Srinagar, Jan 11: A new study ppublished in the reputed Nature journal on Wednesday shows that the climate crisis has reduced snowpack in most parts of the Northern Hemisphere in the last 40 years, threatening crucial water resources for millions of people.
Jammu & Kashmir, as part of the Indus Basin, has been found to be among the regions which has experienced the most dowalnward trend in snow accumulation in the last 40 years.
Wednesday’s study, published by researchers at Dartmouth College in the journal Nature, offers the big picture — climate change has caused significant drops in snow in the world’s north since the 1980s. Areas in the US Southwest and Northeast, as well as in Central and Eastern Europe, have experienced the steepest global warming-related declines of between 10% and 20% per decade.
This winter, Kashmir is experiencing one of its warmest winters, with little or no snowfall received as of January 10.
“It’s very clear that climate change has been having negative impacts on snow and water,” said Alexander Gottlieb, lead author of the study and a doctoral student at Dartmouth College. “And every additional degree of warming is going to take away a bigger and bigger chunk of your snow water resources.”
Less snow means less water supply
The researchers found that snowpack loss accelerates when average winter temperatures at a location rise above minus 8 degrees Celsius (around 17 degrees Fahrenheit), a point they refer to as a “snow-loss cliff.” Past that, snow loss accelerates with even modest rises in temperature.
That’s a huge problem for communities that depend on snow for water. Many of the world’s water supplies are already threatened by climate change through drought and heat waves that are becoming more frequent and intense. As the planet continues to warm, the study found that many highly populated areas that rely on snow are going to see increased losses in water availability over the next few decades
Snow also helps prevent wildfires or can reduce their intensity. Unlike rain, which can run off quickly, snow melts slowly over time and can provide a slow and sustained release of water into the soil, making it less likely to ignite and providing less fuel for fires to spread.Less snowpack also carries a significant toll for places that rely on winter recreational activities, such as skiing and snowboarding, as key economic drivers. Many ski resorts in the Northern Hemisphere are facing such challenges already, with many now relying on snow cannons to ensure there’s enough snow to keep businesses operational. Some places are approaching temperature thresholds that will make even machine-made snow unviable.
