Ladakh’s Pensilungpa Glacier is now retreating due to an increase in temperature and low winter precipitation. According to a field observation for 2015-2019 by scientists, the glacier is retreating almost at a rate of 6.7 meters per annum.
Published in the journal Regional Environmental Change, the study said;
Based on field observations for glacier mass balance collected via stake networking… over the glacier surface since 2016-2019, they assessed the impact of climate change through the lens of past and present response of the Pensilungpa Glacier, Zanskar Himalaya and Ladakh.
The Pensilungpa Glacier is located in Ladakh’s Zanskar Valley. The Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG) at Dehradun, a body under the Department of Science and Technology, has been working on various aspects of glaciology, basically, it is a study of the internal dynamics and effects of glaciers.
Image: The Hindu
A statement was issued by the Ministry of Science and Technology that some scientists ventured to study the less explored region of the Himalayas at Zanskar.
According to the study led by the team of scientists, the increase in temperature and low winter precipitation is consequently resulting in glacier melting and it is possible that the precipitation of summer periods at higher altitudes will change from snow to rain, affecting the winter patterns.
Also Read: IPCC’s Report Warns India of Impending Climate Change Conditions and Its Effects
The study also indicated that the influence of debris cover on the mass balance and the retreat of the glacier can mostly be seen during the summer season. All these alterations can prompt a rapid retreat of the Pensilungpa Glacier and others in the Indian Himalayan region.
Via: The Hindu