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Tso Kar
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Tso Kar
The Tso Kar or Tsho kar is a fluctuating salt lake known for its size and depth situated in the Rupshu Plateau and valley in Leh district in the southern part in Union Territory of Ladakh in India.It is located 102 km from Leh City, the capital of Ladakh. It is also recognised as India's 42nd Ramsar site.
The name Tso Kar refers to the white salt efflorescence on the margins of the lake caused by the evaporation of the saline waters.
The Tso Kar is connected by an inlet stream at its south-west end to a small lake, Startsapuk Tso, and together they form the 9 km2 More plains pool, which is dominated by the peaks of two mountains, Thugje (6050 m) and Gursan (6370 m). From the geology of the More Plains, it can be concluded that the Tso Kar in historical times ranged up to this high valley. Until a few years ago the lake was an important source of salt, which the Changpa nomads used to export to Tibet. The nomadic settlement of Thugje is located 3 km in the north. There is a tented camp on the west bank of the lake which provides accommodation for tourists. More plains pool (Tso Kar-Startsapuk Tso) Ramsar wetland site in India is a high-altitude wetland complex, found at more than 4,500 metres above sea level in the Changthang region of Ladakh. It includes two connected lakes, the freshwater Startsapuk Tso and the larger hypersaline Tso Kar. The primary source of lakes is glacial meltwater.
In relation to Tso Kar, other places in Changtang plateau are Miru (Meroo) on Leh–Manali Highway to the northwest, Pongunagu on northwest shore, Thukje on northeast shore, Giu (not to be confused with Gya which lies north of Miroo) on western shore and Chutak on southwest shore.
Due to the high altitude, the climate is extreme in the winter; temperatures below -40 °C (-40 °F) are not uncommon. In the summer the temperature rises above 30 °C (86 °F), with extreme fluctuations during the day. Precipitation in the form of either rain or snow is extremely rare.
The inlets of the Tso Kar are a source of non-saline water; pondweeds and basic nettles grow there, forming floating islands of vegetation in the spring and dying off in the winter. Sedge and large numbers of buttercups grow on the shores of Startsapuk Tso and of the tributaries of the Tso Kar, while some parts of the high basin are marked by steppe vegetation interspersed with tragacanth and pea bushes. The shore of Tso Kar is partly covered with a salt crust, which keeps vegetation away from the inflows.
Tso Kar is an important stopover ground for migratory birds along the Central Asian Flyway. It is one of the most important breeding areas in India for the black-necked crane (Grus nigricollis). Some of the species found here are endangered saker falcon (Falco cherrug) and Asiatic wild dog or dhole (Cuon alpinus laniger), and the vulnerable snow leopard (Panthera uncia).
Due to the salinity of the Tso Kar, most of the resident fauna is found in its tributaries and in Startsapuk Tso. There are large breeding colonies of grebes and brown-headed gulls, and some bar-headed geese, ruddy shelducks and terns. In the vicinity of the lake black-necked cranes and Tibetan grouse are relatively common.
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Tso Kar
The Tso Kar or Tsho kar is a fluctuating salt lake known for its size and depth situated in the Rupshu Plateau and valley in Leh district in the southern part in Union Territory of Ladakh in India.It is located 102 km from Leh City, the capital of Ladakh. It is also recognised as India's 42nd Ramsar site.
The name Tso Kar refers to the white salt efflorescence on the margins of the lake caused by the evaporation of the saline waters.
The Tso Kar is connected by an inlet stream at its south-west end to a small lake, Startsapuk Tso, and together they form the 9 km2 More plains pool, which is dominated by the peaks of two mountains, Thugje (6050 m) and Gursan (6370 m). From the geology of the More Plains, it can be concluded that the Tso Kar in historical times ranged up to this high valley. Until a few years ago the lake was an important source of salt, which the Changpa nomads used to export to Tibet. The nomadic settlement of Thugje is located 3 km in the north. There is a tented camp on the west bank of the lake which provides accommodation for tourists. More plains pool (Tso Kar-Startsapuk Tso) Ramsar wetland site in India is a high-altitude wetland complex, found at more than 4,500 metres above sea level in the Changthang region of Ladakh. It includes two connected lakes, the freshwater Startsapuk Tso and the larger hypersaline Tso Kar. The primary source of lakes is glacial meltwater.
In relation to Tso Kar, other places in Changtang plateau are Miru (Meroo) on Leh–Manali Highway to the northwest, Pongunagu on northwest shore, Thukje on northeast shore, Giu (not to be confused with Gya which lies north of Miroo) on western shore and Chutak on southwest shore.
Due to the high altitude, the climate is extreme in the winter; temperatures below -40 °C (-40 °F) are not uncommon. In the summer the temperature rises above 30 °C (86 °F), with extreme fluctuations during the day. Precipitation in the form of either rain or snow is extremely rare.
The inlets of the Tso Kar are a source of non-saline water; pondweeds and basic nettles grow there, forming floating islands of vegetation in the spring and dying off in the winter. Sedge and large numbers of buttercups grow on the shores of Startsapuk Tso and of the tributaries of the Tso Kar, while some parts of the high basin are marked by steppe vegetation interspersed with tragacanth and pea bushes. The shore of Tso Kar is partly covered with a salt crust, which keeps vegetation away from the inflows.
Tso Kar is an important stopover ground for migratory birds along the Central Asian Flyway. It is one of the most important breeding areas in India for the black-necked crane (Grus nigricollis). Some of the species found here are endangered saker falcon (Falco cherrug) and Asiatic wild dog or dhole (Cuon alpinus laniger), and the vulnerable snow leopard (Panthera uncia).
Due to the salinity of the Tso Kar, most of the resident fauna is found in its tributaries and in Startsapuk Tso. There are large breeding colonies of grebes and brown-headed gulls, and some bar-headed geese, ruddy shelducks and terns. In the vicinity of the lake black-necked cranes and Tibetan grouse are relatively common.
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