Climate Change: Glaciers are retreating in Ladakh due to warmer, drier winters, says new study

A new research has brought to light recent reduction in the volume of the Pensilungpa Glacier in Zanskar, Ladakh, is disappearing, according to new research. The retreat is due to a rise in temperature and a decrease in precipitation during the winter months.

The news climate change related development has been highlighted by the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), Dehradun, which has been working on different elements of glaciology since 2015.

A group of experts from the institute went to Zanskar, Ladakh, in the Himalayas to research a less-explored region.

They evaluated the impact of climate change through the perspective of past and present responses of the Pensilungpa Glacier.

The evaluation was done based on field observations for glacier mass balance collected via stake networking over the glacier surface from 2016 to 2019. In this technique, a bamboo stake is installed on the glacier surface using a steam drill for mass balance measurement.

The experts attribute the found recessional changes of the Pensilungpa Glacier to an increase in temperature and decrease in precipitation during winters, according to the study in the journal Regional Environmental Change.

The study also shows that waste cover has a considerable impact on the mass balance and retreat of the glacier's terminal, particularly in the summer. In addition, the mass balance data from 2016 to 2019 revealed a negative pattern with a low collection area ratio.

According to the study, as air temperatures continue to rise in line with global trends, melting will accelerate, and summer precipitation at higher elevations may change from snow to rain, influencing the summer and winter cycles.  

WIHG is an autonomous research center under the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. It’s scope of research includes glacier health monitoring, dynamics, release, past climatic conditions, and predictions for future climate change and its impact on glaciers in this region.