International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development

Kathmandu, Nepal

Current data gaps and data resources in HKH regionSagar Ratna Bajracharyasagbajracharya@icimod.org

www.icimod.orgwww.icimod.org

• Vision: The mountain population of the greater Himalayas enjoys improved well-being in a sustainable global environment

• Mission: To enable and facilitate the equitable and sustainable well-being of the people of the Hindu Kush-Himalayas by supporting sustainable mountain development through active regional cooperation.

ICIMOD – an intergovernmental organisation with 8 member countries

ICIMODs program focus1. Sustainable Livelihoods and Poverty Reduction

(SLPR)

2. Adaptation to Environmental Change and

Ecosystem Services (ECES)

3. Integrated Water and Hazards

Management (IWHM)

IWHM Action areas:

• Monitoring and assessment of ice and water resources (including wetlands)

• Disaster Risk Reduction and community resilience

•Upstream-downstream benefit sharing and risk management

Establishment of a regional ice and water -related database

WATER TOWER OF SOUTH ASIA!Sustaining over 2 b people in the River basins

Impacting on food and energy production of 3 b people

Upper-Air Observation Stations in HKH region

Hydrological stations according to elevation

• The climatic information gathered, managed and analyzed helps decision-makers plan and adapt their activities and projects to expected conditions, which intern enables people to reduce risks and optimize socio-economic benefits.

Major gaps in the existing network of meteorological stations• Spatial representation• Altitudinal representation• Temporal Homogeneity• Data quality• Cross boarder information and data sharing (Information and

data sharing are key issues regarding to the gaps in the HKH region. The information on number, types, location etc of hydro-meteorological stations which have been in operational at different countries of the region is not available entirely. The information is hard to gather particularly if those stations are not in operational network of WMO. Hence, development of modality and regional platform for sharing of information and data is very urgently needed.)

This analysis suggests that the spatial data gaps increases with increasing altitude. In addition, largest area in HKH region is occupied by 4000 m or higher altitudes. This will further make worse spatial representation of weather by observation at most of HKH region and strongly supports the AR4 which stated that the Himalayan region is a white spot in terms of meteorological data coverage.

( Source: Arun Bhakta Shrestha)

Sentinel Asia Initiatives

• Sentinel Asia led by the Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum to support disaster management activity

• JAXA WINDS Communication receiving station launched in ICIMOD

• Regional Server to access at ICIMOD to use WEB-GIS technology and space based technology, such as earth observation satellites data

http://sentinelnp.icimod.org/

Pakistan Floods – Rapid Response MappingMODIS Terra Satellite Data Landsat (Before and After Crisis)

Aug 24, 2010Sep 17, 2009

Regional and International Partners

( Source: Giriraj Amarnath)

Modified RFE as Flagship of the SRE project

Before process in ICIMOD

After process in ICIMOD

Within studied/mapped areas: >8000 glacial lakes mapped; ≈200 potentially dangerous glacial lakes identified

( Source: Pradeep Mool)

( Source: Pradeep Mool)

Establishment of a regional ice and water -related databaseDesign and populate ICIMOD water, snow & ice and hazard database to share within the ICIMOD knowledge management framework

http://www.ghwis.icimod.org:8081/wetlandsnew2/

http://geoportal.icimod.org/downloads/

Promoting Transect Approach Promoting Transect Approach for Ecosystem Monitoring for Ecosystem Monitoring

Collaborative and complementary approach for long-term ecosystem monitoring;

Common regional protocol and methodology

Consistent time-series information to understand and adapt to the impacts of climate change

SERVIR has been recognized by the Group on Earth Observations as an early achiever of the GEO vision

SERVIR Facility at NASA

SERVIR-MesoamericaSERVIR-Africa

SERVIR-Himalaya

SERVIR ~ to serve

SERVIR is an earth observation, monitoring, and visualization system that integrates satellite and other geospatial data for improved scientific knowledge and decision-making by managers, researchers, students, and the general public;

SERVIR provides a model for capacity building of countries to use earth observations and geospatial information technologies thorough partnership and networking;

( Source: Basanta Shrestha)

Special observation systems ( Project) in the HKH regionA number of initiatives currently implemented in the region, which operate specialized observatories for monitoring hydro-meteorological parameters

• STORM Program• Third Pole Environmental Program ( TPE)• Finnish Nepalese Project• Irrigation and Water Resources Management Project(IWRMP)• DANIDA Program• French Program• ICIMOD Establishment of Regional Flood Information System ( HKH-HYCOS)• The Water and Power Development Authority( WAPDA)• Climate Tower• Station at High Altitude for research on the Environment

(SHARE)• GEWEX Asian Monsoon Experiment ( GAME) Tibet Project

Conclusion

• Data gaps exert major hindrance in the study climate change and impact, although those subject need more thorough investigation.

• Information and data sharing are key issues regarding to the gaps in the HKH region and there should development of modality and regional platform for sharing of information and data is very urgently needed among the neighboring countries.

• In HKH region the details of the climate normal, and their variability and trend are still poorly understood particularly over the mountainous area due to difficulties of establishing and maintaining the observation networks, problem associated with measurement of solid precipitation, representativeness of measured precipitation in windy condition etc.

Conclusion

• Inventory of rain gauge data available in the HKH region , Hydro-met Database Development and Current Status of Rain gauge Station of entire HKH.

• Modified RFE product• Inventory of Glaciers, Glacial lakes and GLOF in the

Himalaya . • Inventory of Himalayan Wetland

Thank You for your Attention

and Namaste!

GEOSS support for IPCC assessments 

A workshop on the data needs of the climate impacts, adaptationand vulnerability research community

 1 – 4 February 2011, Geneva

 For more information see

www.icimod.orgwww.icimod.org