Climate change impacts and adaptation to permafrost change in High Mountain Asia: a comprehensive review
Changing climatic conditions in High Mountain Asia (HMA), especially regional warming and changing precipitation patterns, have led to notable effects on mountain permafrost. Comprehensive knowledge of mountain permafrost in HMA is mostly limited to the mountains of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, with...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Research Letters |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/acf1b4 |
| _version_ | 1797682240593854464 |
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| author | Prashant Baral Simon Allen Jakob F Steiner Tika R Gurung Graham McDowell |
| author_facet | Prashant Baral Simon Allen Jakob F Steiner Tika R Gurung Graham McDowell |
| author_sort | Prashant Baral |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Changing climatic conditions in High Mountain Asia (HMA), especially regional warming and changing precipitation patterns, have led to notable effects on mountain permafrost. Comprehensive knowledge of mountain permafrost in HMA is mostly limited to the mountains of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, with a strong cluster of research activity related to critical infrastructure providing a basis for related climate adaptation measures. Insights related to the extent and changing characteristics of permafrost in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH), are much more limited. This study provides the first comprehensive review of peer-reviewed journal articles, focused on hydrological, ecological, and geomorphic impacts associated with thawing permafrost in HMA, as well as those examining adaptations to changes in mountain permafrost. Studies reveal a clear warming trend across the region, likely resulting in increased landslide activity, effects on streamflow, soil saturation and subsequent vegetation change. Adaptation strategies have been documented only around infrastructure megaprojects as well as animal herding in China. While available research provides important insight that can inform planning in the region, we also identify a need for further research in the areas of hazards related to changing permafrost as well as its effect on ecosystems and subsequently livelihoods. We suggest that future planning of infrastructure in HMA can rely on extrapolation of already existing knowledge within the region to reduce risks associated with warming permafrost. We highlight key research gaps as well as specific areas where insights are limited. These are areas where additional support from governments and funders is urgently needed to enhance regional collaboration to sufficiently understand and effectively respond to permafrost change in the HKH region. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T23:56:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-151d20715bc743f098e987c2dc71a592 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1748-9326 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T23:56:43Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj.art-151d20715bc743f098e987c2dc71a5922023-09-18T08:18:08ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research Letters1748-93262023-01-0118909300510.1088/1748-9326/acf1b4Climate change impacts and adaptation to permafrost change in High Mountain Asia: a comprehensive reviewPrashant Baral0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2840-3632Simon Allen1Jakob F Steiner2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0063-0067Tika R Gurung3https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4287-6150Graham McDowell4https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2302-2598International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) , Lalitpur, NepalDepartment of Geography, University of Zurich , Zurich, SwitzerlandInternational Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) , Lalitpur, Nepal; Institute of Geography and Regional Science, University of Graz , Graz, AustriaInternational Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) , Lalitpur, Nepal; Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln , Lincoln, United States of AmericaDepartment of Geography, University of Calgary , Calgary, CanadaChanging climatic conditions in High Mountain Asia (HMA), especially regional warming and changing precipitation patterns, have led to notable effects on mountain permafrost. Comprehensive knowledge of mountain permafrost in HMA is mostly limited to the mountains of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, with a strong cluster of research activity related to critical infrastructure providing a basis for related climate adaptation measures. Insights related to the extent and changing characteristics of permafrost in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH), are much more limited. This study provides the first comprehensive review of peer-reviewed journal articles, focused on hydrological, ecological, and geomorphic impacts associated with thawing permafrost in HMA, as well as those examining adaptations to changes in mountain permafrost. Studies reveal a clear warming trend across the region, likely resulting in increased landslide activity, effects on streamflow, soil saturation and subsequent vegetation change. Adaptation strategies have been documented only around infrastructure megaprojects as well as animal herding in China. While available research provides important insight that can inform planning in the region, we also identify a need for further research in the areas of hazards related to changing permafrost as well as its effect on ecosystems and subsequently livelihoods. We suggest that future planning of infrastructure in HMA can rely on extrapolation of already existing knowledge within the region to reduce risks associated with warming permafrost. We highlight key research gaps as well as specific areas where insights are limited. These are areas where additional support from governments and funders is urgently needed to enhance regional collaboration to sufficiently understand and effectively respond to permafrost change in the HKH region.https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/acf1b4climate changepermafrostmountainadaptationimpacts |
| spellingShingle | Prashant Baral Simon Allen Jakob F Steiner Tika R Gurung Graham McDowell Climate change impacts and adaptation to permafrost change in High Mountain Asia: a comprehensive review Environmental Research Letters climate change permafrost mountain adaptation impacts |
| title | Climate change impacts and adaptation to permafrost change in High Mountain Asia: a comprehensive review |
| title_full | Climate change impacts and adaptation to permafrost change in High Mountain Asia: a comprehensive review |
| title_fullStr | Climate change impacts and adaptation to permafrost change in High Mountain Asia: a comprehensive review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Climate change impacts and adaptation to permafrost change in High Mountain Asia: a comprehensive review |
| title_short | Climate change impacts and adaptation to permafrost change in High Mountain Asia: a comprehensive review |
| title_sort | climate change impacts and adaptation to permafrost change in high mountain asia a comprehensive review |
| topic | climate change permafrost mountain adaptation impacts |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/acf1b4 |
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