Peer Reviewed Journal Article

Peer Reviewed Journal Article, 2016

The Indus basin heavily depends on its upstream mountainous part for the downstream supply of water while downstream demands are high. Analysis of future hydrological extremes reveals that increases in intensity and frequency of extreme discharges are very likely for most of the upper Indus basin and most ensemble members.

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Peer Reviewed Journal Article, 2016

Lately, a number of less alarmist framings have gained ground and offer alternative understandings of how environmental and climate changes interact with human mobility –including the idea that migration might be a legitimate adaptation strategy. While this evolution has favored a defusing of tones, there remains a critical gap in understanding the climate-migration nexus. The paper addresses this gap.

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Peer Reviewed Journal Article, 2016

One of the main manifestations of climate change will be increased rainfall variability. How to deal with this in agriculture will be a major societal challenge. In this paper we explore flexibility in land use, through deliberate seasonal adjustments in cropped area, as a specific strategy for coping with rainfall variability. Such adjustments are not incorporated in hydro-meteorological crop models commonly used for food security analyses. Our paper contributes to the literature by making a comprehensive model assessment of inter-annual variability in crop production, including both variations in crop yield and cropped area.

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Peer Reviewed Journal Article, 2016

In the Himalayan headwaters of the main rivers in South Asia, shifts in runoff are expected as a result of a climate change. Although our insight into these shifts and their impact on water availability has increased, a similar detailed understanding of the seasonal pattern in water demand is absent. This hampers a proper assessment of water stress and ways to cope and adapt. In this study, the seasonal pattern of irrigation-water demand resulting from the typical practice of multiple cropping in South Asia was accounted for by introducing double cropping with monsoon-dependent planting dates in a hydrology and vegetation model.

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Peer Reviewed Journal Article, 2016

Here, the study analyses altitudinal dependency of precipitation in the high-altitude Indus basin by combining most of the available station data with the indirect precipitation estimates at the accumulation zones of major glaciers. It uses Kriging with External Drift (KED) interpolation scheme with elevation as a predictor to appraise spatio-temporal distribution of mean monthly, seasonal and annual precipitation for the period 1998–2012. Results show clear non-linear increases in precipitation with altitude. The estimated precipitation is much higher compared to previous studies and gridded products. The gridded precipitation products are unsuitable to force hydrological models in upper Indus.

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Peer Reviewed Journal Article, 2016

Usually, the selection of climate models is either based on the entire range of changes in climatic variables as projected by the total ensemble of available climate models or on the skill of climate models to simulate past climate. The present study combines these approaches in a three-step sequential climate model selection procedure for a study area covering the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra river basins. Subsequently, the changes in climate between 1971–2000 and 2071–2100 are analysed, showing that the future climate projections in this area are highly uncertain but that changes are imminent.

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Peer Reviewed Journal Article, 2015

The nexus approach can enhance understanding of the interconnectedness of the food-water-energy sectors and strengthen coordination among them. But it requires a major shift in the decision-making process towards taking a holistic view and developing institutional mechanisms to coordinate the actions of diverse actors and strengthen complementarities and synergies among the three sectors. A framework is suggested for cross-sectoral coordination and managing the nexus challenges, with a view toward meeting the Sustainable Development Goals in South Asia.

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Peer Reviewed Journal Article, 2015

This study undertaken in the Himachari National Park (HNP) in Bangladesh demonstrates potentials and importance of iterative and interactive use of geospatial and social science techniques and tools in synergistic approach for sustainable development and adaptation. The potential synergies and complementarities among GIS and social science methods and tools may be used to guide formulation of effective adaptation options. The research highlighted the need for a shift in policy approaches from a conventional ecosystem only or society only focus, which may result in unsustainable ecosystem services; to an integrated approach with policy coherence at national down to landscape level.

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Peer Reviewed Journal Article, 2015

High-altitude meteorological processes in the Himalaya are influenced by complex interactions between the topography and the monsoon and westerly circulation systems. The study used the Weather Research and Forecasting model configured with high spatial resolution to understand seasonal patterns of near-surface meteorological fields and precipitation processes in the Langtang catchment in the central Himalaya. The study concludes that there is great potential for improving the local accuracy of climate change impact studies in the Himalaya by using high-resolution atmospheric models to generate the forcing for such studies.

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Peer Reviewed Journal Article, 2015

To date, the influence of debris on Karakoram glaciers has only been directly assessed by a small number of glaciological measurements over short periods. Here, supraglacial debris is included in a high-resolution, interactively coupled atmosphere–glacier modeling system to understand glaciological and meteorological changes that arise due to the presence of the debris.

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