated snow

and glacier hydrological activities in the year 1987 with the technical cooperation of GTZ, Germany as a pilot project for 2 years.

2. Full fledge project was started in the year 1990 and completed in 1997.

ACTIVITIES 1. 6 hydroclimatic stations were established in high Himalayas of Nepal 2. Introduced tracer technology for determination of river discharge and

Established a tracer laboratory 3. Carried out Snow measurement in Langtang , Khumbu and Annapurna

regions and application of snow melt runoff model for Langtang Khola, Modi Khola and Imja Khola was initiated.

INSTITUTIONAL AFFILIATION

Study on: – Topographical

– Geophysical (ERS, GPR)

– Geological

– Glaciological

– Hydrometorological

System:

- 2 Sensing stations

- Meteoburst and ELOS

– transmission

- 19 warning stations (17 villages)

- 2 Data Management Centers

Tsho Rolpa Glacier Lake Outburst Flood Early Warning System Project – Funded by World Bank, 1998

• Lake Drawdown by 3m

• 15KW micro-hydro power plant installed

• Warning System installed

Lake Drawdown and Warning Process

1. International Symposium on Snow and Glacier Hydrology was

organized in Kathmandu (Nov. 1992)

2. Investigation of Thulagi Glacier Lake in 1996 and 2000 – funded by German Government – Multidisciplinary (glaciology, topography, hydrology, geophysics, etc)

– Multi-institutional (DHM, BGR, DMG, NEA, TU, SILT)

– Installed automatic water level recorder at the outlet of Thulagi lake

3. Studies and surveys on Imja Glacier Lake (i) Topographical survey of Imja Glacier Lake (1999,2001)

(ii) Bathymetric Survey of Imja Glacier Lake (1999)

(iii) Hydrological study of Imja Glacier Lake(1999)

(iv) Climatological studies in the vicinity of the Imja Glacier lake (1999)

(v) Study of the monitoring the growth rate of Imja Glacier Lake

(vi) GPR survey of end moraine of Imja Glacier Lake(2000)

OTHER MAJOR ACTIVITIES

Glaciological Expedition to Nepal (GEN), JAPAN-(2005 to 2010)

OBJECTIVE

1. To select a glacier to be monitored for a) mass balance b) energy balance and c) hydrology.

2. Monitoring a glacier on a long term has mainly three goals in the Himalayas a. To study the evolution of glaciers and the climate change in remote and

high- altitude places of the Nepal Himalayas, b. To study the water resources available from glaciers and their future

changes c. to assess the glacial hazards linked to present glacier shrinkage.

3. To make an inventory of potential dangerous proglacial lakes (GLOFs – Glacial Lakes Outburst Floods) in the Hinku-Hunku region.

4. To define strategies to conduct glaciological research jointly in Nepal.

CRYOSPHERE STUDY COLLABORATIVE APPROACH

Glaciological Expedition to Nepal (GEN), JAPAN-(2005 to 2010)

STUDY AREA

Trambau Glacier, Rolwaling region (2010) OBJECTIVE

1. Survey of surface height by differential GPS 2. Obtaining shallow ice core (~20m) to understand recent climate

ACTIVITIES

1. Topographical survey with carrier-phase differential GPS system 2. Drilling shallow ice core (~20m)

CRYOSPHERE STUDY COLLABORATIVE APPROACH

Glaciological Expedition to Nepal (GEN), JAPAN-(2005 to 2010)

STUDY AREA

Rika Samba Glacier (Hidden Valley, 2009) OBJECTIVE

1. Survey of glacier and peripheral topography height by differential GPS 2. Obtaining flow velocity and ice thickness of the glacier to understand

glacier dynamics ACTIVITIES

1. Topographical survey with carrier-phase differential GPS system 2. Surface flow velocity measurement by carrier-phase differential GPS

system 3. Measurement of ice thickness by GPR radar

CRYOSPHERE STUDY COLLABORATIVE APPROACH

Glaciological Expedition to Nepal (GEN), JAPAN-(2005 to 2010)

STUDY AREA

Rika Samba Glacier (Hidden Valley, 2009) OBJECTIVE

1. Survey of glacier and peripheral topography height by differential GPS 2. Obtaining flow velocity and ice thickness of the glacier to understand

glacier dynamics ACTIVITIES

1. Topographical survey with carrier-phase differential GPS system 2. Surface flow velocity measurement by carrier-phase differential GPS

system 3. Measurement of ice thickness by GPR radar

CRYOSPHERE STUDY COLLABORATIVE APPROACH

Ev-K2-CNR : Joint High Altitude Scientific and Technological Research Project, Italy

STUDY AREA

Khumbu valley (Mt. Everest Region)

OBJECTIVE

1. Research based on in-situ observations at high altitude in the Khumbu region of Nepal Himalayas and environmental modeling in the areas related to meteorology, hydrology, air quality and climate .

2. Studying climate change impacts by facilitating scientific collaboration and data exchange.

ACTIVITIES

1. Management of the Pyramid International Laboratory-Observatory (hereafter referred to as Pyramid) located above the settlement of Lobuche, Nepal, at 5,050 m. a.s.l.

2. Technical scientific equipment used in field data collection at the Pyramid and in the Khumbu valley, including Automatic Weather Stations (AWSs) and atmospheric pollution monitoring equipment

CRYOSPHERE STUDY COLLABORATIVE APPROACH

Ev-K2-CNR : Joint High Altitude Scientific and Technological Research Project, Italy

CRYOSPHERE STUDY COLLABORATIVE APPROACH

AWS Pyramid (September 2000) Latitude: 27° 57' 33" N

Longitude: 86° 48' 46" E

Elevation: 5.050 m a.s.l

AWS Changri Nup (February 2010) Latitude: 27° 58' 54.5" N

Longitude: 86° 45' 53.8" E

Elevation: 5,700 m a.s.l Hydrological Station at Pheriche (July 2012 ) Latitude: 27° 52' N

Longitude: 86° 49' E

Elevation: 4229 m a.s.l

Pyramid Station

Khumbu Valley

DHM – WWF. Nepal: Study on the Climate Change Impact on Glaciers in Khumbu Region and Identifying Impacts to Various Sectors, 2005 DHM – UNESCO : Study on snow cover mapping for Langtang and Khumbu regions DHM – IRD, France: - Mass Balance Measurement in Mera Glacier, Khumbu region, 2007 ICIMOD – HKH Cryosphere Monitoring Project (CMP): Monitoring and assessment of changes in Glaciers, Snow and Glacio-hydrology in the Hindu Kush – Himalayas with a special focus on strengthening the capacity of Nepalese organizations, 2010 – 2015 Involvement of DHM: As a national partner CFGORRP: Community Based Flood and Glacial Lake Outburst Risk Reduction Project, UNDP Lowering down of Imja Glacial Lake by 3 m and setting early warning system

Further development of snow and glacier hydrology activities

Further development of snow and glacier hydrology activities

• ERT & GPR survey of Imja Lake to determine the possible zone of lowering

Thank you!!

BIKRAM SHRESTHA ZOOWA Sr. Hydrologist Department of Hydrology

and Meteorology

NEPAL