Emerging era of extreme climate volatility requires the Arctic and the Third Pole, a part of the same planetary system, be connected in research, in policy, and in preparedness . Linking them will enable a shift from isolated data points to integrated risk strategies, says Sanjay Srivastava, Chief, Disaster Risk Reduction, at UN-ESCAP.
New research reveals climate change does not act in isolation. Continents are linked through tele-connections, or climate anomalies engineered by atmospheric and oceanic circulation systems.
A warming Arctic can influence weather, precipitation, and glacier behaviour across Central and South Asia. In fact, Arctic’s warming and the Himalaya’s risk are coupled.
The Third Pole refers to the Hindu Kush-Karakoram-Himalayan region, a mountainous region in Central Asia considered the third largest store of ice and snow after North and South Poles.
The need to link it with the Artic is not just climate science, it is climate diplomacy. International Year of Glacial Preservation, 2025, offers a critical opportunity for collective action on this front, Srivastava wrote to businessline.
Atmospheric circulation changes: Arctic warming affects the jet stream and planetary waves, which in turn disrupt monsoon patterns and mid-latitude storm (western disturbance) tracks.
Stratosphere–troposphere coupling: Weakening of the Arctic stratospheric polar vortex (above US-Canada) can shift pressure systems as far south as the Himalayas.
Oceanic Teleconnections: Arctic sea ice melt can influence the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (that packs the crucial Gulf Stream) impacting South Asian monsoons.
Hydrological Impacts: Changes ultimately influence snow accumulation, melt timing, and glacial lake dynamics in the Third Pole.
According to Srivastava, adaptation and resilience to glacial risk require two-pronged strategy. First, climate risk assessments must move beyond temperature and precipitation to also incorporate snow and glacial dynamics.
In this context, ESCAP has launched an initiative to develop comprehensive climate risk profiles for Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
Second, it is critical to identify and address key drivers of glacial risk impacts. These include weather and climate variability; geographic diversity and terrain complexity; hydrological characteristics; land use and land cover changes; and exposure of human settlements and critical infrastructure.
A regional cooperation architecture managing Asia glaciers now links the North Eurasian Arctic with the Third Pole Regional Climate Centre Network (TPRCC-N), and the Hindu Kush Himalaya.
Risk scape of this vast glaciated region is captured through seasonal outlooks produced by the North Eurasian Climate Outlook Forum; TPRCC-N, and South Asia Climate Outlook Forum. ESCAP plays its own role by promoting impact-based forecasting to inform diverse socio-economic impacts, Srivastava said.
Published on June 2, 2025
Emerging era of extreme climate volatility requires the Arctic and the Third Pole, a part of the same planetary system, be connected in research, in policy, and in preparedness . Linking them will enable a shift from isolated data points to integrated risk strategies, says Sanjay Srivastava, Chief, Disaster Risk Reduction, at UN-ESCAP.
New research reveals climate change does not act in isolation. Continents are linked through tele-connections, or climate anomalies engineered by atmospheric and oceanic circulation systems.
A warming Arctic can influence weather, precipitation, and glacier behaviour across Central and South Asia. In fact, Arctic’s warming and the Himalaya’s risk are coupled.
The Third Pole refers to the Hindu Kush-Karakoram-Himalayan region, a mountainous region in Central Asia considered the third largest store of ice and snow after North and South Poles.
The need to link it with the Artic is not just climate science, it is climate diplomacy. International Year of Glacial Preservation, 2025, offers a critical opportunity for collective action on this front, Srivastava wrote to businessline.
Atmospheric circulation changes: Arctic warming affects the jet stream and planetary waves, which in turn disrupt monsoon patterns and mid-latitude storm (western disturbance) tracks.
Stratosphere–troposphere coupling: Weakening of the Arctic stratospheric polar vortex (above US-Canada) can shift pressure systems as far south as the Himalayas.
Oceanic Teleconnections: Arctic sea ice melt can influence the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (that packs the crucial Gulf Stream) impacting South Asian monsoons.
Hydrological Impacts: Changes ultimately influence snow accumulation, melt timing, and glacial lake dynamics in the Third Pole.
According to Srivastava, adaptation and resilience to glacial risk require two-pronged strategy. First, climate risk assessments must move beyond temperature and precipitation to also incorporate snow and glacial dynamics.
In this context, ESCAP has launched an initiative to develop comprehensive climate risk profiles for Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
Second, it is critical to identify and address key drivers of glacial risk impacts. These include weather and climate variability; geographic diversity and terrain complexity; hydrological characteristics; land use and land cover changes; and exposure of human settlements and critical infrastructure.
A regional cooperation architecture managing Asia glaciers now links the North Eurasian Arctic with the Third Pole Regional Climate Centre Network (TPRCC-N), and the Hindu Kush Himalaya.
Risk scape of this vast glaciated region is captured through seasonal outlooks produced by the North Eurasian Climate Outlook Forum; TPRCC-N, and South Asia Climate Outlook Forum. ESCAP plays its own role by promoting impact-based forecasting to inform diverse socio-economic impacts, Srivastava said.
Published on June 2, 2025
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The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using ‘Content here, content here’, making
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It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution
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