Assessing changes in the above ground biomass and carbon stocks of Lidder valley, Kashmir Himalaya, India

Rashid, Irfan; Bhat, Mudasir Ahmad; Romshoo, Shakil Ahmad

doi:10.1080/10106049.2016.1188164

Cited by 39 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…The present study of C. deodara trees has been carried out in the Lidder Valley, on the southeastern part of the Kashmir Himalayan synclinorium (33 ∘ 4 ′ -34 ∘ 15 ′ N, 75 ∘ 5 ′ -75 ∘ 32 ′ E) covering an area of ∼1246 km 2 (Rashid et al, 2017). Here C. deodara is poorly represented in the Lidder Forest Division (LFD) and grows in patches on gentle slopes and in well-drained loamy soils between 1830 and 2440 m (Lidder Forest Division (LFD), 2017).…”

Section: Study Sitesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Precipitation reconstruction for the Lidder Valley, Kashmir Himalaya using tree‐rings of Cedrus deodara

Shah

Pandey

Mehrotra

2018

Intl Journal of Climatology

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A reconstruction of annual to multi‐decadal precipitation based on ring‐width of Cedrus deodara (Himalayan cedar or deodar) was carried out in the Lidder (Liddar) Valley, Kashmir Himalaya. A composite tree‐ring chronology demonstrated a significant direct relationship with April–June precipitation. A modified version of point‐by‐point regression methodology was used to reconstruct April–June precipitation since 1723 C.E. This reconstruction accounts for 40% of the total variance of the actual precipitation in the calibration period. The reconstruction shows a prolonged decadal dry period between 1822 and 1887 C.E., the driest period in the reconstruction. The wettest period occurred during the early 19th century and latter part of the 20th century. Extreme dry and wet events have been identified in the reconstruction on the basis of percentile distribution. The reconstruction was compared with documented extreme flood, famines and drought events in Kashmir Valley occurring in those 288 years. The composite 500 mb height‐anomaly maps suggest the prospect to study the long‐term atmospheric circulation variability over the Kashmir Valley and surrounding region using tree‐ring data. The impact of westerlies in the precipitation patterns was also evident in analysis of composite 500 mb height anomaly. Furthermore, the reconstruction was validated through comparison with independent records and spatial correlation with gridded precipitation and drought.

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Section: Study Sitesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The climate of the area is sub-humid temperate, receiving an annual precipitation of 660-1400 mm. The mean annual average temperature is about 13 ∘ C which goes subzero in winter months (Rashid et al, 2017). In general, the region receives peak precipitation during October-May in the form of winter snow and spring rain.…”

Section: Climate At Lidder Valleymentioning

confidence: 99%

Precipitation reconstruction for the Lidder Valley, Kashmir Himalaya using tree‐rings of Cedrus deodara

Shah

Pandey

Mehrotra

2018

Intl Journal of Climatology

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“…This study indicates that of the total area of 1330 km 2 under apple orchards in Kashmir Valley, more than half of orchards (56%) are located in south Kashmir. Given the stark promotion of the horticultural sector, massive areas under irrigationintensive rice paddy currently undergo conversion to seemingly more viable apple orchards [49][50][51][52]. However, we argue that the ever-increasing area under orchards may well become unsustainable in…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

Impacts of Erratic Snowfall on Apple Orchards in Kashmir Valley, India

et al. 2020

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Kashmir Valley has been witnessing erratic snowfall events in recent autumns which severely impacted apple orchards and harvests. Here, we combine remotely sensed data and field observations to map snowfall distribution and snow depths during the recent snowfall events in November 2018 and November 2019. Besides, we used ERA-5 reanalysis climate datasets to investigate the causes of these erratic snowfall events, pointing to an early arrival of Western Disturbances (WD) to the area. Analysis of these untimely snowfall episodes indicates that snow depths varied from 5-122 cm and 31–152 cm during the 2018 and 2019 snowfall events, respectively. In turn, satellite data analysis reveals that the apple orchards cover roughly 9.8% (1329 km2) of the entire surface of Kashmir Valley, out of which 32.6% were mildly to severely damaged by snow. The areas in South Kashmir suffered the most from the untimely snowfall with an area affected estimated to ~264 km2, followed by North Kashmir (~151 km2) and Central Kashmir (18 km2). The snowfall caused substantial harvest losses in orchards ranging from 4-50% with an average of ~35%. The geopotential analysis from the ERA-5 dataset provides insights into the synoptic weather patterns leading to the snowfall events and point to a trough in the high-troposphere (200 mb), along with a col at lower levels (850 mb) over the Kashmir Valley from November 2–5, 2018. The lower levels (850 mb) experienced intense cyclonic circulation which favored advection of moisture from the Arabian Sea during the November 6–7, 2019, snowfall event. The large economic losses related to early arrival of WD led to a virtual grounding of the horticultural sector in 2018 and 2019. Therefore, more baseline research is critically needed along with a comprehensive evaluation of the suitability of horticulture as an economically viable sector that is being promoted over the Kashmir region, also under climate change.

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“…These land-use types were delineated using on-screen digitization of satellite data in Arc Map 10.1 at a 1:10,000 scale. The accuracy of land use types delineated for 1980, 1992, 2005, and 2013 was ascertained from published data [48,65]. The accuracy of 2018 generated data was obtained utilizing the field survey data about land uses.…”

Section: Downstream Land System Changesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Linking the Recent Glacier Retreat and Depleting Streamflow Patterns with Land System Changes in Kashmir Himalaya, India

Rashid

Majeed

Aneaus

et al. 2020

Water

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This study reports the changes in glacier extent and streamflow similar to many Himalayan studies, but takes the unusual step of also linking these to downstream land use changes in Kashmir Valley. This study assessed changes in the area, snout, and equilibrium line altitude (ELA) of four parts of the Kolahoi Glacier using earth observation data from 1962 to 2018. Changes in the discharge of the two streams flowing out from Kolahoi Glacier into the Jhelum basin were also assessed between 1972 and 2018. Additionally, satellite data was used to track the downstream land system changes concerning agriculture, orchards, and built-up areas between 1980 and 2018. This analysis suggested a cumulative deglaciation of 23.6% at a rate of 0.42% per year from 1962 to 2018. The snout of two larger glaciers, G1 and G2, retreated at a rate of 18.3 m a −1 and 16.4 m a −1 , respectively, from 1962 to 2018, although the rate of recession accelerated after 2000. Our analysis also suggested the upward shift of ELA by ≈120 m. The streamflows measured at five sites showed statistically significant depleting trends that have been a factor in forcing extensive land system changes downstream. Although the area under agriculture in Lidder watershed shrunk by 39%, there was a massive expansion of 176% and 476% in orchards and built-up areas, respectively, from 1980 to 2018. The conversion of irrigation-intensive agriculture lands (rice paddy) to less water-intensive orchards is attributed to economic considerations and depleting streamflow.Water 2020, 12, 1168 2 of 18 to decrease in the streamflows in the Himalayan Rivers [7,[27][28][29], which could affect water availability downstream [30]. Studies suggest that the glacier recession in the Kashmir valley has already resulted in the depleted streamflows downstream [31,32]. The land system changes in the region [33][34][35][36] have been linked to depleting streamflows, economic considerations, and unplanned land transformation.The use of remote sensing data for quantifying land system changes over the Kashmir region has been widely documented [37][38][39][40]. At the same time, there is substantial scientific literature detailing the glacier retreat prevalent over the region. A recent study indicated that the glaciers in the Ladakh region are retreating at 0.55% a −1 [41], whereas another study [42] reported few stable and advancing glaciers in the Zanskar region of Jammu and Kashmir. Similar retreat estimates have been put forth for the Zanskar region for the glacier area changes carried between 1989 and 2007 [43]. However, very conservative area changes (0.16% a −1 ) have been reported for the neighboring Suru basin [44] for the glacier area changes assessed for the 1977-2017 period. In another study carried out in the Lidder watershed of the Jhelum basin, the glaciers were reported to be shrinking at 0.51% a −1 [17]. Glacier mass change over the western Himalayas has accelerated from 0.33 to 0.5 m w.e. (water equivalent) per year between 1970-2000 and 2000-2010, respectively [45]. Ther...

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Assessing changes in the above ground biomass and carbon stocks of Lidder valley, Kashmir Himalaya, India

Cited by 39 publications

References 55 publications

Precipitation reconstruction for the Lidder Valley, Kashmir Himalaya using tree‐rings of Cedrus deodara

Precipitation reconstruction for the Lidder Valley, Kashmir Himalaya using tree‐rings of Cedrus deodara

Impacts of Erratic Snowfall on Apple Orchards in Kashmir Valley, India

Linking the Recent Glacier Retreat and Depleting Streamflow Patterns with Land System Changes in Kashmir Himalaya, India

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