Glaciers of the Karakoram Himalaya

The book is about major concentrations of glaciers at high altitudes in the South West Central Asian mountain system. The goal of the book is to understand and assess what is happening to the glaciers, and how climatic changes can threaten them, by increasing risks such as glacial lake outburst floods. The glaciers comprise a major store of moisture and sources of surface water in an otherwise extreme continental, dry region. As many as 200 million people living in the valleys below, depend to some extent on the glacier meltwaters, and, at the same time, are at risk from certain glacial hazards.§It has been almost 60 years since an overview of the glaciers was published, and more than 70 years since a monograph was devoted to them. There have been many relevant and valuable research initiatives going back to the nineteenth century, though the coverage has been limited in geographical or temporal terms; results have not been coordinated or brought up-to-date. This volume integrates understanding of the glacial environment with the practices, knowledge and concerns of those inhabiting the region. It discusses the glaciers in relation to water supply, hazards and sustainable uses, and presents a comparative view of their place in High Asia and the global ice cover. The book addresses questions raised by surveying what is known about glaciers and the evidence available, and points out areas that urgently need research. §The material is based on state-of-the-art glaciological and related studies, expedition reports and statistical works summarising the ice cover, and put together into a comprehensive account. The author also presents his own investigations and previously unpublished analyses developed over some 45 years of work on these topics in the region.§The book will be of interest to scientists, researchers, professionals, students and scholars at all levels interested in the glaciers, mountain environments, water supplies, regional development and global change issues in South and Inner Asia.