Mountains occupy about 24% of the earth surface area and store water in the form of snow, glaciers, permafrost, wetlands, and rivers, and they supply watersheds by providing ground water recharge. The populations who live in mountain areas benefit from these services, but the main beneficiaries of this enormous water storage capacity are the multitudes who live in the vast basin areas downstream. Mountains also represent a key opportunity to detect trends of climatic change and to assess climate related geo-hydrological impacts. Dwarfing all other mountains of the world in sheer height,...