Two billion people depend on meltwater from Himalayan glaciers for drinking water, irrigation, and hydropower—yet scientists have almost no data on the tiny organisms in those rivers that keep the water clean. This project fills a critical knowledge gap. As glaciers shrink and disappear, the microbes, algae, and invertebrates that break down pollutants and cycle nutrients will change in unknown ways. Some may vanish; others may proliferate and become health hazards. The researchers will survey three regions in Nepal—Annapurna, Langtang, and Everest—using DNA-based methods to catalogue what lives there now, what those organisms do, and how they respond to seasonal melt and monsoon rains. If successful, the work will produce the first standardised biodiversity baseline for Himalayan rivers. That baseline will let water treatment operators, dam builders, and government agencies anticipate how water quality will shift as glaciers recede through 2100. It will also help predict where pathogens might emerge, allowing upgrades to drinking water systems before communities fall ill. The open-access data will feed into IPCC assessments and global comparisons, giving policymakers a concrete tool rather than guesswork.
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Although glaciers cover only ~10% of Earth's surface, their meltwater rivers are used extensively for hydropower, irrigation and water supply by almost 2 billion people worldwide. Aquatic organisms in these rivers, such as micro-organisms, algae and invertebrates, maintain these critical services by efficiently transferring matter into aquatic and terrestrial food webs, moderating nutrient fluxes, and breaking down pollutants. Conversely, some aquatic organisms pose threats to human health if conditions enable their proliferation. However, glaciers are losing mass at accelerating rates worldwide and many will disappear by 2100, creating huge uncertainties about how these ecosystems will respond. Understanding of biodiversity and functional processes influencing river water quality, and how they change as glaciers are lost, is especially poor for the Himalayas yet this is where the demand for clean water is highest, and people are most vulnerable. This project will develop and implement a standardised, multi-organism research strategy for high-elevation rivers in Nepal, in which ecological understanding is integrated with modelled glacier retreat scenarios to predict how and where species distributions and water quality will change in future. The objectives are to (i) determine the biodiversity of these unique river ecosystems; (ii) discover the functional roles of micro-organisms and invertebrates influencing key water quality and carbon cycle processes; (iii) unravel the importance of physical, chemical and biotic processes alongside dispersal barriers for governing where species can live now and in future. In doing so, we will (iv) reveal how species, communities and ecosystem processes that are critical to maintaining high-quality water will respond as climate change drives high-elevation warming and glacier recession. The project will develop a new strategy for monitoring high-elevation rivers, leveraging expertise from academic and local sources, including DNA-based surveys and logistical support for expeditions in challenging mountain environments. The research will focus on three regions (Annapurna, Langtang, Sagarmatha (Everest)) with high biodiversity and varied river conditions, with an emphasis on Archaea, Bacteria, Fungi, Algae and Invertebrates. Repeat sampling in Sagarmatha will track seasonal dynamics to melt cycles and monsoon rainfall. The project consists of work packages focusing on (i) current population dynamics, (ii) community structure and functional processes influencing water quality, and (iii) modelling studies to determine the processes structuring these communities as well as predictions for how future glacier loss to 2100 will impact rivers. Key findings from these linked work packages will inform reports, scientific publications and data packages for a variety of users. The Himalayas are experiencing rapid warming and ice loss, posing a significant threat to their rich biodiversity. Therefore, this research will be a vital baseline for biodiversity and water quality monitoring to benefit conservation, government, and businesses. As glaciers recede, new land will be exposed attracting extractive industries and increasing dam construction, further endangering biodiversity and requiring sustainable solutions. Changing water sources may also expose communities to pathogens requiring upgrades to drinking water treatment. The project will benefit scientists by advancing wider understanding in ecology, in particular mechanisms of ecosystem resilience to climate change and disturbance, and trait-based approaches to predict ecosystem structure and processes. Students and the public will benefit via website and media dissemination. Open-access data will allow other researchers to compare findings and contribute to global comparative analyses. Through existing roles, the team will communicate findings to IPCC assessments ensuring the research informs global policymakers.
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