Rockies, Alps, Himalayas ? More rain, less snow

Rockies, Alps, Himalayas – More rain, less snow

News: Climate change could cause a shift in snowfall to rainfall in mountain regions across the Northern Hemisphere, amplifying rainfall extremes lasting over a few hours to a day, the study published in Nature stated.

Key Findings:
• The Himalayas and other mountains across the Northern Hemisphere are likely to see 15 per cent more rain for every 1-degree Celsius rise in temperature due to climate change, according to a new study.
• This switch from snowfall to rainfall could increase the risk of disasters such as floods, landslides, and soil erosion.
• The Himalayas and the North American Pacific Mountain ranges, including the Cascades, Sierra Nevada, and coastal ranges from Canada to Southern California are more threatened than the Rockies or the Alps.
• The Himalayas is one of those hotspot regions where an increased risk (due to changes in atmospheric dynamics) of rainfall extremes is witnessed.
• Earlier this month, a report from International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) found that the Hindu Kush Himalayas have seen a 65 per cent faster loss of glacier mass.