SERVIR Profile of Finu Shrestha
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Name: Finu Shrestha
Affiliation: SERVIR-HKH
Role/Title: Research Associate, GIS
Year you joined SERVIR: 2017
Please introduce yourself. What are you passionate about?
I come from a natural science background with a specialization in Hydrology and Meteorology. I started my career mapping water resources and the cryosphere in the Himalayan region using Earth observation technology. The region is experiencing loss of ice mass and snow cover, and a consistent increase in the formation of glacial lakes. I am particularly interested in quantifying this change and its implications on our environment.
What initially attracted you to this field of work?
Melting of glaciers is a clear indicator of climate change. By understanding past and present behavior of glaciers and analyzing possible changes in the long-run, we can understand the impacts of climate change on water resources. A fascination with glacier behavior, and an interest to broaden my knowledge drove me to join this field of work.
What SERVIR activity are you currently working on?
At SERVIR-HKH, I work closely with colleagues based in Afghanistan, towards developing an inventory of glaciers for Afghanistan. Along with other colleagues at ICIMOD, I guide them in the mapping and monitoring of glaciers using GIS tools and remote sensing techniques, and carry out quality assurance for the generated datasets. I hope that our Afghani colleagues will be able to train others and carry out glacier studies independently in the future.
How does your work generate positive change?
I have been conducting long-term research on the glaciers in the Hindu Kush Himalaya to understand their current behavior and dynamic changes over the years. Such research has aimed to enhance knowledge and generate reliable scientific data, findings and information. My glacier research findings will also act as a baseline for monitoring future glacial behavior. The results obtained from these areas provide beneficial datasets to scientists, policymakers and development planners to address and make decisions on many levels.