Tso Kar
| Tso Kar | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Tso Kar | ||
| Geographical location | Ladakh | |
| Tributaries | Pholokongka Chu | |
| Drain | none | |
| Places on the shore | Thugje | |
| Data | ||
| Coordinates | 33 ° 18 ′ 0 ″ N , 77 ° 59 ′ 0 ″ E | |
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| Altitude above sea level | 4541 m | |
| surface | 16 km² | |
| length | 10 km | |
| width | 2 km | |
| scope | 50.51 km | |
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particularities |
salt lake |
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The Tso Kar (White Lake), also known as Kar Tso , Tsho Kar or Kar Lake , is a salt lake that varies greatly in size and depth in the western part of the Changtang in the south of the Indian Union territory of Ladakh, known as Rupshu .
Together with the offshore, southwestern Startsapuk Tso , which has an average size of around 9 square kilometers, it fills a basin connected to the More Plains , which is dominated by the peaks of Thugje ( 6050 m ) and Gursan ( 6370 m ). From the geological composition of the More Plains it can be concluded that the Tso Kar extended into this high valley in historical times. Until a few years ago the lake was an important source of salt, which was exported to Tibet by the Changpa nomads . Except for the nomad settlement of Thugje , which is about 3 kilometers north of the lake, the basin is largely deserted, only near the west bank is a tented camp to accommodate tourists.
Due to the altitude, the climate is extreme, in winter temperatures below −40 ° C are not uncommon, in summer the thermometer rises to over 30 ° C, and the fluctuations in the course of the day are just as extreme; Precipitation in the form of rain or snow is extremely rare. In years of heavy snowmelt on the surrounding peaks, the Startsapuk Tso reaches a depth of around 3 meters and then floods the plain between the lakes.
The Tso Kar only has occurrences of spawning herbs and ground nettles in the area of its inlets, which ensure a permanent entry of fresh water , which die in winter and form the characteristic floating islands in spring. In the bank area of the Startsapuk Tso and the tributaries to the Tso Kar there are sedges and various buttercups , while large parts of the high basin are characterized by typical steppe vegetation, interspersed with tragacanth and pea bushes . The banks of the Tso Kar away from the tributaries are devoid of vegetation and partially covered with a salt crust.
Because of the salt content of the Tso Kar, the majority of the local fauna in the area of its tributaries and in Startsapuk Tso so large breeding colonies of place grebes and Brown head gulls , and there are occurrences of strip geese , rust geese and terns . A pair of black-necked cranes breed in the immediate vicinity of the lake , Tibetan steppe chickens are relatively common.
The basin of the Tso Kar is considered together with the subsequent More Plains as one of the most important habitats of the Kiang , further roam Tibet gazelles , Tibet wolves and foxes , the high basin; the steppe marmots are numerous . Moving nomads mostly keep yaks and horses .
The Tso-Kar Basin is currently not subject to any special protection, but plans are in place to open it up in a national park that is yet to be established in the highlands of southeast Ladakh.
Remarks
- ↑ a b National Wetland Atlas: High Altitude Lakes Of India (PDF (8.66 MB)) Space Applications Center, ISRO, Government of India. Sept 2012.
- ↑ GeoNames : Kar Tso . Retrieved July 28, 2012.
- ↑ GeoNames : Startsapuk Tso . Retrieved July 28, 2012.
swell
Jammu and Kashmir State Tourism Office website
literature
- Ladakh Kashmir Manali - The Essential Guide Partha S. Banerjee, Kolkata: Milestone Books 2010, ISBN 978-81-903270-2-2