Publication in Science Magazine: 'Climate Change will affect the Asian water Towers'
The amount of melt water from snow and glaciers will reduce substantially in part of the Himalya's, threatening the livelihood of over 60 m million people . This was reported by scientists from Utrecht University and Deltares in Science on June 11. Consequences for the Indus en de Brahmaputra are most severe, while availability of irrigation water is expected to increase in the Yellow river basin.
The authors show that there is great variation in the role of melt water in downstream water availability. Melt water is for example much more important in the Indus basin in the western Himalayas than in any other Asian basins. Model results also show that the Brahmaputra and Indus river basins are most susceptible to reductions of flow, threatening the food security of an estimated 60 million people. However the opposite also occurs: in the Yellow river basin, where current ice and snow reserves are marginal, an increase in winter precipitation is expected which will enhance the water availability early in the growing season.
The authors used a combination of ground-based data, remote sensing images of precipitation and snow cover, hydrological modelling and the outcome of 5 global climate models to arrive at their conclusions.
Publication:
Immerzeel, W.W., Beek van, L.P.H., Bierkens, M.F.P. 2010. Climate Change Will Affect the Asian Water Towers. Science 328, 1382-1385 (2010)
Walter Immerzeel: FutureWater and Department of Physical Geography at Utrecht University
Rens van Beek: Department of Physical Geography at Utrecht University
Marc Bierkens: Department of Physical Geography at Utrecht University and Deltares Utrecht.
