Research Projects

The Earth's cryosphere, including sea ice, ice sheets, glaciers, permafrost, and snow, is considered less diverse due to harsh conditions. Cryoconite holes, hotspots of microbial diversity, darken ice surfaces, decrease albedo, and accelerate glacier melting. To understand their development, study cryoconite sediments, interactions among biota, and local geological and ecohydrological regimes. Glaciers in the northwest Himalaya experience rapid shrinkage compared to other high Asia regions. Cryoconite holes, hotspots of microbial diversity, are active during summer months and cover substantial glacier surfaces. The proposed project aims to study the impact of climate change on permafrost soils and cryoconite holes in the North Western Himalaya. The study will fill the knowledge gap on geomicrobiology and physicochemical characteristics of these unique habitats. Metagenomics and culture-based approaches will be applied to analyze spatial distribution patterns and composition of microbial communities. Cryoconites and permafrost are exciting habitats for understanding horizontal gene transfer in micro-ecosystems and their potential economic value as sources of antifreeze proteins and unique molecules.