## 5 Results and Discussions
### Climatic Factor and Pernafrost Thawing
Despite these changes appearing modest, 0.03 \({}^{\circ}\)C per year for minimum temperatures and 0.02 \({}^{\circ}\)C per year for maximum temperatures over time, these incremental increases can have substantial impacts on the region's climate and permafrost conditions. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c c} \hline \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Year**} & **Total** & **No. of Days** & **Year** & **Total** & **No. of Days** & **Year** & **Total** & **No. of Days** \\  & **Days** & **Below 0 \({}^{\circ}\)C** & **Year** & **Days** & **Below 0 \({}^{\circ}\)C** & **Year** & **Days** & **Below 0 \({}^{\circ}\)C** \\ \hline
1994 & 365 & 311 & 2004 & 366 & 320 & 2014 & 365 & 310 \\ \hline
1995 & 365 & 305 & 2005 & 365 & 323 & 2015 & 365 & 327 \\ \hline
1996 & 366 & 318 & 2006 & 365 & 321 & 2016 & 366 & 310 \\ \hline
1997 & 365 & 327 & 2007 & 365 & 316 & 2017 & 365 & 314 \\ \hline
1998 & 365 & 287 & 2008 & 366 & 305 & 2018 & 365 & 292 \\ \hline
1999 & 365 & 301 & 2009 & 365 & 305 & 2019 & 365 & 305 \\ \hline
2000 & 366 & 312 & 2010 & 365 & 297 & 2020 & 366 & 290 \\ \hline
2001 & 365 & 322 & 2011 & 365 & 330 & 2021 & 365 & 295 \\ \hline
2002 & 365 & 324 & 2012 & 366 & 314 & 2022 & 365 & 315 \\ \hline
2003 & 365 & 324 & 2013 & 365 & 309 & 2023 & 365 & 295 \\ \hline Average & 313.7 & Average & 314 & Average & 305.3 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 3: Year-wise number of days with a mean temperature below 0 \({}^{\circ}\)C from 1994 to 2023. Figure 7: (**Upper**) Plot of daily minimum temperature and maximum temperature and (**Lower**) plot of daily precipitation (mm/day) for the period of January 1994 to June 2024. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{l c c c c} \hline \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Year**} & **Total PPT (mm)** & \begin{tabular}{c} **Days with** \\ **Precipitation >** \\ **5 mm** \\ \end{tabular}  & \ \begin{tabular}{c} **Daily Avg.** \\ **Minimum T** \\ **(\({}^{\circ}\)C)** \\ \end{tabular}  & \begin{tabular}{c} **Daily Avg.** \\ **Maximum T** \\ **(\({}^{\circ}\)C)** \\ \end{tabular}  \\ \hline
1994 & 1040.6 & 60 & \(-\)  
Since 2017, there has been an observed increase in mean daily precipitation, while maximum daily precipitation has decreased. This inverse relationship indicates a shift towards longer and steadier precipitation events, rather than short, intense bursts of rainfall. These climatic changes highlight a clear trend towards a milder cold season and altered precipitation patterns, which could significantly affect the stability of moraine dams and the dynamics of glacial lakes in the region. The number of days with precipitation has shown variability over the years, with a prominent increase observed in recent years. Total annual precipitation has demonstrated substantial fluctuations, ranging from a low of 858 mm in 2006 to a high of 1322 mm in 2020 (Table 4, Figure 8C). Recent data, particularly from 2015 onwards, indicate a trend towards higher total precipitation. This suggests an increase in either the intensity of rainfall events or the duration of rainy seasons in the region. Precipitation patterns have also shifted, with the number of days receiving more than 5 mm of precipitation increasing from an average of 55.7 days in 1994-2003 and 56.2 days in 2004-2013 to 66.8 days in 2014-2023. This trend suggests a rise in the frequency of significant precipitation events. These changes in precipitation patterns may have important implications for the permafrost, the stability of moraine sediment dams, and the risk of GLOFs. There is a need for further investigation into the type of precipitation (rainfall or snowfall trend) and how these climatic shifts impact the region's hydrological and geotechnical dynamics. Analysis of temperature and precipitation trends for the Gurudongmar Lake region reveals notable climatic changes over the past three decades. During the first decade of the study period (1994-2003), the minimum temperature averaged \(-\)8.96\({}^{\circ}\)C, increasing slightly to \(-\)8.61 \({}^{\circ}\)C in the second decade (2004-2013).