High mountain asia (HMA) serves as an important 'water tower' providing, through the river systems, freshwater resources to more than 1.3 billion people and 2.8 million KM 2 of cropland in multiple…

This is a federal grant award from the Shared Services Center, a civilian agency, to the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) for a project titled "HIGH MOUNTAIN ASIA AND BEYOND: REGIONAL CHANGES IN CLIMATE, GLACIERS AND WATER RESOURCES". The $365,725 grant will support research on the impacts of climate change on glaciers, snow cover, and hydrology in the High Mountain Asia region, which provides critical freshwater resources to over 1.3 billion people. The award has no set-aside designation, reflecting UAF's status as a public university and state-controlled institution of higher learning. As the University of Alaska's flagship research institution, UAF has extensive expertise in Arctic and climate science, and frequently partners with federal agencies like NASA, NOAA, and the U.S. Geological Survey on related research projects. This grant leverages UAF's specialized facilities and equipment to advance the understanding of the complex interplay between climate, glaciers, and water resources in this important global region.

High mountain asia (HMA) serves as an important 'water tower' providing, through the river systems, freshwater resources to more than 1.3 billion people and 2.8 million KM 2 of cropland in multiple countries through much of asia (unep 2007, immerzeel ET AL ., 2010). The region has the largest ICE cover outside the polar regions (97,600 KM 2) and IT is often referred to as the 'third pole'. Glaciers and snow cover play a major role in the region's water cycle, and climate change induced effects may have major societal implications. A detailed understanding of the complex interplay between the climate, glacier mass change, snow cover, and downstream hydrology is imperative to make accurate projections of the region's water resources and resulting socioeconomic impacts. However, the complex mountain topography, including the earth's highest mountain peaks, combined with generally scarce data coverage pose major challenges in assessing and modeling these linkages and future changes.