Rapid Lake Level Fall in Pangong Tso (lake) in Ladakh, NW Himalaya: A Response of Late Holocene Aridity

Srivastava, Pradeep; Kumar, Anil; Singh, Randheer; Deepak, Oshin; Kumar, Arjit M.; Ray, Yogesh; Jayangondaperumal, R.; Phartiyal, Binita; Chahal, Poonam; Sharma, Choudhurimayum Pankaj; Ghosh, Rina; Kumar, Naresh; Agnihotri, Rajesh

doi:10.18520/cs/v119/i2/219-231

Cited by 10 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Pangong Tso is a high-altitude lake, at 4246 m above sea level (asl) in the eastern part of the Ladakh Himalaya. The lake with an average width of 5 km (maximum 8 km), 140 km length and 100 m average depth has a watershed of 31,000 km 2 and 650 km 2 waterbody surface area (Hou et al, 2017; Srivastava et al, 2020; Taft et al, 2020). The lake has numerous inlet streams in its watershed at the elevation >6000 m asl which are draining from glaciers.…”

Section: Study Area: Geomorphologic and Climatic Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Geomorphologically, the periphery of the lake is occupied by alluvial fans, deltaic deposits, paleo-shorelines and beach settings. Srivastava et al (2020) provided a preliminary geomorphological profile of the highest lake-stand using Differential Global Positioning System survey, which set a base for the present study. The vertical sections of the deltaic deposits are exposed at places due to incision by several tributaries, where detail sedimentological logging and sampling have been done.…”

Section: Study Area: Geomorphologic and Climatic Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a result the terrain is composed of semi-arid to arid landscapes where the dominant sources of precipitation are westerly driven disturbances and to some extent by ISM incursions (Leipe et al, 2014). The lake catchment receives ~75 mm annual precipitation (mostly in the form of snow-fall) by the westerlies (Srivastava et al, 2020). The annual temperature in the winter goes up to ~−40°C and in summer the average day temperature is ~20°C.…”

Section: Study Area: Geomorphologic and Climatic Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The hydrology of these lakes is sensitive to air temperature, precipitation, snow-glacier melt and soil permafrost degradation (Leipe et al, 2014; Liu et al, 2009a). In the past, during warm climatic phases, the lake levels of these water bodies were significantly higher and it is only during the Late-Holocene when, due to increased aridity, many lakes turned saline to hyper saline during declining lake levels (Jonell et al, 2020; Liu et al, 2011; Pan et al, 2012; Srivastava et al, 2020). Owing to increased glacial melting and precipitation during the past 40 years, lake levels in the TP region are now rising (Cha et al, 2014; Lei et al, 2014; Wan et al, 2016; Zhang et al, 2019), though it is unknown for how long this will continue.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Pangong Tso (Tso is the Tibetan word for a lake) is a ~140 km long hypersaline lake with classic Gilbert-type deltaic sequences at its western end (Srivastava et al, 2020). The delta stratigraphy of Pangong Tso, in its various lobes, is clearly divisible into bottomset, foreset and topset sedimentary units and contains freshwater gastropods ( Radix sp. )…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Late-Holocene hydrological variability from the NW Himalaya and southwestern Tibetan Plateau: Paleo-salinity records from Pangong Tso

et al. 2023

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Variations in lake-levels and hydrology are connected to climatic dynamics over the Trans-Himalaya and Tibetan Plateau (TP). Pangong Tso, a ~140 km long hypersaline lake, is sensitive to changes in air temperature, precipitation and snow-glacier melt over the southwestern TP. The incised tributaries entering the lake expose deltaic sequences constituting topset, foreset and bottomset. Sedimentology, chronology and diatom analysis of delta sediments; and stable isotopic and sclerochronological analysis of gastropods helped delineate the Late-Holocene variation in lake levels, surface temperature and salinity. The elevation of the topsets is considered as representing past lake high-stands from where molluscs were also recovered. Three phased lake level changes are observed during the past 3 ka. The first high-stand (+1.4–3.0 m) was at ~2.8–2.0 ka when lake surface salinity and temperature were 4.67–6.01 ppt (parts per thousand) and 5°C–7°C, respectively, against the modern average values of 7.7 ± 0.09 ppt and 16.1°C ± 2.0°C. Followed by a brief decline, another high-stand (+3.0–3.6 m) is observed at 1.1 ka when the salinity is reduced to 4.03–5.72 ppt and lake surface temperature to 5°C–8°C. A corresponding increase in freshwater diatom concentration is also observed here. The third phase over the past 1 ka witnessed a fall of ~3.6–6 m in lake level that is attributed to an abrupt rise in aridity over the TP. We demonstrate that lake level variation in the region is a function of the variability of the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) and the westerlies, however during the high-stand, the hydrology of the lake was dominated by ISM precipitation.

show abstract

Section: Study Area: Geomorphologic and Climatic Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Study Area: Geomorphologic and Climatic Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Study Area: Geomorphologic and Climatic Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Late-Holocene hydrological variability from the NW Himalaya and southwestern Tibetan Plateau: Paleo-salinity records from Pangong Tso

et al. 2023

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Late Quaternary tectono‐geomorphological investigations of Zanskar Basin, NW Himalaya, India, using geospatial techniques

Irfan,

Bali,

Afzal

2023

Earth Surf Processes Landf

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Geospatial techniques play a crucial role in geomorphic studies, particularly in the challenging terrains like mountainous regions, inaccessible areas and densely vegetated landscapes, where geomorphic features cannot be recorded easily. Tectono‐geomorphologic observations provide important clues regarding the landscape evolution, morpho‐dynamics and ongoing tectonism of the region. The present study has been carried out in the Zanskar Basin (ZB), located to the south of the Indus Tsangpo Suture Zone (ITSZ), in the hinterland of the NW Himalaya. This study has been carried out to assess and evaluate active tectonics by employing tectono‐geomorphic analysis, dynamics in drainage networks, geomorphological field observations and the Geographic Information System (GIS) environment. High‐resolution satellite images, topographic maps and the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) Digital Elevation Model (DEM) were used to generate primary data sets, which were corroborated with field investigations for valid inferences. The geometry of the ZB suggests that continuous tectonic activity exerts first‐order control on the overall shape, size and structure of the ZB. This first‐order response is clearly reflected in the landforms modified by tectonic processes, namely, linear mountain fronts, elongated shape and tilting of the basin, braided and meandering river courses and lower stream length gradient index values in hard rock terrain. The ZB exhibits several eye‐catching geomorphic features, such as well‐defined triangular facets with wide base lengths and wine‐glass valleys with small outlets along the footwall block of the Zanskar Shear Zone/South Tibetan Detachment System (ZSZ/STDS), as well as the presence of wind gaps, water gaps, bedrock incision, incised and entrenched valleys, narrow gorges and a high incision rate inferring active tectonics and recent uplift in the region. In addition, the existence of uplifted river terraces, as well as the stepped morphology of fans and strath terraces, suggests that the region is experiencing recent activity and ongoing tectonic uplift. These modified geomorphic characteristics suggest that the hinterland, which is part of the NW Himalaya, is tectonically quite active and has experienced a differential rate of tectonics during its evolution. The quantified geomorphic indices and their relations with the tectonics, climate and erosion activity infer that the basin geometry is mostly controlled by the ZSZ/STDS that dips 20°–70° NE, the south‐dipping Zanskar Counter Thrust (ZCT) and other local tectonic elements like the Choksti Thrust (CT), Stondgey Thrust, Zangla Thrust and tectonic structures. The synergised results of quantified geomorphic indices and tectono‐geomorphic evidence in the ZB strongly indicate that both the past and ongoing tectonism have significantly shaped and modified geomorphology of the ZB.

show abstract

Bacterial Communities Associated with the Biofilms Formed in High-Altitude Brackish Water Pangong Tso Located in the Himalayan Plateau

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Rapid Lake Level Fall in Pangong Tso (lake) in Ladakh, NW Himalaya: A Response of Late Holocene Aridity

Cited by 10 publications

References 0 publications

Late-Holocene hydrological variability from the NW Himalaya and southwestern Tibetan Plateau: Paleo-salinity records from Pangong Tso

Late-Holocene hydrological variability from the NW Himalaya and southwestern Tibetan Plateau: Paleo-salinity records from Pangong Tso

Late Quaternary tectono‐geomorphological investigations of Zanskar Basin, NW Himalaya, India, using geospatial techniques

Bacterial Communities Associated with the Biofilms Formed in High-Altitude Brackish Water Pangong Tso Located in the Himalayan Plateau

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About