Tenzing Chogyal Sherpa is a cryosphere analyst at ICIMOD, whose work concentrates on understanding glacier dynamics in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region, the impacts of climate change on the region’s cryosphere and the human impacts due to those changes.
Born in Namche Bazaar, a village in the foothills of Mt. Everest, Tenzing is ethnic Sherpa and the grandson of the last surviving member of the 1953 British Mount Everest expedition team. He has extensive experience in conducting glacio-hydrological expeditions and geophysical surveys across Nepal. He was a key researcher in the National Geographic and Rolex Everest Expedition, contributing to the installation of one of the highest Automatic Weather Stations in the world. He also played a crucial role in the Everdrill project, where scientists drilled over 150 meters into the Khumbu Glacier.
A prominent advocate for climate action, Tenzing spearheaded ICIMOD’s global #SaveOurSnow campaign on the 70th anniversary of Everest's first ascent. He is a sought-after spokesperson on climate and cryosphere issues in the Hindu Kush Himalaya, with interviews featured by major global media outlets such as BBC World Service and The Times. In November 2023, at age 31, Tenzing represented ICIMOD at President Emmanuel Macron’s One Planet Polar Summit, the world's first summit dedicated to Earth's polar and glaciated regions.
He holds an MS by Research in Glaciology and a BSc in Environmental Science, both from Kathmandu University. Before joining ICIMOD, he worked as a Research Associate for the Cryosphere Monitoring Project (CMP) at Kathmandu University.
Some more information about Tenzing’s story can be found in the links below:
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