Collaborative Research: Tracking changes in Bhutan's glacial geomorphology, hydrology, and dynamics using geophysics

University Of Texas At El Paso, El Paso TX

Investigators

Abstract

This project brings together U.S.-based and Bhutan-based scientists to investigate key questions on high mountain glaciers and their impact on landscape change in the Bhutanese Himalaya using geophysics. High mountain glaciers serve as important agents of erosion as well as sediment and water sources that contribute to many of the major rivers in Asia. Scientists have observed significant changes to Himalayan glaciers in response to a changing climate, which could severely impact downstream rivers and the populations that rely on these rivers for survival. Furthermore, melting glaciers can lead to glacial outburst floods, which occur when a glacial lake breaches its natural dam, resulting in a sudden release of flood water. This project will use geophysical methods including radar and seismic experiments to study the Lunana glaciers region of Bhutan, to better understand landscape change, glacier dynamics, and hazards. This project will improve our understanding of sediment transport, landscape change, glacier movements, and glacial outburst floods in the Bhutanese Himalaya. It will also test the potential of seismology to monitor sediment transport and river levels downstream of the Lunana glaciers and the Pho Chu River Valley, including the possibility for flood early warning. Seismic and radar surveys will reveal ice thickness, hydrologic processes, glacial moraine dam stability, the abundance and state of permafrost and debris-covered ice in the region, and subglacial sediments or materials. The project also aims to build geoscience, research, and field skills capacity in Bhutan and the Himalayan region. This project is jointly funded by three EAR Programs: Geomorphology and Land Use Dynamics (GLD), Hydrologic Sciences (HS), and Geophysics (PH). This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.