Tarina Tsho is a glacial lake located in the Gasa District of Bhutan. The term "Tsho" in the local language means "lake." It is situated at an elevation of approximately 4,272 metres (14,016 ft) above sea level, with coordinates 28°06′22″N 89°53′55″E. The lake's primary outflow is the Pho Chhu (Male River), one of the major rivers of Bhutan.
Tarina Tsho is recognized as one of the glacial lakes in Bhutan that poses a significant risk of Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF). It was the source of a GLOF event in 1983 that destroyed part of Punakha Dzong, the winter residence of the Dratshang Lhentshog (the Commission for Monastic Affairs) of Bhutan. Additional GLOF events from this lake have been recorded in 1950 and 1967, with the 1967 flood causing major damage across a vast area downstream.
The lake is one of several potentially dangerous glacial lakes in the Lunana region of Bhutan. Out of more than 677 glaciers and 2,674 glacial lakes in the country, approximately 24 have been identified as potentially dangerous, with Tarina Tsho among them. The lake is dammed by a terminal moraine, and its expansion due to glacial retreat has been a subject of scientific monitoring and concern.
