These projects besides exploiting the available scientific knowledge and technological advancements will add additional knowledge about the hydro-meteorological aspects in the country especially in the Northern areas where bulk of frozen water reserves lie in the form of snow and glaciers. According to Pakistan Meteorological department (PMD), the projects are aimed to understand the current and future state of stream flows in snow and ice dominated regions along with rapid changing climate in the region. The final results will be useful in addressing the societal needs of the community in the perception of environmental and ecological changes due to climate change.
Two river basins (Tarim River, China and Chitral River, Pakistan) have been selected as pilot basins. The project implementation frame work for developing consistent climate change scenarios, universal applicable hydrological models and potential output was framed by mutual consultations among the scientists of both the sides. From China, the climate modeling team of China Meteorological Administration (CMA) and a group of ecological scientist from Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) will be engaged in research with PMD researchers.
During the next two years, monitoring instruments of glacier retreat and changing stream flows will be undertaken and the scientists will conduct several field visits to the selected glaciated basins of Chinese and Pakistani sides. Future Climate Change Scenarios will be developed on finest resolution and in the result stream flows will be projected to assess the availability of water resources from snow and glaciers. In addition, the liquid and solid precipitation will be differentiated so that flood forecasting model could be tuned to incorporate the future prospects of frozen as well as liquid water resources.
Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) organized a workshop relating to these projects. Ahmad Kamal Chairman FFC, Professor Dr M. Ashraf Chairman Pakistan Science Foundation, Dr Tariq Banuri Executive Director GCISC, and reputed scientists from both the countries participated in this workshop to highlight the significance of these two projects.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2017