Tsomoriri Wetland Conservation Reserve

Tsomoriri or Lake Moriri is lake in the Changthang area in jammu and kashmir. it is the largest of the high altitude lakes in the Trans-Himalayan biogeographic region, entirely within India.  The lake sits  betweenLadakh, India to the North, Tibet to the east, and Zanskar in the west.It is hemmed between Ladakh in the North and Tibet in the east and Zanskar in the west; the Changthang plateau is the geographical setting with snow peaks that provides the source of water for the Lake. Accessibility to the lake is limited to summer season only. Tsokar means salty lake in local language and salt was extracted from this lake in earlier times, till the end of 1959, for consumption by the local people.It is oligotrophic in nature and its waters are alkaline. The lake formerly had an outlet to the south, but it has contracted considerably and has become land locked; as a result; the water is now brackish to saline. The lake is fed by springs and snow-melt in two major stream systems, one entering the lake from the north, the other from the southwest. Both stream systems create extensive marshes where they enter the lake.It formerly had an outlet to the south, but this has become blocked and the lake has become land locked. As a result, the water is now becoming saline. The lake was a source of salt for local people until 1959. this is reflected in the lake's name; Tsokar means salty lake in local language.The lake is oligotrophic in nature, and its waters are alkaline.Accessibility to the lake is limited to summer season only. The lake is located to the southeast of Leh in eastern Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, at a road distance of 240 kilometres (150 mi). The road is in a good condition for the most part. Though there is no abundance of vegetation in the lake, but different species of sedges and reeds grow in the adjoining areas among which some are Carex, Caragana, and Astragelus apps. Moreover, several species of Carex, Primula (low growing herb), and Pedicularis (parasite plant) and common species of Juncus thomsonii and Leontopodium sp, Phytoplankton species of Oocystis and diatom Cyclotella are also observed