Permafrost in the High Mountain Asia (HMA) region is experiencing rapid degradation under climate change with profound and widespread implications, including increasing risks to ecosystem health, infrastructure stability and compounding climate disasters. Furthermore, understanding the relationship between permafrost degradation and associated geohazards due to slope instability, such as landslides, debris flows, avalanches, and glacial lake outburst floods, is crucial for risk assessment and mitigation.
This session invites research on the monitoring and modeling permafrost dynamics in this critical region. We seek contributions that explore the latest techniques/approaches for monitoring, assessing and forecasting permafrost dynamics using ground-based measurements, multi-sensor and multi-scale remote sensing, modeling and geophysical methods. We also highly encourage submissions investigating the linkages between permafrost and hazards, feedbacks and their potential impacts on local communities and infrastructure in the HMA.
The session also aims to foster discussions on early warning and forecasting systems, Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and sustainable development pathways in the context of permafrost change. Contributions focused on policy-relevant research and integrating scientific knowledge into decision-making processes are highly encouraged. By sharing knowledge and fostering collaboration, this session seeks to advance our understanding of permafrost dynamics in HMA and contribute to building a sustainable future for the region.