Asia's glaciers are a regionally important buffer against drought [Retracted article]
Pritchard, Hamish D. 
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2936-1734.
2017
Asia's glaciers are a regionally important buffer against drought [Retracted article].
Nature, 545 (7653).
169-174.
10.1038/nature22062
Abstract/Summary
The high mountains of Asia—encompassing the Himalayas, the Hindu Kush, Karakoram, Pamir Alai, Kunlun Shan, and Tian Shan mountains—have the highest concentration of glaciers globally, and 800 million people depend in part on meltwater from them. Water stress makes this region vulnerable economically and socially to drought, but glaciers are a uniquely drought-resilient source of water. Here I show that these glaciers provide summer meltwater to rivers and aquifers that is sufficient for the basic needs of 136 million people, or most of the annual municipal and industrial needs of Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. During drought summers, meltwater dominates water inputs to the upper Indus and Aral river basins. Uncertainties in mountain precipitation are poorly known, but, given the magnitude of this water supply, predicted glacier loss would add considerably to drought-related water stress. Such additional water stress increases the risk of social instability, conflict and sudden, uncontrolled population migrations triggered by water scarcity, which is already associated with the large and rapidly growing populations and hydro-economies of these basins.
| Item Type: | Publication - Article |
|---|---|
| Digital Object Identifier (DOI): | 10.1038/nature22062 |
| Programmes: | BAS Programmes > BAS Programmes 2015 > Ice Dynamics and Palaeoclimate |
| ISSN: | 0028-0836 |
| Additional Information. Not used in RCUK Gateway to Research.: | Re-published as: Pritchard, Hamish. 2019 Asia’s shrinking glaciers protect large populations from drought stress. Nature, 569. 649-654. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1240-1 |
| Related URLs: | |
| Date made live: | 13 Jun 2017 12:36 +0 (UTC) |
| URI: | https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/517145 |
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