Twice every 12 days, the NISAR satellite will scan nearly all of earth's land and ice surfaces to measure changes in the planet's ecosystems, growth and retreat of its land and sea ice, and deformation of its crust.
I learn that success isn't measured in metres gained but in how we handle the moment when plans dissolve. The mountain doesn't grade on completion -- only on presence and effort, discovers Manoj Mohanka.
'There is a clear relationship between the Char Dham road widening and these landslides.' 'The situation has further worsened with the massive influx of tourists whose number are running into several lakhs per month.' 'No parameters have been laid down to control tourist inflow and the result is that the Char Dham yatra has seen a sharp escalation in accidents and loss of lives.'
India should encourage the second coming of SAARC with climate change as an urgent agenda and keeping Indian security concerns in mind as the subtext, suggest Lieutenant General Ashok Joshi (retd) and Colonel Anil Athale (retd).
NISAR will not be used for surveillance and will be used to observe the earth.
'The lakes up there were already at the brink due to accumulated rainwater, and then snowmelt occurred.' 'When one lake breached, it triggered a cascading effect -- other lakes breached subsequently.'
'What we are witnessing is not a freak incidence or a freak occurrence, but a new climate reality where warming oceans, monsoon variability and local geography are combining to produce extreme events.'
Whether it is the blunder over the glaciers or the linking of natural disasters to global warming, the IPCC's credibility has been badly hit. If this encourages laxity over global warming, that will be tragic.
Terming the charge that Wangchuk incited the violence in Leh as 'misplaced', she claimed that he has been protesting in the "most Gandhian way possible" and the "situation escalated" on September 24 due to the actions of the CRPF.
While United Nations climate chief Dr Rajendra Pachauri has rejected calls to step down in the wake of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change's withdrawal of an erroneous warning on Himalayan glaciers, the Indian climate official has admitted that there could be more errors in the Nobel prize winning report.Dr Pachauri said he was considering whether to take action against those responsible.
Research using NASA satellite images has revealed a concerning retreat of snow cover atop Mount Everest, indicating a lack of snow accumulation during the winter season of 2024-2025. This trend, observed through a 'rising snow line', suggests a warming climate and warmer, drier conditions prevailing in recent winters. Glaciologist Mauri Pelto attributes the snow cover loss to sublimation, where ice directly evaporates, contributing to the retreat of glaciers even above 6,000 meters on Mount Everest.
"The withdrawal of Pakistani troops is possible provided India also agrees. It will not be a unilateral decision," he said while addressing a convention of workers of his Pakistan People's Party in Okara district, 100 km from Lahore, on Friday.
Pakistani media analysts and politicians have called for a review of the deployment of forces at Siachen, where soldiers from the two countries have been engaged in standoff since 1984.
In a report published by the Times of India, experts say 'black carbon' from the smog and ash is covering the glaciers, making them more prone to melting.
After a 59-year wait, an ancient trade route across a 150-year-old bridge is open near the India-China border in Uttarakhand.
Embattled UN climate panel chief R K Pachauri found support on Friday from world leaders attending the climate change conference in New Delhi as they contended that some mistake in the IPCC report does not change the basic facts of global warming.
Pachauri, who has been under attack from various quarters over the IPCC's 2007 report on Himalayan glaciers, has already ruled out his resignation saying that the mistake was 'unfortunate' and he would go ahead to complete the Fifth IPCC Assessment Report.
'The government only wakes up after devastation.' 'The government does not understand the gravity of the situation nor they do not want to understand the gravity of the situation.'
China is set to build a rail link connecting Xinjiang province with Tibet, part of which will run near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with India.
According to the WHO, Himalayan glaciers are shrinking due to global warming at the rate of 10 to 15 meters per year, which would affect the water supply in India. River Ganga is expected to lose two-third of its July to September flow resulting in change in the productivity of arable land. These changes will in turn affect one-third of India's irrigated land. Water shortage will affect more than 500 million people, it said.
If you are confused about the severity of human-induced climate change, it might help to focus on the death threat to Gori Ganga, says Rajni Bakshi.
Upgraded Chetak, christened Chetan, successfully completes hot and high altitude tests in the Siachen Glacier
The film lurches from one melodramatic situation to another, for nearly 160 minutes, before culminating in an ending that embodies Director Anupam Kher's personal philosophy: Kuch bhi ho sakta hain, notes Mayur Sanap.
Separately, the hunger strike by climate activist Sonam Wangchuk in Leh to "remind" the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre of its promise to safeguard the Union Territory's fragile ecology and unique indigenous tribal culture entered its 15th day.
A 13.2 MW small hydro project on the Rishiganga river was swept away in the glacier burst in Uttarakhand on Sunday, but there is no danger of floods in the downstream areas as the water level has been contained.
Experts say the treaty needs a review to address the ongoing and the likely impact of climate change on river-flow
'If the BJP does not change its stand, we will hope that those who are in favour of protecting Ladakh come to power.'
Two teams of glaciologists will head to Joshimath-Tapovan on Monday to study the causes of massive flood caused after a part of the Nanda Devi glacier broke off in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district, the director of the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology said.
It is a 165 MW run-of-the-river scheme proposed in Dhauli Ganga river in Darma valley.
'Above 2,000 metres the gradient of the Himalayas is very steep and if you build any infrastructure (roads, dams, hydro power projects) in these regions, it will not be able to sustain these events (the onslaught of debris that comes down with great speeds).'
'Joro shoro se rescue operation chal raha hai.'
Originating from Vasudhara Tal, perhaps the largest glacial lake in Uttarakhand, the Dhauli Ganga flows in a meandering course, which takes it through the Nanda Devi National Park.
The teams carried out a helicopter survey of the area on Tuesday to find clues as to what led to the massive flash floods that swept everything on the way.
'The problem is that all this reconstruction work is being monitored by the prime minister himself with inputs being provided directly by the PMO so nobody in the state government dare contradict them even if their suggestions are totally contrary to what the ecology of this region requires.'
'The Weather Channel argues that India faces the gravest challenge: Climate change-induced health vulnerability.' 'This is an issue often neglected, alerts Claude Arpi: "Prolonged summers, unpredictable rains, floods, droughts, and rising sea levels are the harsh realities of climate change in the country. These factors increase the frequency and severity of illnesses, pushing people into poverty, and forcing migration".'
'It is a breathtaking journey towards the Tibet border, especially since the Border Road Organisation has accomplished a fabulous feat in black-topping the road till the border.' 'One is left with a salute for the dauntless Indian soldiers who spend the winter in these majestic, though inhospitable areas (we were told that the temperature comes down to minus 40 in winter),' recounts Claude Arpi.
'We need an early warning system in India.'
The drinking water crisis is likely to deepen in Himachal Pradesh by 2021 due to excessive melting of glaciers in the Himalayan region and its increased demand from developing industrial areas and other parts of the state, a report said.
Obama said US is leading the efforts to combat carbon pollution
The report came a day after the Indian Army announced that it launched "punitive fire assaults" on Pak posts.
