Overseas Training > 2009 > Tsutao Oizumi
Tsutao Oizumi
Impact of geomorphological factors on glacier melting and associated glacial lake expansion in the Himalaya, Nepal
Flood Disaster Laboratory, Division of Planning Methodology for
Environmental Disaster Mitigation, Department of Urban and Environmental
Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering
Place of stay: Imja Glacial Lake, NEPAL
Term: August 23 – September 28, 2009
My research topics are glacier melting and glacial lake expansion mechanism in the Himalaya. Glacier melting is a very big issue in the Himalayan countries. However, most of the glaciers are located at the altitude of around 5000 meters, thus there is not enough observation data. I investigated the Imja glacier and collected meteorological data for 10 days.
I obtained a new hypothesis that the main factor of glacial melting is not increasing temperature caused by global warming as widely recognized, but the impact of weathering on glaciers.
When I talked with local people, they said, "We don't like researchers, because they just take some photos and report to the world that Imja glacial lake is dangerous. We also feel that their investigation violates a holy mountain. "
Even though the development of the Internet made it easy to get access to the latest reports and journal articles, I keenly realized that there were still a lot that were only locally available.
I learned that it is important to explain the significance of the study to local people and get their assent to research. For such occasions, I would like to improve my communication skills, including not only language but also cultural understanding.
