Climate change-hit glaciers affect potable water

New research shows glaciers are also active chemical systems and climate warming may be altering not just how much water they release, but also its quality, says a Mongabay-India (MI) report.

- Meena Janardhan

Citing a new study on the Rulung Glacier in India’s Ladakh region, the report says that researchers found that rising temperatures and faster glacier melt are intensifying interactions between meltwater and the rocks beneath the ice, altering the chemistry of water flowing into the Indus river basin. Researchers say these changes could affect river ecosystems, agriculture, and drinking water supplies downstream.

The study, published in Physics and Chemistry of the Earth journal, examined meltwater from Rulung Glacier at four sites during the ablation period (annual melt season) in 2023 and 2024. The researchers used a combination of field sampling, hydrochemical analysis, and statistical interpretation techniques to understand how glacier meltwater chemistry changed within a year. Due to their isolation, glacier-fed lakes are well-known for the untainted and pure water they hold.