Abstract:
Present study has analysed stable isotopic
composition (d18O and d2H) of cryospheric waters of
Ladakh and Kashmir regions, located in Western Himalayas,
India. The samples of glacier ice (11) and melt water
stream (10) collected altitude ranging between 3168 and
5465 m a.s.l. have been analysed for d18O and d2H. The
measured d18O values of glacier ice varied between -16.5
and -13.8 % in Ladakh, and between -12.8 and -9.6 %
in Kashmir region. Study shows that isotopic characteristics
of ice samples collected from snout of glaciers in
Ladakh and Kashmir region are distinctly different from
each other. Melt water samples collected from streams near
the snout during September have shown good resemblance
with the glacier ice melt of respective region. The d-excess
of glaciers and melt water of Kashmir region varied from
21.0 to 25.6 % and from 18.0 to 21.5 % respectively. The
d-excess of glaciers of Ladakh region have been found
between 13.5 and 16.7 % and of the melt water between
11.6 and 12.6 %. Depleted d18O signature and low d-excess
value of glaciers of Ladakh in comparison with that of
Kashmir region may be attributed to sublimation process
triggered by cold arid climatic conditions. The present
study of Kashmir and Ladakh region suggest that isotopic
composition of glacier ice is influenced by post
depositional alteration, such as sublimation, during snow to
glacier ice transformation.
