Synopsis of Lecture:

How does climate change affect landslide hazard and risk? Climate change is increasing these risks. Wetter winters, drier summers, and extreme weather can affect stability of slopes, increasing potential for erosion, avalanche and landslide. Impacts can be catastrophic to people, property, and critical infrastructure like roads and power lines. Canada is not immune to these effects as it is warming faster than the world as a whole — at more than twice the global rate — and the Canadian Arctic is warming at about three times the global rate. (Source: Natural Resources Canada). This lecture will present the stunning images and experience of a Canadian scientist studying landslides in northern India using Canadian technology. Recent devastating earthquakes and flash floods are seriously affecting the population and critical infrastructure in the Himalayas. The Canada-India space cooperation program focused on the uses of Canadian RADARSAT images to monitor critical transportation routes in the eastern Himalayas, in the District of West Bengal. This study used 20 Canadian RADARSAT-2 images acquired over 18 months to assist in developing an early warning landslide monitoring system. In this region there are approximately 3000 active landslides, affecting the strategic transportation corridors such as the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR)) and National Highway (NH-55) which connect the scenic towns and tea plantations. This Canadian methodology will be used by the new NISAR satellite to be launched by Indian Space Agency (ISRO) and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in early 2024.