Nepali Female Scientist Receives Chinese Grant for Study on Trans-Himalayan River

Dr Namita Poudel Adhikari, a scientist at the Center for Pan-Third Pole Environment at Lanzhou University, has received a major prestigious grant from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) to conduct the first study on nitrogen cycling and nitrogen flux estimation in the trans-Himalayan river system.

NSFC has stated that this study would be a significant achievement for Himalayan science. She will conduct research under Chinese scientist Professor Yongqin Liu at the Center for Pan-Third Pole Environment, Lanzhou University, China who has developed several major databases for studying glacier microbiomes across the Three Poles. The one-year project, worth approximately 5 million Nepali rupees, focuses on the Koshi River basin, which flows from its Tibetan source in China through Nepal.

She has been conducting research in this area since 2016. This grant will build on her previous work to study biogeochemical cycles, particularly nitrogen, and determine nitrogen flux in this highly understudied region. Nitrogen is an essential element for life, but human activities and climate change have severely disrupted its natural cycle. Large amounts of reactive nitrogen enter freshwater systems each year, causing oxygen depletion, harmful algal blooms, and loss of biodiversity.

Therefore, accurate flux estimation encompassing inputs and in-river transformations is crucial for understanding impacts on water quality and ecological health. The nitrogen cycle is also a sensitive indicator of environmental change. Arctic studies have shown that the composition of nitrogen export in rivers is changing, dissolved organic nitrogen is increasing while dissolved inorganic nitrogen is decreasing.

The trans-Himalaya is warming at a similar or even faster rate, but comparable studies have so far been absent, now they will be conducted. The trans-Himalayan region is warming faster than almost anywhere else on Earth, yet its rivers remain a clear blank spot on the scientific map.

These rivers, flowing from Tibet in China through Nepal and beyond, are part of the “Third Pole,” the largest store of ice outside the polar regions and the lifeline for tens of millions of people downstream. The nitrogen dynamics of these rivers have not yet been systematically studied.

Dr. Namita’s project will provide the first integrated quantification of nitrogen flux in the Koshi basin, from glacial meltwater and atmospheric deposition to riverine transport and transformation. By tracking nitrogen’s journey from source to downstream, it will establish a scientific basis for one of the world’s most climate-sensitive regions and provide critical data for global biogeochemical models.

This grant is another milestone in Dr. Namita’s distinguished career. She holds a Ph.D. (CAS-TWAS Scholarship) and a Master’s degree (Chinese government scholarship) in Microbiology from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, and a Bachelor’s degree in Microbiology from Prithvi Narayan Campus, Pokhara.

Through more than a decade of field research on trans-Himalayan rivers, lakes, and glaciers, she has gained expertise in microbial ecology, bioinformatics, environmental chemistry, and high-altitude research. Her work has been published in high-impact-factor scientific journals such as Ecological Indicators, Environmental Research, Environmental Pollution, and Science of the Total Environment.

Her honors include the Youth Talent Award (Rs. 50,000) from the Gandaki Provincial Government, Nepal in 2024; the Outstanding International Student Award (Rs. 600,000) from Ministry of Education China in 2020; and the Excellent Student Award from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2019. Originally from Myagde-2, Tanahun, Nepal, Dr Adhikari is a leading voice in the field of microbial ecology in the extreme environments of the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau.

Her research on alpine lakes has analyzed over 5,000 genetic sequences, showing how temperature, pH, and ultraviolet radiation shape microorganisms. She has also contributed to identifying cold-adapted bacteria, shedding light on genomic adaptations that allow microorganisms to survive in polar and alpine conditions. As she embarks on this funding, Dr. Namita continues to build academic bridges between China and Nepal through trans-Himalayan research, between microbial processes and global climate change, and between science and the water security of tens of millions of people. (RSS)