The lake that holds the clue to climate change

Lonar in Vidarbha8217;s Buldana district is the world8217;s only salt-water basaltic lake formed by the impact of meteors. Over 50,000 years old, 1.7 km wide and 240 metres deep, the lake has drawn scientists from across the world. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA had earlier studied the lake for a better understanding of the basaltic Martian geology,

8220;For us, Lonar is the world8217;s most important place. Its sediments hold clues to the various climatic changes that have occurred during this time since sediment formation is a function of environment. We can8217;t find this information anywhere else. We will study the sediments to understand monsoon changes and frequency of extreme climatic changes,8221; said Prasad. 8220;The lake will tell the story of climate changes after human interference started several thousand years ago,8221; she said.

The lake is a part of the Lonar Wildlife Sanctuary and the team had to seek the permission of the forest department to undertake the project. Says Principal Chief Conservator of Forest Wildlife B. Majumdar, 8220;The project will help us understand the impact of human interference there. That will strengthen our case of maintaining the sanctuary here, which many people say is not required since the spot has no wildlife.8221;

Apart from GFZ, there are six other German institutes in the team. Other participating Indian institutes include the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, Birbal Sahani Institute, Lucknow, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehra Dun, Agarkar Research Institute, Pune, IIT Roorkie and Pune and Punjab University.

The project will also study lakes in the Himalayas and also in Germany. 8220;We will try and evolve a model based on the study to predict future climatic changes, which is very important since climatic changes, drought and flood cycles are now intensifying,8221; said Prasad.