BSIP study of deodar tree rings in Kinnaur traces shift from wet Little Ice Age springs to drier conditions after 1757
A Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences study of deodar trees at Batseri in Himachal Pradesh's Kinnaur district, announced on 10 December 2025, found a shift from wetter springs in the Little Ice Age to drier conditions after 1757 CE.
Summary
A study by the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology, used tree rings of deodar (Cedrus deodara) at Batseri village in the Sangla valley on the Baspa river, Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh. The BSIP study, announced on 10 December 2025, found a shift from wetter spring conditions during the Little Ice Age to progressively drier conditions after 1757 CE, with more spring drought years in recent decades. The work, prompted by a rockfall near Batseri in July 2021, aims to improve prediction of Himalayan geohazards for early warning.
Key facts
- Announced
- 10 December 2025
- Institute
- Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (DST)
- Site
- Batseri, Sangla valley, Baspa river, Kinnaur (HP)
- Tree
- Deodar (Cedrus deodara)
- Finding
- Wetter springs in Little Ice Age; drier after 1757 CE
- Trigger
- Rockfall near Batseri, July 2021
Practice MCQs 2 questions
Which institute studied deodar tree rings at Batseri, Kinnaur, to reconstruct past climate and geohazards, as announced on 10 December 2025?
Show answer
Correct answer: B — Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences
PIB 2201314: the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP), an autonomous institute of DST, carried out the study.
According to the BSIP deodar study from Batseri, after which year did spring conditions become progressively drier following the Little Ice Age?
Show answer
Correct answer: C — 1757 CE
PIB 2201314: the trees revealed a shift from wetter spring conditions during the Little Ice Age to progressively drier conditions since after 1757 CE.