PARKACHIK GLACIER (Syllabus: GS Paper 1 - Geography)

Context: The Parkachik Glacier in Ladakh is likely to have three lakes of different dimensions due to subglacial over-deepening - a characteristic of basins and valleys eroded by glaciers, shows a new study. 

• Parkachik Glacier is a mountain glacier in Kargil, Ladakh, India.
• Parkachik Glacier, located at Parkachik, is a mass of ice moving slowly down the Nun-Kun slopes. This ice mass falls finally into the Suru River, providing views of the huge ice-fall.

Key Points

• Scientists carried out a study that describes the morphological and dynamic changes of Parkachik Glacier, Suru River Valley, Ladakh Himalaya, India.
• Considering their sensitivity and as a most direct and apparent visible indicator of regional climate change, Himalayan glaciers have been subjected to numerous studies, from field-based investigations to the modern state-of-the-art remote sensing approach, for more than a century. 
• In contrast, understanding the ice thickness and distribution is foremost required for the Himalayan glaciers.
• However, existing approaches, like remote sensing, cannot directly estimate the glacier thickness. 
• Based on ground penetrating radar, very few studies have been carried out on glacier thickness in the Indian Himalaya.