Resilience in a Changing Climate Cryosphere Monitoring and Management in Bhutan : Technical Note

The present report provides a cryosphere perspective on Bhutan’s water resources, monitoring needs, and climate services. Main concerns are with glaciers, snow, permafrost, and related cold climate conditions. These are increasingly important as resources, but also in potentially large problems related to climate change and development plans. A primary goal of this inquiry is to identify and assess existing capacities, data sources, and projects on-going, or in the pipeline. The report begins with an updated over view of the scope and status of Bhutan’s cryosphere in section one. It draws attention to the science behind cryosphere phenomena, the (unsatisfactory) state of knowledge of the Himalayan cryosphere, and on-going debates about that. Cryosphere hazards are addressed, how they arise, and possible impacts of climate change on them. In keeping with integrated water management, a multi-hazards approach is presented, to extend and balance the exceptional work to date on glacier lake outburst floods (GLOFs). Bhutan’s relevant, existing capacities are then reviewed in relation to the cryosphere in section two. It continues to rely heavily on other units, outside assistance, and ad hoc initiatives. Some personnel are engaged in GLOFs program and in pilot glacier observing projects. Outside Cryosphere Service Division (CSD) there seems to be very limited awareness of cryosphere components, even those that clearly enter the concerns of other agencies.