Inferring Permafrost in the Indian Himalayas

Permafrost is defined as sub-surface material, excluding glaciers, having a temperature of less or equal to 0 °C for at least two consecutive years (ACGR, 1988, Van Everdingen, 2005). It is a thermal subsurface condition of the ground and considered as a climatic phenomenon. Understanding the characteristics and thermal regime of high-altitude mountain permafrost is one of the great challenges in the data scarce region’s like the trans-Himalayan Ladakh region. While the permafrost research on Tibetan Plateau has been extensively studied and globally very well recognised. However, a critical research gap has long existed regarding the permafrost conditions in the Indian Himalayan Region. The lack of data has hindered our ability to predict how these sensitive environments will respond to climate warming.

Our recent research efforts have focused on filling this gap. Through extensive field campaigns and modeling efforts using the GEOtop, we have provided the first-ever field-based permafrost characteristics for this region.

This work has been published in two key studies:

1. Wani et al., Science of the Total Environment 2020
2. Wani et al., The Cryosphere 2021

These studies move beyond theoretical and remote sensing assumptions, offering concrete data on ground thermal envelopes, active layer thickness, and the thermal state of the permafrost in the cold-arid Himalayas.

Key Implications

This research gives new impetus to mountain permafrost research in the region. By establishing a baseline of permafrost characteristics, we can now better understand:

• Hydrological Impacts: How thawing ground affects water availability in downstream basins.
• Slope Stability: The risk of landslides and debris flows, rockfalls, etc.

The Indian Himalaya Region is no longer a blank spot on the permafrost research map.

Read the Papers