Scientists have detected a potentially dangerous glacial lake in Arunachal Pradesh that could trigger devastating floods across the Brahmaputra basin.
A team of scientists has warned of a possible Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) after detecting a 'potentially dangerous' proglacial lake at an altitude of nearly 16,500 feet in the Mago Chu basin of Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang district.
The lake was identified during the Khangri glacier expedition to the Mago Chu basin, a crucial headwaters region of the larger Brahmaputra river system.
The expedition, which began on May 4, was undertaken to assess glacier health, monitor the cryosphere and study climate-related hazards in the eastern Himalayas.
"During the ground-truthing studies, scientists and engineers observed that the Khangri glacier is undergoing rapid and alarming geomorphological transformation, indicating accelerated impacts of climate variability in the high-altitude Himalayan environment," said Tana Tage, director, Centre for Earth Sciences and Himalayan Studies (CESHS), Arunachal Pradesh.
According to Tage, the team observed the development of a major glacier sinking zone where the glacier snout is collapsing rapidly, creating highly unstable terrain conditions.
"Such geomorphological instability could substantially increase downstream vulnerability and landscape hazards in the Mago Chu basin," he said.
The scientists warned that a glacial lake burst in the region could have serious consequences downstream.
"This could lead to potential adverse impacts in downstream areas of Arunachal Pradesh, north and western Assam, including the Bodoland region, and in parts of Bhutan through the Jang waterfalls," Tage said.
The expedition was conducted by CESHS in collaboration with the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research and the North Eastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology.
Although the region experienced relatively healthy winter snowfall this year, Tage said the findings indicate that glacier melting is continuing at a critically high rate.
"Despite comparatively healthy winter snow accumulation, glacier melting continues due to persistent climate variability and rising atmospheric temperatures across the eastern Himalayas," he said.
To strengthen long-term glacier monitoring and cryosphere research, the team installed five new scientific monitoring stakes at elevations of nearly 17,000 feet using a steam ice-core drilling system integrated with Differential Global Positioning System technology.
"These installations will support continued glacier mass balance assessments and surface velocity monitoring in the coming years," Tage said.
The scientists also retrieved important data from the existing Automatic Weather Station and Automatic Water Level Recorder, and carried out calibration and maintenance of both systems.
"The collected datasets will contribute towards understanding extreme weather dynamics, hydrological responses and glacier-linked climate interactions in the region," Tage added.
Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff