Itanagar, May 11: The Centre for Earth Sciences and Himalayan Studies (CESHS), in collaboration with the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) and North Eastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology (NERIST), has successfully concluded the 5th Khangri Glacier Expedition in the transboundary Mago Chu Basin of Tawang district, Arunachal Pradesh — a critical headwater region of the larger Brahmaputra Basin system.
The scientific expedition, which commenced on May 4, 2026, aimed to carry out glacier health assessments, cryospheric monitoring, and climate-linked hazard investigations in the eastern Himalayas. During extensive ground-truthing studies, scientists and engineers observed alarming geomorphological changes in the Khangri Glacier, highlighting the accelerating impacts of climate variability in the high-altitude Himalayan environment.
One of key findings was the formation of a major glacier sinking zone, where the glacier snout is rapidly collapsing and creating unstable terrain conditions. Researchers warned that such geomorphological instability could significantly increase downstream vulnerability and landscape hazards in the Mago Chu Basin.
The expedition team also identified the emergence of a potentially dangerous proglacial lake at an elevation of nearly 16,500 feet. The newly formed lake poses a potential Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) risk to downstream regions, with possible transboundary impacts on vulnerable communities, ecosystems, and river systems.
Although the region recorded comparatively healthy winter snow accumulation this year, the findings indicate that glacier melting continues at a critically high rate due to persistent climate variability and rising atmospheric temperatures across the eastern Himalayas.
To strengthen long-term cryosphere research and glacier monitoring, the expedition team installed five new scientific monitoring stakes at elevations reaching nearly 17,000 feet using a steam ice-core drilling system integrated with Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) technology. These installations will support glacier mass balance studies and surface velocity monitoring in the years ahead.
The team also retrieved important datasets from the existing Automatic Weather Station (AWS) and Automatic Water Level Recorder (AWLR), while carrying out calibration and maintenance work to ensure uninterrupted environmental monitoring in the high-altitude region. The collected data will help scientists better understand extreme weather dynamics, hydrological responses, and glacier-climate interactions.
In addition, moraine sediments and glacier meltwater samples were collected from the glacier snout for laboratory investigations and geochemical analysis.
The successful completion of the 5th Khangri Glacier Expedition further strengthens long-term cryospheric monitoring initiatives in the eastern Himalayas and provides critical scientific insights into glacier dynamics, water security, and emerging climate-induced hazards in the region.
Director of CESHS, Tana Tage, stated that the findings underscore the urgent need for sustained scientific monitoring and climate adaptation strategies in the fragile Himalayan ecosystem.