Projecttitle: Determining the impact of nutrient, organic matter and contaminant fluxes from melting Himalaya Glaciers on downstream ecosystems
Project description:
Around 75 % of the Earth’s freshwater is locked up in mountain glaciers and ice sheets and ishighly sensitive to changes in future climate. Glaciers located within the Hindu-Kush Himalayan region represent the largest store of freshwater held in mountain glaciersglobally, and many are predicted to either retreat or disappear this century. The impacts of these changes upon the flow regimes major Asian rivers, which supply 1.4 billion people, are becoming better studied. However, a major research gap is the impact of Himalayan glacier melting upon on thequality of water in these rivers, and thus on downstream ecosystem health. This is important for two main reasons. First, glacier runoff is often found to be enriched in nutrient and bioavailable organic matter, which may be important in sustaining downstream ecosystems and ecosystem services (e.g. fisheries). However, glacial catchments also sequester pollutants from the atmosphere in snowfall and release trace metals from bedrock via erosion, which are released to downstream aquatic ecosystems. While these impacts are well researchedelsewhere (e.g. Alaska, European Alps, Greenland), the role of glacial meltwater in shaping the form and function ofHimalayan aquatic ecosystems is a new field. It requires close cooperation with Himalayan host nations because of the remote nature of the field sites and requirement for governmental permission.
This PhD project aims to employ novel in situ chemical sensing technologies developed via previous NERC funding (Discovery Grant “DELVE”, Dr Liz Bagshaw, University of Cardiff and Dr Alex Beaton, National Oceanography Centre), in combination with chemical profiling of Himalayan glacier runoff for organic matter, inorganic nutrients (Profs. Jemma Wadham, Richard Evershed) and contaminants (Prof. Laura Robinson). It will be complemented by in situ biological measurementsand bio-assays in the study river catchments to infer the bioavailability of exported nutrients/organic matter to planktonic communities and any incorporation of contaminants into biota (Prof. Alex Anesio).
The project will be undertaken in collaboration with Prof. Al. Ramanathan at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU: New Delhi) who has developed several glacier field sites in the Indian Himalaya over the last 15 years. The project will specifically aim to determine the controls upon the fluxes of nutrient and organic matter(Objective 1) and of toxins (e.g. metals, micro plastics) (Objective 2) in runoff from Himalayan river catchments with contrasting glacial cover. It will go onto determine the impact of Himalayan river water quality upon downstream planktonic communities (Objective 3). This will result in a ground-breaking assessment of the impact of a deglaciating Himalaya upon downstream river water quality and aquatic ecosystemsin warming world.
Real Life challenges this project will address
India and its neighbouring countries face a high degree of uncertainty in the future water supply (volume and quality) from Himalayan glacial meltwaters, which account for up to 70% of total discharge from some rivers. For this reason, large engineering projects involving damning or diversion of major rivers are a central prong of development plans for several countries (e.g. China, India, Bhutan). Thebiogeochemical impacts of retreating Himalayan ice or of damning of major rivers upon Asian river water is virtually unknown. This PhD project will directly address the Real-Life challenges that changing Himalayan ice and different management strategies present for the quality of water to valuable aquatic ecosystems in the 21st century. It will also directly address the urgent need for novel in situ monitoring techniques required to gather data from challenging and remote field settings.
What you should know about this project, what does a student need to know about the project and why is your supervisory team best to support it?
This project combines a unique set of inter-disciplinary skills, and associated training, in the subjects of Glaciology, Life Sciences, Biogeochemistry, Hydrology and Wireless Sensing. The student will be part of a wider programme and international team (Hi-ICE project – Bio-climatic feedbacks of melting Himalayan Ice, funded by the research incubation programme “UKIERI”), but addressing a clearly defined research question: What is the impact of future melting of Himalayan Glaciers upon the export of contaminants, organic matter and nutrients in glacial runoff, and how will this affect downstream aquatic ecosystems?
What expertise you will develop
The student will develop skills in state of the art analytical chemistry techniques (e.g. ion chromatography, spectrofluorometry, mass spectrometry), applied to a range of media including meltwaters, ice, snow andsediments. The project will involve integral bioscience skills development, including epifluorescence microscopy/flow cytometry (cell enumeration), bio-assays and chemical extraction/analysis (to determine the impacts of glacial nutrients or contaminants on planktonic biota).The student will also receive training in continuous monitoring techniques enabled by in situ chemical sensors (developed at the National Oceanography Centre). Depending on the experience of the candidate, there may be the opportunity to join a field expedition to the Indian Himalaya and gain experience in fieldwork planning, logistics and team work. The collaboration with Indian scientists and a co-supervisor at JNU will equip the student with a range of collaborative skills and direct experience of working in science at the forefront of Global Challenges agendas. They will deepen their understanding of the water management issues in the Himalaya and the societal and economic pressures that Himalayan nations face.
Why this project is novel
This project will exploit a unique set of techniques cross-cutting the fields of biosciences, biogeochemistry, glaciology and engineering to tackle a virtually untouched topic. It benefits from the unique collaboration with Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, developed via funded UKIERI project to the PI.
GW4+ Supervisors
Prof.Jemma Wadham/Prof.Alex Anesio – Bristol Glaciology Centre
Dr Liz Bagshaw – University of Cardiff
Prof.Richard Evershed – Organic Geochemistry Unit, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol
Prof.Laura Robinson – School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol
External Partners
Dr Alex Beaton – National Oceanography Centre (in situ chemical sensing)
Prof.Al. Ramanathan – Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi (Himalayan Glaciology)
Prof. Pete Nienow – University of Edinburgh (Himalayan Glacier Hydrology)