INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
DEHRADUN: Durung-Drung and Pensilungpa, two glaciers in Ladakh, have retreated by 7.8 sq km and 1.5 sq km respectively from 1971 to 2019
Alarmed scientists hold climate change and several other factors responsible for the melting of glaciers that feed Zanskar river through two
tributaries.Scientists are also surprised by the fact that despite being at an aerial distance of just 1km, the glaciers are retreating at
The findings, authored by scientists of Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG) Manish Metha, Vinit Kumar, Pankaj Kunmar and Kalachand
Sain were recently published in the international, peer-reviewed journal 'Sustainability'
The glaciers are located in Pensi-La pass at an elevation of 14,612 feet in Ladakh
DDG glacier is spread across 72sq km
It has lost 7.8sqkm of ice, which is 10% of its total surface area
PG, a smaller glacier spread across 16sqkm, has lost 1.5sqkm, which is 8% of its total area
According to the study, DDG retreated at 13 metres per year from 1971 to 2019, and PG 5.6 meters annually
Manish Metha, lead author of the study, said, "The glacier retreat is not only influenced by climate change but also by the 'topographic
setting and morphology' of the glaciers
Two glaciers located in the same geography and facing similar climatic conditions, yet retreating in a different manner, indicates that
there are several other factors at play
Snout geometry, glacier size, elevation range, slope, aspect, debris cover as well as the presence of supra and proglacial lakes are
affecting the heterogeneous response of the studied glaciers." Climate change was a vital force in the retreating of the glaciers, the study
Despite the silver lining of one glacier retreating at a slower pace, melting of both glaciers has alarmed environmentalists
The two glaciers contribute significantly to the flow of the Zanskar river
While DDG is the origin of Doda, the largest tributary of Zanskar, PG is the origin of Suru river.
