Ramesh P Singh, Professor

Ramesh P. Singh is a professor at Chapman University, California, USA since 2009. He was a professor during 2007-2009 and a distinguished visiting professor 2003 - 2005 at GMU, Fairfax, VA, USA and at IIT Kanpur, India during 1986-2007. His reseacrh interests: remote sensing, natural hazards, and atmospheric pollution.

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Sessions

09-30
15:00
30min
Optical and Microwave Satellite Data to Evaluate the Disaster Risk in the Himalaya
Ramesh P Singh, Professor

The snow and glaciers in the Himalayan region are very sensitive to the climate change. The cause of the climate change is the long-range transport of dust and outflow of the anthropogenic emissions from the Indo-Gangetic Plains that reach over the Himalayan region. In the last three decades, the population in the Indo-Gangetic Plains have increased that resulted greenhouse emissions over the Himalayan region. The aerosol concentrations have enhanced the melting of snow/glaciers over the Himalayan region. Further, the biomass burning in the Himalayan region is routinely done by the people living in the region, and frequency of forest fires in the lower Himalaya is increasing due to climate change. The satellite data have shown the reduction of spectral reflectance and corresponding changes in backscattering and brightness temperature, that show the dynamic changes in the surface, thickness of the snow/glaciers and characteristics. Further, the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) provide information about the meteorological parameters at the surface and at different pressure levels. Efforts are being made to launch several satellite missions with high spatial and temporal resolutions. The deadly, Chamoli disaster of 7 February 2021 in the Himalaya, is an eye opening for all of us. In this talk, an integrated approach to combine seismic, geophysical and multi satellite optical and microwave data to study the dynamic nature and to get an early signal about changes in surface, snow and glaciers covers that will help us to evaluate the risk of snow avalanches, rockslides, landslides and glacial lake outburst flood (GOLF) in the Himalayan region which will help us to avoid loss of lives.

Indigenous Mapping
Group on Earth Observations