COMMUNITY IMPACTS TO AND FROM GLACIOLOGY: ANALYZING THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON HIMALAYAN MOUNTAIN COMMUNITIES WHILE BUILDING THE NEXT GENERATION OF GEOSCIENTISTS

Human activity has undeniably caused the global temperature to rise, and with that rise comes variability and volatility to the climate system. As we face the myriad of environmental alterations that climate change will challenge humanity with, it is becoming increasingly important to turn our attention towards community. This dissertation covers three projects that investigate the impacts of climate change on communities in High Mountain Asia as well as how the scientific community itself can be changed to strengthen our endeavors. Chapter 1 introduces the dissertation framework and sets the stage for the work outlined in Chapters 2-4. Chapter 2 presents a Glacier Index that provides a seasonal measure of the relative importance of glaciers to hydrologic basins in High Mountain Asia and how that importance will change over time. The results of this study demonstrate the need to place environmental changes into context with their surroundings to effectively understand their impacts. Chapter 3 integrates glacier runoff, permafrost extent, snow cover, heat stress, cold stress, air quality, extreme precipitation, and landslides into one Environmental Disturbance Index that investigates variability due to overlapping hazards in 139 state-level administrative territories. This multi-hazard project highlights regional vulnerabilities and presents a scalable framework to characterize environmental disturbances across fields and lays the groundwork for future mitigation policies. Chapter 4 evaluates a workshop intervention we designed to demystify the graduate school application process and boost participant self-efficacy. The brief, low-stakes workshop successfully prepared applicants for their application season and represents a simple yet effective way to increase participation in the geosciences. Chapter 5 concludes the ideas presented in the previous chapters and presents ideas for future work. Combined, this dissertation demonstrate three ways that scientists can meaningfully aid in addressing the environmental changes and risks associated with climate change in High Mountain Asia while uplifting future generations.

Author dc:creator

• Lummus, Myron, Malisse

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Stearns, Leigh, A

• Environmental Sciences

Language dc:language.iso

en

Repository record dc:identifier.uri

https://repository.upenn.edu/handle/20.500.14332/62858

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:repository.upenn.edu:20.500.14332/62858