GLACIER RECEDING AND ECOLOGICAL THRESHOLDS FOR TIBETAN PLATEAU AND ASSOCIATED CRYOSPHERE

Mountain hazards are environmentally created and their strength changed with rigorousness of climatic factors. High alpine areas are usually covered with glaciers where atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, and cryosphere including mankind interrelate. Climate change accelerations in 21st century and past assessments of the stressors how they affect ecosystems in the mountains of South Asia with observed and projected temperature and precipitations impacts and with a focus on plant ecology changes were examined. The ecological thresholds for biosphere is achieved when an alteration in the quality, singularity or features of an ecosystem produce large and persistence responses in an ecosystem. This review builds on an extensive scientific literature and IPCC recent calculations of the historical and potential impacts of glaciers receding with climate change affecting ecosystem thresholds. It identifies the rate of changes in plant communities and phenologies and processes observed in Tibet Plateau, Greater Himalayas and associated mountain ranges. The increased glacier melting water accounted for the increase in lake’s volume. Similarly the water storage properties of glaciers and seasonal snow have been studied focusing on the impact of recent trends regarding glaciers and snow due to climate change. The findings conclude that by the end of twenty-first century, an ecosystem collapse could result from the sensitivity of glaciers towards the current warming scenario and climate change. This reviewed research will draw attention of the international research community towards this region leading to a more dynamic research to deal with the aforementioned crossing of ecological thresholds and anthropogenic problems.