BACKGROUND There is an urgent need for an improved understanding of the sources, distributions and properties of atmospheric aerosol in order to control the atmospheric pollution over northeastern Himalayas where rising anthropogenic interferences from rapid urbanization and development is becoming an increasing concern. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS An extensive aerosol sampling program was...

The Tibetan Plateau is the highest and largest plateau in the world, generated by the collision of India and Eurasia. Details of this continent-continent collision and the uplift mechanism of the plateau are still hotly debated. In this study, I collected a large amount of seismic waveform data recorded by more than 300 stations in Tibet and its northern neighbor Tien Shan. I processed the data...

Ottelia acuminata (Gagnep.) Dandy (Hydrocharitaceae), an endangered aquatic species, was investigated in the Eastern Himalayas, especially in Yunnan Province of Southwest China. The genetic diversity among seven populations was examined using inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) amplification markers. The field survey showed that 43.5% natural populations of O. acuminata have become extinct duri...

A long term study of warblers in the Himalayas reveals a surprising contrast in the effects of warm springs as opposed to warm summers on a signaling trait, emphasizing the need to consider year-round influences of the environment on morphological variation.

The complete genome sequence of 5.77 Mb is reported for Paenibacillus sp. strain IHBB 10380, isolated from the cold desert area of the northwestern Himalayas and exhibiting amylase and cellulase activities. The gene-coding clusters predicted the presence of genes for hydrolytic enzymes in the genome.

This paper gives a synthesis of this special issue on the sensitivity to climate change of the main bio-physical processes in the Hindukush-Karakoram-Himalayas. It also describes the impacts on the water resources with a special focus on the Ganges. Consequences of changes in water resources and possible adaptation measures for different sectors are discussed.