A 20‐ka climate record from Central Himalayan loess deposits

The southwest monsoon that dominated Central Himalaya has preserved loessic silt deposits preserved in patches that are proximal to periglacial areas. The occurrence of such silts suggests contemporary prevalence of cold and dry northwesterly winds. Field stratigraphy, geochemistry, mineral magnetism, infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) and radiocarbon dating has enabled reconstruction of an event chronology during the past 20 ka. Three events of loess accretion could be identified. The first two events of loess deposition occurred betweem 20 and 9 ka and were separated by a phase of moderate weathering. Pedogenesis at the end of this event gave rise to a well‐developed soil that was bracketed around 9 to > 4 ka. This was followed by the third phase of loess accretion that occurred around 4 to > 1 ka. Episodes of loess deposition and soil formation are interpreted in terms of changes in the strength of the Indian southwest monsoon. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Is there any detachment in the Lower Dolpo (western Nepal)?Y a-t-il un détachement dans le bas Dolpo (Népal occidental) ?

A structural transect in the Lower Dolpo highlights that the deformation and metamorphism of the Tibetan Zone (TZ) increase toward the bottom of the sequence. The contact with the underlying HHC is marked by a metamorphic jump from amphibolite facies in the carbonatic rocks of the upper part of the HHC to greenschist facies marbles in the TZ. Moreover, the HHC and the TZ show different metamorphic histories. The contact zone shows a strain increase accompanied by asymmetric folds with a top-to-the-northeast vergence, connected to a down-to-the-northeast tectonic transport. The contact is interpreted as an extensional shear zone, connected to the South Tibetan Detachment System. To cite this article: R. Carosi et al., C. R. Geoscience 334 (2002) 933–940.     

Rainfall thresholds for landsliding in the Himalayas of Nepal

Landsliding of the hillslope regolith is an important source of sediment to the fluvial network in the unglaciated portions of the Himalayas of Nepal. These landslides can produce abrupt increases of up to three orders of magnitude in the fluvial sediment load in less than a day. An analysis of 3 years of daily sediment load and daily rainfall data defines a relationship between monsoonal rainfall and the triggering of landslides in the Annapurna region of Nepal. Two distinct rainfall thresholds, a seasonal accumulation and a daily total, must be overcome before landslides are initiated. To explore the geomorphological controls on these thresholds, we develop a slope stability model, driven by daily rainfall data, which accounts for changes in regolith moisture. The pattern of rainfall thresholds predicted by the model is similar to the field data, including the decrease in the daily rainfall threshold as the seasonal rainfall accumulation increases. Results from the model suggest that, for a given hillslope, regolith thickness determines the seasonal rainfall necessary for failure, whereas slope angle controls the daily rainfall required for failure.     

喜马拉雅山珠峰绒布冰川流域径流模拟

基于2009年5-10月喜马拉雅山北坡珠峰绒布冰川流域实测水文气象数据、 50 m分辨率DEM和中国第一次冰川编目资料, 在HYCYMODEL水文模型中加入冰川消融子模块, 模拟了绒布冰川流域径流过程.冰川消融子模块以海拔5 180 m基站的实测日气温、 日降水作为模型输入, 把气温、 降水插值到该流域40个高程带中, 分别计算各高程带的冰川消融和裸地蒸发, 并考虑液态降水对冰面的加热作用.野外气象观测表明: 2009年5-10月流域海拔5 180~5 750 m内, 月气温递减率在0.63~0.73 ℃·(100m)^-1之间, 均值为0.70 ℃·(100m)^-1; 同期降水观测显示, 海拔5 180 m以下降水梯度为-7.3 mm·(100m)^-1, 该高度之上降水梯度为22 mm·(100m)^-1. HYCYMODEL水文模型的敏感性检验表明, 该流域径流变化主要受气温影响, 降水变化引起的径流变化较小, 气温和降水变化对流域径流的影响是非线性的.     

Fresh snow chemistry from high mountain regions in central himalayas

Investigations of atmospheric composition in the Himalayas has been limited in both temporal and spatial scales, mainly due to difficult logistics. Ideal sites for monitoring atmospheric composition and its evolution should be free from local pollution and representative of the remote troposphere (HUEBERT et al., 1980). As the Himalayas are far removed from highly industrialized regions they provide suitable locations to monitor the chemistry of the remote troposphere and to study the evolu…     

The quaternary glacial history of the Lahul Himalaya,northern India

This paper presents the first glacial chronology for the Lahul Himalaya, Northern India. The oldest glaciation, the Chandra Glacial Stage, is represented by glacially eroded benches at altitudes greater than 4300 m above sea-level. This glaciation was probably of a broad valley type. The second glaciation, the Batal Glacial Stage, is represented by highly weathered and dissected lateral moraines, which are present along the Chandra valley and some of its tributaries. This was an extensive valley glaciation. The third major glaciation, the Kulti Glacial Stage, is represented by well-preserved moraines in the main tributary valleys of the Chandra valley. This represents a less extensive valley glaciation. Two minor glacial advances, the Sonapani I and II, are represented by small sharp-crested moraines, which are within a few hundred metres or few kilometres of the present-day glaciers. The change in style and extent of glaciation is attributed to an increase in aridity throughout the Quaternary, due either to global climatic change or uplift of the Pir Panjal mountains to the south of Lahul, which restricted the northward penetration of the south Asian summer monsoon. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

喜马拉雅山脉中段土地覆被的垂直分异特征

喜马拉雅山脉中段的珠穆朗玛峰等地,海拔高差巨大、生境复杂多变、土地覆被类型多样且植被垂直带谱完整,是全球范围内研究土地覆被垂直变化的理想场所。本文基于30 m空间分辨率的土地覆被数据（2010年）和DEM数据,在ArcGIS和Matlab平台的支持下,提出并运用脊线法、样带法和扇区法3种山地南北坡划分方法,研究了喜马拉雅山土地覆被垂直分布与结构差异。结果表明：① 山地土地覆被分布具有明确的垂直地带性结构特征,喜马拉雅中部土地覆被垂直带谱为南六北四式,土地覆被垂直带谱中具有人类活动的特点。② 南北坡之间的土地覆被垂直带谱差异明显,南坡土地覆被类型完整多样,北坡相对简单;对同类型土地覆被而言,南坡较北坡分布高程低、幅度宽。③ 依据各类型分布面积比随海拔变化情况,土地覆被类型在南北坡上的垂直分布可分为4种模式：冰川雪被、稀疏植被和草地为单峰分布型,裸地为南单峰北双峰分布型。④ 3种划分方法中,南坡的土地覆被垂直带结构具有相似性,而北坡的土地覆被垂直带结构存在差异,扇区法较好地反映了土地覆被自然分布格局。     

Spatial and seasonal variation of major ions in Himalayan snow and ice: A source consideration

The spatial and temporal variation of major ions (Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, , , and Cl⁻) in Himalayan snow and ice is investigated by using two snow pits from the East Rongbuk glacier (28°01′N, 86°58′E, 6500 m a.s.l.), one snow pit from the Nangpai Gosum glacier (28°03′N, 86°39′E, 5700 m a.s.l.), one snow pit from the Gyabrag glacier (28°11′N, 86°38′E, 6303 m a.s.l.), and three ice cores from the Sentik (35°59′N, 75°58′E, 4908 m a.s.l.), Dasuopu (28°33′N, 85°44′E, 7000 m a.s.l.), and East Rongbuk (27°59′N, 86°55′E, 6450 m a.s.l.) glaciers, respectively. In general, the major ions show a significant seasonal variation, with high concentrations during the non-monsoon (pre-monsoon and post-monsoon) season and relatively low concentrations during the monsoon season. Monsoon precipitation with high local/regional dust loading related to summer circulation is possibly responsible for the high concentrations occurring sporadically during the monsoon season. The crest of the Himalayas is an effective barrier to the spatial distribution of Na⁺, Cl⁻ and concentrations, but not to the major ions associated with dust influx (e.g. Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺). Atmospheric backward trajectories from the HYSPLIT_4 model used in identifying chemical species sourcing suggest that the major ions in the Himalayan snow and ice come mainly from the Thar Desert located in the North India, as well as West Asia, or even the distant Sahara Desert in the North Africa during the winter and spring seasons. This is different from the conventionally assumed arid and semi-arid regions of the central Asia. Factors, such as different vapor sources due to atmospheric circulation patterns and geographical features (e.g. altitude, topography), may contribute to the differences in major ionic concentrations between the western and eastern Himalayas.     

Biodiversity and invasibility: Distribution patterns of invasive plant species in the Himalayas,Nepal

Invasive plant species are exerting a serious threat to biological diversity in many regions of the world. To understand plant invasions this study aims to test which of the two plant invasiveness hypotheses; ‘low native diversity' vs. ‘high native diversity', is supported by the regional distribution patterns of invasive plant species in the Himalayas,Nepal. This study is based on data retrieved from published literatures and herbarium specimens. The relationship between invasive plant species distribution patterns and that of native plant species is elucidated by scatter plots, as well as by generalized linear models. The native plant species and invasive plant species have similar distribution patterns and the maximum number of invasive plant species is found in the same altitudinal range where the highest richness for native tree species is found. There is a clear trend of higher invasive plant richness in regions where native tree species richness is relatively high.Consequently, the native plant richness is highest in the central phytogeographic region, followed by the eastern and the western regions, respectively. The invasive plant species also follows a similar trend.Additionally, the invasive plant species richness was positively correlated with anthropogenic factors such as human population density and the number of visiting tourists. This study supports the hypothesis that ‘high native diversity' supports or facilitates invasive plant species. Further, it indicates that nativeand invasive plant species may require similar natural conditions, but that the invasive plant species seem more dependent and influenced by anthropogenic disturbance factors.     

Recent Changes Occurred in the Terminus of the Debris-covered Bilafond Glacier in the Karakoram Himalayas Using Remotely Sensed Images and Digital Elevation Models (1978-2011)

Recent changes occurred in terminus of the debris-covered Bilafond Glacier in the Karakoram Range in the Himalayas, Northern Pakistan was investigated in this research. Landsat MSS, TM and ETM＋ images were used for this study. Digital elevation models derived from ASTER GDEM and SRTM were also utilized. Visible, infrared and thermal infrared channels were utilized in order to get accurate glacier change maps. Three methods were tried to map this debris-covered glacier in this research. The glacier has been mapped successfully and the changes in the glacier terminus from 1978 to 2011 have been calculated. Manual, semi-automatic and thermal methods were found to give similar results. It was found that the glacier has undergone serious ablation during this period despite of the fact that many of the larger glaciers in the Hindu Kush and Karakoram mountain regions in the Upper Indus Basin were reported to be expanding. The terminus has been moved back about 600 meters during this period and there was an abrupt change in the glacier terminus during 1990-2002. We propose that debris thickness is not the only factor that influences the glacier ablation but the altitude of the debris-covered glacier as well. Many glaciers in the Karakoram region reported to be expanding were having higher altitudes compared to the study area.