NEWS: A study analysed magnetic minerals in Bakhira Lake sediments covering about 25,000 years.

About Bakhira Lake

• Location → Ghaghara–Rapti alluvial system, Uttar Pradesh.
• Formation → Perennial oxbow/floodplain wetland formed by migration and cut-off of the Rapti River.
• Ramsar Site → Designated in 2022.
• Ecological importance → Important wintering + breeding ground for migratory and resident waterfowl.
• Scientific importance → Lake sediments preserve evidence of past climate and environmental changes.
• These sediments act as a natural climate archive, helping reconstruct past rainfall, weathering, sediment transport and environmental changes.

Oxbow Lake

• Formation → River meander gets cut off → abandoned loop becomes a separate lake.
• Shape → Usually crescent/horseshoe-shaped.
• Location → Common in river floodplains.
• Example → Oxbow lakes occur across the Ganga plains.