Hydrology and Climate Change

It is known and everyone noticed that glaciers are melting faster than the usual normal rate that will cause the avalanche in high mountains and the streams and rivers to overflow causing flooding. The increasing rate of melting of the glaciers causes to the formation of more numbers of glacial lakes in high Himalayas. This is a reality that many places have and are currently facing difficulties of formation of glacial lake which is danger for all living in down stream catchments. Those living in close proximity to these rivers will need to relocate. Farmlands usually the rice lands get destroyed with these flood waters. Higher on mountains this excess water creates glacial lakes. As these lakes keep getting filled with more water which pressure on the moraine boundaries of the lake and creates Glacial Lake Out-burst Flood (GLOF). There is always a threat of these lakes bursting, causing huge floods in villages and city situated below. The outburst of Kosi-Dam in 2008 in Nepal is an example that around one million people from Nepal and India were homeless and many people lost their life.

On the other side, once the glacier has totally melted, the streams and rivers discharge either will be decreased or will run dry causing the farmland will turn dry. Those depending on freshwater from the melting glacier will have to relocate. Places that depend on the constant flow of this water for the production of electricity will have to look for other sources to produce electricity. This will cause further atmospheric pollution and it will be costly much more to produce or generate power. Sea levels that have already risen due to warmer waters will rise even further when all this water from glaciers melting enter into the sea. At immediate risk will be created to those living in low-lying in close surrounding areas to seashores. These areas will get flooded and groundwater will get polluted with sea water making it unfit for human uses where all these people will have to relocate. Maldives in South-Asian continent is already facing problem,

Ecologically, many animals, birds, plants and fishes that depend on the fresh water from glaciers will become endangered. Corals will suffer because of low sunlight due to increasing sea-levels. Fish feeding on these corals will in turn get affected. Animals and birds feeding on these fishes will be affected.There are many more dangers that could yield up due to fast melting glaciers in the coming years if we do not do something to reduce the threat of global warming. Each one of us can play a role in helping reduce harmful emissions, leading to a possible reduction of global warming in the days to come.