Droughts and Floods

It is in Jammu Kashmir and is bordered by the Himalayas and the Karakoram mountain chains. Ladakh and its water sources are almost entirely dependent on the glaciers and snow-melts and changes in water systems can be directly attributed to changes in the glaciers and thus climate change.

The Himalayas' permanent ice cover is around 97,000 sq.km. with 12,930 sq.km. volume of ice and snow: 10-20 % are covered by glaciers and 30-40% are seasonal snowfalls. The Himalayan streams and rivers are fed by the melting of snow and ice of approximately 500 sq.km / year.

India has contributed immensely to the body of scientific research and analysis that underpins the understanding of the global impacts of climate change. There is, to a slightly lesser degree, an understanding of specific regional impacts. More needs to be done here, especially understinding micro-level impacts.

The heat evaporates the moisture in the soil rapidly leading to widespread drought conditions. The changes in ocean temperatures are modifying the ocean currents, thus creating erratic and extreme weather conditions - creating more intense and frequent storms and cyclones; thus creating cycles of floods and drought.

Global warming induces an increase in global precipitation through the augmentation of evaporation. According to the IPCC, rainfall patterns are likely to be modified with some regions becoming more arid and others experiencing more rainfall.

Sea level rise and decrease are ancient phenomena related to the geologic glacial/interglacial cycles. But since the 19th century and the industrial revolution, an acceleration of sea level rise has been observed through tide gauge measurements and satellite altimetry.

As observed by the United Nations Environment Program (GRID-Arendal) ice and snow are major components of the climate system. That is why human induced climate change can be first observed in Polar Regions where most of Earth's snow and ice are concentrated. In these areas global warming induces the progressive melting of ice and snow.

Altered frequencies and intensities of extreme weather, together with sea level rise, are expected to have mostly adverse effects on natural and human systems.

The earth is currently warming rapidly. And this warming is bringing about massive changes. Our glaciers are melting rapidly. The artic ice-shelf is breaking apart into pieces and threatens to modify the salinity of the oceans.

Current Science's paper on improvements made in greenhouse gases (GHG) inventory estimation