286 / 2024-02-28 23:38:54

Hydro-Climatic Variations in the Upper Indus River Basin under Climate Change

Water Resources Management,climate change,temperature variation,precipitation pattern,glaciers,Snow melting,indus basin,thirdpole

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) is also referred to as the "Asian water tower," the "Roof of the World," and the "Third Pole of the Earth”, covering 5 million km² with an average elevation of about 4000 m and more than 100,000 km² of glaciers. One-fifth of the world's population lives in Asian countries, where millions of people rely on the rivers that originate from this plateau for their water supply. These rivers significantly impact the social and economic development of these countries, playing a crucial role in sustaining downstream ecosystems, promoting industrial expansion, and supporting agricultural activities. The current research relies primarily on the Indus River system, which is the world's largest river basin originating from Qinghai-Tibet Plateau(QTP) near Lake Mansarover northwest through the Himalayas into India, before entering into Pakistan, and eventually drains into the Arabian Sea. The Hindukush and Karakoram high mountain ranges combine to form the Upper Indus Basin (UIB), which is a critical source of fresh water for Pakistan. The UIB is primarily regulated by seasonal meltwater from melting snow and glaciers. Over the past decade, the upper Indus basin has experienced extreme hydro-climatic events, such as droughts, floods, and glacier lake outburst floods (GLOFs), which are characterized by diverse precipitation patterns, temperature fluctuations, changes in snowfall patterns, and glacier melting. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of hydro-climatic variation in the upper Indus basin under different climate change scenarios by using a distributed hydrological model known as the Water and Energy Transfer Processes (WEP) model. This model will integrate, quantify, and analyze the historical and current trends in extreme hydroclimatic variables such as temperature, precipitation, droughts, and glacier melting within the upper Indus Basin (UIB). This model will help in projecting future hydroclimatic variations under different climate change scenarios, understanding the river flow dynamics in the basin, enhancing water management strategies for water distribution in different sectors, supporting sustainable water resource management, and planning against hydro-climate changes in UIB. This study strengthens the understanding of hydro-climatic dynamics and highlights the significance of further research in this specific domain.