A new study by scientists of Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology has found that three glacial lakes are likely to form around Parkachik Glacier in Ladakh due to rapid ice melt. The glacial melt is worrying as it not only increases chances of glacial lake outbursts but can also lead to paucity of water, glaciers being the region’s primary source of water. The study, published by Cambridge University Press, is based on satellite imagery between 1971-2021 and supplemented by extensive field surveys between 2015-2021. The group of four scientists, led by Dr Manish Mehta, has found that the glacier retreat varied between 1971 and 2021. Remote sensing data shows that the glacier retreated at an average rate of around two metres per annum between 1971 and 1999, whereas between 1999 and 2021, the retreat was at an average rate of around 12 metres per annum. Similarly, field observations through day-to-day monitoring suggest that the glacier retreated at a higher rate than observed in satellite imaging, at 20.5 metres per annum between 2015 and 2021. The Parkachik glacier is one of the largest glaciers in the Suru River valley, covering an area of 53 square km and is 14 km long. The Suru River valley is a part of the southern Zanskar Ranges in the western Himalayas. “There are two main reasons for the rapid melting of the glacier. The first is global warming and increasing temperatures in the region, and the second is that it is at a lower altitude than other glaciers in the Zanskar region," said Dr Mehta speaking with The Indian Express. Mehta said scientists found alarming results in the ablation and accumulation in the glacier. Accumulation is at the top of a glacier, indicating the accumulation of snow. Ablation indicates the glacier’s lower half where melting typically takes place. The study has found that 'surface ice velocity' was 45 metres per annum in the lower ablation zone in 1999-2000 which reduced to 32 metres per annum in 2020-21, a reduction of 28 per cent. “According to the models we have used, three proglacial lakes are likely to form near the glacier. This poses two problems. If the volume of water is large, there is a possibility of glacial lake outbursts. While Ladakh in general is thinly populated, there is a cluster of villages near the glacier, and Kargil is barely 80 km away,” Mehta said. The second issue with the glacial retreat is the loss of a valuable water resource since Ladakh primarily depends on glacial melt for water. “In Asia, three billion people are dependent on glaciers for water,’’ Mehta added. The most catastrophic glacial lake outburst that India has faced in recent years resulted in the 2013 Kedarnath flash floods.
