Enhancing Climate Resilience in South Asia and China: Predicting Precipitation Shifts and Their Impacts for Disaster Risk Reduction and Resource Security Team Members
Dr. Ambarish Karmalkar
University of Rhode Island, USA
Dr. Karmalkar is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geosciences at the University of Rhode Island, USA. He is a physical climate scientist studying regional climate change and its impacts on human and natural resources. Two broad themes—physical science and climate science translation—encapsulate his research interests and activities. As a physical climate scientist, he uses observations and numerical model simulations to investigate atmosphere and ocean processes that shape our climate at local scales. As a climate science translator, he collaborates with scientists, government officials, and practitioners to produce actionable climate science.
Dr. Baker Perry
University of Nevada, Reno
Dr. Perry is a Professor of Climatology and the Nevada State Climatologist in the Department of Geography at the University of Nevada, Reno. He works at the highest elevations of the planet to understand climate change impacts on the critical water towers that sustain hundreds of millions of people downstream. In collaboration with The National Geographic Society, the Government of Nepal, Tribhuvan University, and Appalachian State University, Dr. Perry co-led the expeditions that installed the highest altitude weather station network in the world on the south side of Mount Everest in Nepal.
Dr. Deepak Aryal
Central Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (CDHM), Tribhuvan University, Nepal
Dr. Deepak Aryal is a Professor and Head at the Central Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (CDHM), Tribhuvan University. He is an Academician at NAST. He is also the Chairperson of the Society of Hydrologists and Meteorologists of Nepal (SOHAM-Nepal). He has extensive experience of 26 years in meteorological, glaciological, air pollution and aerosol field campaigning in Japan and Nepal. He has many national and international publications and has presented his work in several international conferences including AGU, EGU, AOGS, and JpGU.
Dr. Dhanya
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (Amrita University), India
Dr. Dhanya M. currently serves as assistant professor at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, India. She has an MSc degree in Physics and an MTech degree in Atmospheric Sciences. She received PhD from the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. The title of her PhD thesis is “Improved simulation of meteorological systems over India: Impact of assimilating satellite observations using 3dvar and EnKf” . This work involved the assimilation of remote sensing observations in the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model using 3-dimensional variational technique as well as the ensemble Kalman filter technique. Presently, her research is focused on numerical modelling as well as the application of AI/ML tools to problems in Earth science. She is also involved in the development of rainfall threshold models useful for landslide early warning and disaster mitigation.
Dr. Hatsuki Fujinami
Nagoya University, Japan
Dr. Fujinami is a Lecturer at ISEE, Nagoya University. He is a member of the working group of the Asian Australian Monsoon Working Group (AAM-WG) of the monsoon panel and the Working Group of Tropical Meteorological Research (WG-TMR) of WWRP. His research interests include understanding the processes responsible for precipitation variations in monsoon Asia over a broad range of time scales from diurnal cycle to climate change. He has worked extensively in diurnal precipitation cycle, low pressure systems, and intraseasonal oscillations and the interplay among them around South Asia.
Dr. Hemalatha
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (Amrita University), India
Dr. Hemalatha T is an Assistant Professor at the Amrita Center for Wireless Networks & Applications, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, India. She is an accomplished researcher specializing in forecasting imminent landslides, leveraging social media analytics for natural hazard event detection, and designing advanced decision support systems for landslide monitoring and early warning. Her work focuses on establishing critical thresholds for sensor data in landslide forecasting, enabling efficient prediction of imminent landslides, and performing comprehensive risk analyses.
Dr. Maneesha Vinodini Ramesh
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (Amrita University), India
Dr. Maneesha Vinodini Ramesh is a visionary leader and an accomplished scientist, with extensive expertise in climate resilience, disaster risk reduction, and sustainable development. Currently, she serves as the Pro Vice Chancellor (Provost) of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (Amrita University), the Director of the Amrita Center for Wireless Networks & Applications, Dean for International Programs, and Dean of the Amrita School for Sustainable Futures. Her work has significantly contributed to global efforts in addressing critical challenges related to climate and sustainability.
Dr. Min Feng
Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
Dr. Min Feng is a professor at the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). He is also the director of the Research Center of Three Pole Observation and Big Data and deputy director of the State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment, and Resources (TPESRE). Dr. Feng received his Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Cartography and Geographic Information Science and a B.S. degree in physical geography. Dr. Feng has worked at the University of Maryland and CAS. His research interests are in remote sensing big data, and he has published more than 100 articles.
Dr. Mirza Hasanuzzaman
Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Bangladesh
Dr. Mirza Hasanuzzaman is a Professor of Agronomy at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. He received his Ph.D. from Ehime University, Japan. Later, he completed his postdoctoral research in the Center of Molecular Biosciences (COMB), University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan. Subsequently, he became an Adjunct Senior Researcher at the University of Tasmania. Prof. Hasanuzzaman has over 300 Scopus-indexed publications and among them more than 250 in the Web of Science.
Dr. Nir Krakauer
City College of New York, USA
Dr. Nir Krakauer is Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at the City College of New York. He holds a doctorate in geochemistry from the California Institute of Technology and was a NOAA Climate and Global Change Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California at Berkeley. He has extensive experience in leading and publishing research into climate change and its impact on streamflow, agriculture, biodiversity, and health both in the USA and globally. He has strong interest in new tools and methodologies for assessing climate risks and making more accurate predictions, mentoring students and young professionals, and developing and teaching courses and training modules on data analysis and statistics related to climate science and sustainability.
Dr. Tao Che
Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
Dr. Tao Che has been a Professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences since 2014. Dr. Che has devoted to the research on remote sensing of snow cover, with specific focus on ground observation, remote sensing algorithm, and snow cover products. His major academic achievements include: (1) establishing the first comprehensive snow observatory in China (2) developing an innovative dynamic remote sensing algorithm that prioritizes snow characteristics as inputs and proposing a microwave remote sensing algorithm to describe the unique snow characteristics in China, and (3) releasing China’s first long-term hourly snow depth dataset with extensive applications in climate change, hydrology, water resources, as well as natural hazard research.
Vasker Sharma
Jigme Namgyel Engineering College, Royal University of Bhutan
Mr. Vasker Sharma is a Lecturer and currently serves as the Head of the Department of Civil Engineering and Surveying at Jigme Namgyel Engineering College, Royal University of Bhutan. He was awarded an ITEC fellowship to pursue a Master's degree in Surface Water Hydrology at the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee. His primary research interests focus on understanding hydroclimatic variables and flood dynamics in the context of climate change. He has published several research articles and recently developed an interest in incorporating Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence into his work.
Dr. Wajid Nasim Jatoi
The Islamia University of Bahawalpur (IUB), Pakistan
Dr. Wajid Nasim Jatoi serving in the Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture & Environment, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur (IUB), Pakistan since November 21, 2019. He completed his Post Doctorates from FRANCE & from AUSTRALIA in the field of Climate Change & Food Security Sustainable and Precision Agriculture. Before Post Doctorates, he completed his PhD training from “College of Agriculture & Environmental Sciences, The University of Georgia, USA.
Dr. Dhiraj Pradhananga
Chairholder, UNESCO Chair in Mountain Water Sustainability
Dr. Dhiraj Pradhananga has over 30 years of experience in water, climate, and environmental sciences, making significant contributions to education, research, and advocacy for climate resilience. He began his professional career as a meteorologist at Nepal’s Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (1995–1998) and is currently an Associate Professor at Tribhuvan University. He is a UNESCO Chairholder in Mountain Water Sustainability and a Vice President of the International Commission of Snow and Ice Hydrology (ICISH) of IAHS (2023–2027). As the President of The Small Earth Nepal (SEN), Dr Pradhananga promotes sustainable lifestyles through education, research, and community networks.
Ayaswori Byanju
The Small Earth Nepal (SEN)
Ms. Ayaswori Byanju is a Research Associate at The Small Earth Nepal. With a strong background in environmental science, she has contributed to research on wetland conservation, climate data analysis, and modeling. As an early career professional, she gained valuable experience working on an APN project focused on Floating Treatment Wetland Systems (FTWS). Her work reflects a commitment to sustainable environmental solutions and data-driven climate research.
The Project
South Asia's prosperity relies on dependable monsoon patterns. However, climate change is changing these cycles, leading to more frequent and severe floods, droughts, and landslides. These disasters endanger the entire region's water supply, agricultural production, energy generation, and infrastructure. This project applies an interdisciplinary approach to investigate the changing precipitation patterns and their consequences. The project will enhance the understanding of precipitation shifts and precipitation phase change in montane and dryland South Asia and China. The project will also facilitate the development of actionable strategies for disaster risk reduction and water, food, and energy security.
