Glacio-hydrological studies carried out
DIRANG, 26 Apr: A team of scientists from the Centre for Earth Sciences and Himalayan Studies (CESHS), Arunachal Pradesh, Goa-based National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research, and the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, carried out glacio-hydrological studies on Khangri glacier in the Gori Chen mountain region from 19-26 April.
The studies were carried out to understand the glacier’s health and associated water resources, the CESHS informed in a release.
Key activities included glacier mass balance measurements at 5,032 msl, aimed at understanding the glacier’s health and response to climate change.
The team conducted a comprehensive risk assessment of Rani Lake – a Category B glacial lake, identified by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) – for its potential to trigger glacial lake outburst floods. “This involved a bathymetric survey to determine lake depth and volume, along with terrain observations to evaluate moraine stability, drainage pathways, and downstream hazard potential,” the release said.
To support continuous climate monitoring, the team also performed maintenance of an automatic weather station, “and retrieved winter-over data, ensuring uninterrupted acquisition of essential meteorological parameters critical for glacier and climate studies,” it said.
In addition, the team performed maintenance of water level sensors and conducted direct measurements of glacier meltwater discharge, enabling accurate assessment of total runoff from the glacier system.
“Marking a first-of-its-kind initiative, the team carried out a reconnaissance survey of a cluster of Category B glacier lakes located at an altitude of 5,300 msl. These lakes, identified by the NDMA, were assessed for their risk potential to inform future hazard mitigation and disaster preparedness strategies,” the release said.
Additionally, in order to make such expeditions more convenient, the team identified a suitable site in Mirathang for establishing a long-term high-altitude field research station, it said.
