Uttarakhand's 'Lake of Skeletons,' Roopkand in peril as climate change smothers its size
Roopkund Lake, one of Uttarakhand's premier trekking destinations located 16,500 feet above sea level at the base of Mount Trishul, is facing the impacts of climate change, reported TOI. Forest officials have been alarmed by the lake’s shrinking size, which is approximately two acres with a depth of around 9 feet.
A 2019 study by scientists from India, the US, and Germany challenged the belief that the skeletons belonged to a single group that perished in a single event, instead suggesting they were genetically diverse individuals who died over a span of up to 1,000 years.
Known as the «lake of skeletons» for the hundreds of human remains, some with preserved flesh, that emerge when snow melts, the lake has captured global attention since forest official HK Madhwal discovered bones in its icy waters in 1942.
Sarvesh Dubey, Divisional Forest Officer of Badrinath, noted that the lake is diminishing in both width and depth by about 0.1% to 0.5% annually. Traditionally, snowfall would accompany rainfall, but now increased rain is causing loose moraine to slide into the lake. Dubey attributes this change to climate change and global warming, which are disrupting the region's natural balance.
«The lake is shrinking in both width and depth by about 0.1% to 0.5% annually. Traditionally, the area around Roopkund would experience snow flurries during rainfall, but now rain is becoming more common, causing loose moraine to slide down into the lake. We believe that this shift in precipitation pattern is directly linked to
