earth science

Vijay Kumar Raina

Vijay Kumar Raina is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Vijay Kumar Raina rather than just read about it. In short: Vijay Kumar Raina (1936 – 26 July 2026) was an Indian geologist and glaciologist, and author of a controversial discussion paper from India's Ministry of Environment and Forests regarding Himalayan glaciers. He was formerly deputy director-general of the Geological Survey of India, and led two scientific expeditions conducted by the Indian Antarctic Program.

Key takeaways

Vijay Kumar Raina belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
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Reproduce the core statement of Vijay Kumar Raina from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Vijay Kumar Raina (1936 – 26 July 2026) was an Indian geologist and glaciologist, and author of a controversial discussion paper from India's Ministry of Environment and Forests regarding Himalayan glaciers. He was formerly deputy director-general of the Geological Survey of India, and led two scientific expeditions conducted by the Indian Antarctic Program.

Career In June 1958, Raina led the first Geological Survey of India expedition to the Siachen glacier. In the 1980s, Raina was the director general of the glaciology division at Geological Survey of India (GSI). Raina retired in 1991, and died on 26 July 2026.

Himalayan glacial melt controversy

On 10 July 2009, Raina visited the headquarters of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) along with 40 other scientists to hear a report on satellite images of Himalayan glaciers prepared by the Space Application Centre (SAC). On 4 August 2009, Raina submitted a paper outlining his dissent of the methodology of the SAC report and the claim that the Himalayan glaciers would disappear by 2035. Based on 150 years of GSI data on 25 Indian glaciers, Raina concluded: "It is premature to make a statement that glaciers in the Himalayas are retreating abnormally because of the global warming." Environment minister Jairam Ramesh released the report in November 2009. Rajendra K. Pachauri, chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), disagreed with Raina's claims. In 2022, Raina co-authored a report for the CATO Institute that claims the Himalayan glacial melt has been exaggerated.

Works Raina contributed to over 100 scientific papers and three books. Raina was co-author of "Glacier Atlas of India" which is a collection of photographs and descriptions of glaciers.

External links "Himalayan Glaciers: A State-of-Art Review of Glacial Studies, Glacial Retreat and Climate Change"

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Vijay Kumar Raina

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Vijay Kumar Raina claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Vijay Kumar Raina before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Vijay Kumar Raina ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Vijay Kumar Raina

In research: Vijay Kumar Raina appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Vijay Kumar Raina in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Vijay Kumar Raina is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1936 births, 2026 deaths, 21st-century Indian geologists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Vijay Kumar Raina outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Vijay Kumar Raina in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Vijay Kumar Raina means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Vijay Kumar Raina out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Vijay Kumar Raina in simple terms?

Why does Vijay Kumar Raina matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Vijay Kumar Raina?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Vijay Kumar Raina.