Glacial lake expedition in North Sikkim concludes

<p class="15"><span style="mso-spacerun:'yes';font-family:'Bookman Old Style';mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:11.0000pt;"><b>GANGTOK,:</b></span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Kalpurush; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !important; float: none;"><span>&nbsp;</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:'yes';font-family:'Bookman Old Style';mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:11.0000pt;">The multi-departmental glacial lake study expedition in North Sikkim, which started from August 20, has successfully concluded. The team had members from DMG, Sikkim Police, SSDMA, DDMA, SU, CWC, GSI, NIH, NIDM, CWPRS, HPSDMA, DGRE and IPR. </span><span style="mso-spacerun:'yes';font-family:'Bookman Old Style';mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:11.0000pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="15"><span style="mso-spacerun:'yes';font-family:'Bookman Old Style';mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:11.0000pt;">A press release from Department of Science &amp; Technology informs that the study team was divided into Group ‘A’ and ‘Group B’.</span><span style="mso-spacerun:'yes';font-family:'Bookman Old Style';mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:11.0000pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="15"><span style="mso-spacerun:'yes';font-family:'Bookman Old Style';mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:11.0000pt;">Team A successfully completed its objectives at Dolma Sampa and Sora funnel area and returned on August 26, while Team B moved towards South Lhonak Lake. From there, sub-team B1 (CWC, GSI, NIH, HPSDMA and DGRE) returned to Gangtok on August 29 and sub-team B2 (DST, SU and IPR) advanced to Changsang before returning to Thangu on September 1. </span><span style="mso-spacerun:'yes';font-family:'Bookman Old Style';mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:11.0000pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="15"><span style="mso-spacerun:'yes';font-family:'Bookman Old Style';mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:11.0000pt;">On September 2, Team B2 prepared for their move towards Yulhe Kangse Lake.</span><span style="mso-spacerun:'yes';font-family:'Bookman Old Style';mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:11.0000pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="15"><span style="mso-spacerun:'yes';font-family:'Bookman Old Style';mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:11.0000pt;">This scientific expedition marked the first-ever visit to Yulhe Kangse Lake (16,378 ft) in North Sikkim, a milestone in the study of high-altitude Himalayan lakes and glacial environments. </span><span style="mso-spacerun:'yes';font-family:'Bookman Old Style';mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:11.0000pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="15"><span style="mso-spacerun:'yes';font-family:'Bookman Old Style';mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:11.0000pt;">The exploration yielded valuable baseline data, including the lake’s depth profile, sediment composition and potential linkages with regional hydrology and climate change contributing to a deeper understanding of fragile mountain ecosystems in the Eastern Himalayas, the release informs.</span><span style="mso-spacerun:'yes';font-family:'Bookman Old Style';mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:11.0000pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="15"><span style="mso-spacerun:'yes';font-family:'Bookman Old Style';mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:11.0000pt;">On the 15th day of the expedition (September 3), the team departed from Thangu and reached Yulhe Kangse Base Camp for an overnight stay. The next day, September 4, they trekked to Yulhe Kangse Lake, where a traditional puja ceremony was held before commencing the first bathymetric survey and sediment sampling.</span><span style="mso-spacerun:'yes';font-family:'Bookman Old Style';mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:11.0000pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="15"><span style="mso-spacerun:'yes';font-family:'Bookman Old Style';mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:11.0000pt;">Continuing onward, the team left Yulhe Kangse Base Camp on September 5 (Day 17), reaching Lachung for a night halt and on September 6 (Day 18) successfully returned to Gangtok, concluding this phase of the expedition. They returned with several interesting findings, which are expected to provide new insights into the geomorphology, hydrology and climate interactions of the high-altitude lake system, the release mentions.</span><span style="mso-spacerun:'yes';font-family:'Bookman Old Style';mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:11.0000pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="15"><span style="mso-spacerun:'yes';font-family:'Bookman Old Style';mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:11.0000pt;">The mission’s success was made possible through the dedicated support of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), the Indian Army, the local Zumsa community and Khangri tours and trek whose cooperation ensured safety and smooth execution of this high-altitude scientific endeavour, the release mentions.</span><span style="mso-spacerun:'yes';font-family:'Bookman Old Style';mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:11.0000pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun:'yes';font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman'; font-size:11.0000pt;">&nbsp;</span></p>

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