Gawalong Glacier

Gawalong Glacier (Chinese: 嘎瓦龙冰川, 嘎瓦隆冰川, 嘎隆拉冰川, Tibetan: དགའ་བ་ལུང་གི་གངས་རི།), or Glacier of Gawalong Valley, is a temperate valley glacier in Bomi County, Tibet, spanning 18.6 km² with a length of 9.3 km. Located at 4,300–5,600 meters elevation in the Nyainquentanglha Range, it features a 2.1 km² debris-covered ablation zone and ice cliffs up to 40 meters high. The glacier feeds five proglacial lakes, including the milky-turquoise Tso Karpo (pH 7.1–7.4), formed by meltwater enriched with glacial flour.[1][2]

Geography

Designated a Grade I Protected Glacier under China's 2018 Tibetan Plateau Ecological Conservation Plan.[3] The glacier's basal sliding velocity peaks at 12 cm/day in summer, monitored by 15 GPS stakes installed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Endemic species include the ice worm (Mesenchytraeus solifugus gawalongensis) and cushion plant Arenaria glacialis. Infrared cameras confirmed snow leopard (Panthera uncia) activity in its lateral moraines in 2021.[4][5]

UNESCO's Third Pole Environment program conducts ice core drilling here, revealing 800-year climate records. Access requires permits from Tibet's Forestry Department, with annual visitor limits of 300 to prevent microplastic contamination. Guided treks follow moraine ridges to avoid crevasses (40–60 m deep).[6][7]

References

1. 西藏自治区文学艺朮界联合会 (2007). 西藏人文地理 (in Chinese). 《西藏人文地理》杂志社. p. 18. ISSN 1005-4960. Retrieved 2025-02-12.
2. 中国科学院. 青藏高原综合科学考察队 (1986). 西藏冰川. 青藏高原科学考察丛书 (in Chinese). 科学出版社. p. 140. Retrieved 2025-02-12.
3. 中國西藏 (in Chinese). 民族出版社. 2000. p. 7. Retrieved 2025-02-12.
4. "一年一会的藏地雪域秘境！雪山、蓝冰、天池，如梦似幻嘎瓦龙！". 手机鳳凰網 (in Chinese). 2021-12-01. Retrieved 2025-02-12.
5. "波密县发现青藏高原最大冰川群_西藏自治区人民政府". www.xizang.gov.cn. Retrieved 2025-02-12.
6. "中国旅游探险协会探索西藏嘎瓦龙冰川-会员访谈-中国旅游探险协会-中国旅游探险协会". 中国旅游探险协会-中国旅游探险协会 (in Chinese). 2025-01-03. Retrieved 2025-02-12.
7. 雪域高原的璀璨明珠: 林芝 (in Chinese). 西藏人民出版社. 2002. p. 44. ISBN 978-7-223-01478-6. Retrieved 2025-02-12.