Climate Change and the White World

This book showcases the results of studies pertaining to climate changes in the Polar Regions - Arctic-Antarctic-Himalaya. It discusses the significant variations due to thinning of sea ice in the Arctic, insights on the first Indian Arctic multi-sensor mooring (IndARC), political context of major geological and tectonic features of Arctic Ocean, climate change and its predicted impacts on fisheries and coastal communities. The book also contains the work pursued under the National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystems, aiming towards strengthening the capacities of farmers through appropriate Lab-to-Land intervention to combat climate change issues. Discussions on various models like WRF (Weather Research and Forecasting), Regional Climate Model (RegCM4) pertaining to Himalaya have been highlighted to gain more insights on climate change.

 

Preface

Introduction                                                                                                                                     

Part I: Arctic and Antarctic

 

1. Emerging Traits of Sea Ice in the Atlantic Sector of the Arctic

Nalan Koc, Mats A. Granskog, and Philipp Assmy

  

2. Indian Arctic Multisensory Moored Underwater Observatory

M.A. Atmanand, R. Venkatesan, and G. Latha

 

3. The Arctic Ocean: Advances in Geopolitics and Geoscience

Walter R Roest and Richard T Haworth.

 

4. Glacial Sediments of Schirmacher Oasis, east Antarctica and their Characteristics

Rasik Ravindra

 

Part II: Climate Change and Adaptation

 

5. Adaptation to Climate Change: A Fishery Technology Perspective

C.N. Ravishankar and V.R. Madhu

 

6. Potential Technologies for Climate Resilient Agriculture in the Indian Himalayan Region

Latika Pandey and Ayyanadar Arunachalam

 

7. Need for Reorienting Climate Change Research in the Himalaya: Balancing the Approach

Shyamal K. Nandi, Vikram S. Negi and Ranbeer S. Rawal

 

Part III: Himalayan Cryosphere and Climate Change

 

8. High-Resolution Dynamic Downscaling of Winter Climate over the Himalayas

S.C. Kar, Sarita Tiwari and Pushp Raj Tiwari

 

9. Glacier Stress Pattern as an Indicator for Climate Change

Ashit Kumar Swain

 

10. Glacier Response to Climate in Arctic and Himalaya during last Seventeen Years: A Case Study of Svalbard, Arctic and Chandra Basin, Himalaya

Parmanand Sharma, Lavkush Kumar Patel, Ajit Tapendra Singh, Thamban Meloth and Rasik Ravindra  

 

11. Implications of Changing Climatic Pattern on the Geopolitical Situation of North Western Himalaya, India

Ashwagosha Ganju and H.S. Negi

 

12. Glacier Melt Water Characteristics of Hamtah Glacier, Lahaul & Spiti District, Himachal Pradesh, India

S.P. Shukla, Rakesh Mishra and Ajai Kumar

       

13. Responses of Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) Dynamics and Late Quaternary Fluvial Development: Records from Yamuna River valley, NW-Himalaya

Sharat Dutta, S.A.I. Mujtaba, R. Bhavani, Mohammad Atif Raza, and R. Chunchekar

 

14. An Appraisal of Spatio-Temporal Characteristics of Temperature and Precipitation using Gridded Datasets over NW-Himalaya

H.S. Negi and Neha Kanda

 

Dr P. S. Goel former Secretary to Government of India, Ministry of Earth Sciences is currently Raja Ramanna Chair Professor at NIAS, Hon Distinguished Professor, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Bangalore and Chairman Governing Body, National Innovation Foundation, Ahmedabad. He has contributed significantly to the development of attitude control system and mission planning for remote sensing, communication and scientific missions of ISRO and authored over 100 research papers in referred journals and conferences. Dr. Goel was Chairman, Spacecraft System Advisory Board for IRS-1, Project engineer AOCS for APPLE and Associate Project Director INSAT-I. He was Head, Control System Division, Group Director AOCS, Deputy Director Mission and Control Area, Associate Director of ISAC and was Director ISRO Satellite Centre from 1997 to 2005. He was Secretary Ministry of Earth sciences and Chairman Earth Commission from 2005 to 2008. He was Chairman RCI, DRDO and later DRDO Chair Professor at RCI/DRDO Hyderabad pursuing space for National Security. Dr Goel was awarded Padma Shri in 2001. He has received several awards including Life Time Achievement Award of Indian National Academy of Engineering and Distinguished Scientist Award of ISRO. He is fellow of Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore, National Academy of Sciences, Allahabad; Indian National Science Academy (INSA), New Delhi; Institution of Electronic & Telecommunication Engineers, New Delhi; Aeronautical Society of India, Bangalore and Third World Academy of Sciences, fellow of Indian Society of Systems for Science and Engineering and Distinguished Alumni of Indian Institute of Science. He was President of Indian National Academy of Engineering.