High-altitude tree-ring research in Manang, Mustang and Dolpa, reconstructing past climate and tracking how the Himalayan treeline is responding to warming.
Background
This research formed part of Mainstreaming Climate Change Risk Management in Development (MCCRMD), supported by the Asian Development Bank and the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology. The treeline is one of the most sensitive indicators of how mountain ecosystems respond to a warming climate.
Approach
- Permanent high-altitude research plots established in Manang, Mustang and Dolpa
- Dendrochronological sampling at treeline ecotones
- Reconstruction of past temperature patterns from tree-ring records
Outcome
Published models of treeline dynamics describing how Himalayan forests have responded to twentieth-century warming, contributing to national climate change adaptation policy.
Period
February 2015 – August 2016
Team
Yub Raj Dhakal (Principal Investigator) and Shravan Kumar Ghimire, PhD (researcher and dendrochronologist).
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Ongoing
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