Context: The climate crisis is altering the geography of the Third Pole — the Tibetan plateau.
According to the report released by The NASA Earth Observatory

• The two lakes — Chibzhang Co and Dorsoidong Co - a small range in the central part of the Tibetan Plateau, west of the Tanggula Mountains — grew larger between 1987 and 2021 due to glacial melting.

Hindu Kush Himalayas
Geography

• The Hindu Kush is an 800-kilometre-long (500 mi) mountain range in Central and South Asia to the west of the Himalayas.
• It extends across 3,500 km over eight countries—Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan.
• The eastern end of the Hindu Kush in the north merges with the Karakoram Range. Towards its southern end, it connects with the Spin Ghar Range near the Kabul River.
• It is referred to as the Third Pole.
• It is also known as the Water Tower of Asia due to its reserve of frozen water.
• They are the biggest reserves of water in the form of ice and snow outside the polar regions, and source of 10 of the largest rivers in Asia.
• The glaciers are the lifeline for one-third of the population across the globe.
• It has the world’s highest amount of snow and ice outside the polar region.

Physiology

• Much of the Hindu Kush comprises metamorphic rock, including metamorphosed granodiorite and metamorphosed sedimentary rocks of amphibolite and greenschist facies.

Climate

• Rainy or snowy summers (from July to September) and dry winters.
• The central and western Hindu Kush borders the Mediterranean climatic zone, characterized by hot, dry summers and cold, wet or snowy winters (from December to early March).

Flora

• Forests cover many southern slopes of the eastern and central Hindu Kush.
• Large stands of deodar cedar and blue pine cloak the eastern and central spurs of the Hindu Kush.
• In the western Hindu Kush, forest is almost absent, and cultivated fodder trees such as poplar, willow, and Russian olive predominate.
• Other planted trees in irrigated mountain passes include plane trees and economically valuable species such as mulberry, jujube, and walnut.
• Meadowland is intermittent, depending on sunny and shady exposure, with substantial pastures found on slopes where snow accumulates.

Fauna

• The Siberian ibex and the Markhor (both wild goats) are found in the high crags.
• Marco Polo sheep and Urial (another wild sheep) occasionally are found in the high Pamir.
• Black and brown bears exist in isolated valleys.
• Chitral valley wildlife preserve is a domain of the rare snow leopard.
• Birdlife of the mountains includes vultures and eagles.
• The streams of the northern slope contain brown trout in abundance.

Resources

• Forage, timber, and water are highly exploited resources.
• Human settlements occur where land can be irrigated.
• Large seasonal migrations of livestock, driven by herders, fully utilize the pasturelands of remote mountain areas.
• Thousands of sheep and goats from the high pastures of Badakhshan travel through the Anjoman Pass down to the markets of Kabul.
• Small hydroelectric power plants generate electricity for mountain villages
• Small irrigated plots of wheat, barley, millet, corn (maize), potatoes, and peas and beans constitute the region’s agriculture.