Characterization and Morphological Analysis of Three Unexplored Glacial Lakes of Barekot Patan, Jajarkot, Nepal: Assessing the Impact of Temperature and Precipitation

Glacial lakes regulate hydrological fluxes and support ecological and cultural processes, making them crucial components of Himalayan alpine ecosystems. Climate-related changes in temperature and precipitation have gradually altered their behaviour, impacting water balance and stability. Three uncharted high-altitude lakes (4,400–4,700 meters above sea level) in the Barekot Patan area of Jajarkot District, western Nepal, are Sankha Daha, Kukur Daha, and Thakur Jyu Daha. This study provides the detailed, thorough scientific characterization of these lakes. The study assesses their morphology and long-term hydro-climatic evolution by combining field observations, local surveys, and GIS-based morphometric analysis with climatic records from NASA/POWER (1981–2023) and the Jajarkot-0404 station (2000–2023). A. Sankha Daha (0.110 km²), Kukur Daha (0.035 km²), and Thakur Jyu Daha (0.128 km²) are relict glacial lakes that are mainly supported by seasonal snowmelt and monsoonal precipitation rather than active glacial melt due to their stable surface areas and little interannual variation. While precipitation varies widely (700–2,480 mm yr⁻¹) with no discernible trend, temperature records show a slow cooling of -0.03°C yr⁻¹ over four decades. Since 2014, lower ablation energy has decreased meltwater inflow, supporting hydro-morphological equilibrium. In addition to providing baseline data for hazard assessment, watershed management, and climate adaptation strategies in western Nepal, these results show a climatic shift from glacier-fed to precipitation-regulated systems.