Imja Tsho, Nepal
Encyclopedia
Imja Tsho is a glacial lake
created after melt water began collecting at the foot of the Imja Glacier
in the 1960s. A 2009 study described this lake of melt water as one of the fastest-growing in the Himalaya. Held in place by a terminal moraine
, Imja Tsho threatens downstream communities with the potential for a glacial outburst flood.
Imja Tsho has been identified as one of the potentially dangerous lakes in Himalaya. It is located at 27o 59' 17" N latitude, 86o 55' 31" E longitude and at an altitude of 5010 m in Everest region of Nepal. The catchment of Imja Tsho occupies the northeastern part of the Dudh Koshi sub-basin. The lake itself is located at the toe of its mother glaciers (snout of Imja and Lhotse Shar Glaciers). The Lhotse Shar Glacier flows in a south-westerly direction. The Imja Glacier on the other hand is oriented in a north-westerly direction and has its terminus at about 5100 m. These two glaciers coalesce approximately 3.5 km above the terminus and flow westwards just beneath the trekking path of Imja Tse
.
The lake was first mapped in the form of a few ponds from the satellite image taken in 1962. The total area of the ponds was approximately 0.03 sq km then (27916 sq m). With the melting of glaciers, the ponds merged into a supra-glacial lake in 1970s and it has grown continuously ever since. The lake area increased to approximately 0.8 sq km (796600 sq m) in 2000 with an average growth rate of 0.02 sq. km per year. On the basis of newly released image of 21 November 2009 on Google Earth, the Imja Tsho has attained an area of 1.055 sq km as a result of which the growth rate of the lake has increased to 0.025 sq km per year from 2000 to 2009. The preliminary analysis has also shown that there has been an increase of almost 11% in the lake area compared to the area calculated on the basis of satellite image received on October 2008.
Glacial lake
A glacial lake is a lake with origins in a melted glacier. Near the end of the last glacial period, roughly 10,000 years ago, glaciers began to retreat. A retreating glacier often left behind large deposits of ice in hollows between drumlins or hills. As the ice age ended, these melted to create...
created after melt water began collecting at the foot of the Imja Glacier
Imja Glacier
Imja Glacier is located in the Himalayas, in the Solukhumbu District of Nepal.It originates on the western face of Kali Himal, , and skirts the southern slopes of Imja Tse or Island Peak, south-east of Mount Everest. It is joined by the Lhotse Shar and Ambulapcha Glaciers...
in the 1960s. A 2009 study described this lake of melt water as one of the fastest-growing in the Himalaya. Held in place by a terminal moraine
Terminal moraine
A terminal moraine, also called end moraine, is a moraine that forms at the end of the glacier called the snout.Terminal moraines mark the maximum advance of the glacier. An end moraine is at the present boundary of the glacier....
, Imja Tsho threatens downstream communities with the potential for a glacial outburst flood.
Imja Tsho has been identified as one of the potentially dangerous lakes in Himalaya. It is located at 27o 59' 17" N latitude, 86o 55' 31" E longitude and at an altitude of 5010 m in Everest region of Nepal. The catchment of Imja Tsho occupies the northeastern part of the Dudh Koshi sub-basin. The lake itself is located at the toe of its mother glaciers (snout of Imja and Lhotse Shar Glaciers). The Lhotse Shar Glacier flows in a south-westerly direction. The Imja Glacier on the other hand is oriented in a north-westerly direction and has its terminus at about 5100 m. These two glaciers coalesce approximately 3.5 km above the terminus and flow westwards just beneath the trekking path of Imja Tse
Imja Tse
Imja Tse, better known as Island Peak, is a mountain in the Himalayas of eastern Nepal. The peak was named Island Peak in 1951 by Eric Shipton's party since it appears as an island in a sea of ice when viewed from Dingboche. The peak was later renamed in 1983 to Imja Tse but Island Peak remains the...
.
The lake was first mapped in the form of a few ponds from the satellite image taken in 1962. The total area of the ponds was approximately 0.03 sq km then (27916 sq m). With the melting of glaciers, the ponds merged into a supra-glacial lake in 1970s and it has grown continuously ever since. The lake area increased to approximately 0.8 sq km (796600 sq m) in 2000 with an average growth rate of 0.02 sq. km per year. On the basis of newly released image of 21 November 2009 on Google Earth, the Imja Tsho has attained an area of 1.055 sq km as a result of which the growth rate of the lake has increased to 0.025 sq km per year from 2000 to 2009. The preliminary analysis has also shown that there has been an increase of almost 11% in the lake area compared to the area calculated on the basis of satellite image received on October 2008.