The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has launched a free, one-day online course focusing on Himalayan cryospheric hazards, aimed at final-year undergraduate and postgraduate students across India.
This initiative is designed to educate participants about the significant impacts of climate change on Himalayan glaciers and their surrounding environments.
The course will cover essential topics, including glacier hazards, glacier dynamics, glacial lake dynamics, permafrost melting, snow cover dynamics, and debris flow. Participants will gain insights into the formation of new glacial lakes, which pose risks such as Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF), and the emerging issue of permafrost melting.
Hosted on ISRO’s e-class platform, the program is structured into four key sessions: an overview of geological hazards (11:00-11:30), elements and dynamics of the cryosphere from a climate change perspective (11:35-12:20), high mountain hazards with a focus on debris flow (14:15-15:00), and remote sensing applications for cryospheric hazards (15:05-15:50). The course is accessible via any device with internet connectivity, requiring no special hardware or software.
Students must attend at least 70% of each session to qualify for a certificate, which will be available for download through the ISRO Learning Management System (LMS). Registrations can be done individually or through nodal centres, with individual registrations being automatically approved.
This workshop aims to enhance students' understanding of the complex issues related to Himalayan cryospheric hazards, opening up potential research opportunities and career paths in climate science and space exploration.