Refining lake volume estimation and critical depth identification for enhanced glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) event anticipation

<p>Climate change leads to changes in glacier mass balance, including steady advancements and surges that reposition the glacier snouts. Glacier advancement can dam proglacial meltwater lakes. Within the Karakoram and surrounding regions, the positive feedback of climate change has resulted in...

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Main Authors: N. A. Bazai, P. A. Carling, P. Cui, W. Hao, Z. Guotao, L. Dingzhu, J. Hassan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Copernicus Publications 2024-12-01
Series:The Cryosphere
Online Access:https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/18/5921/2024/tc-18-5921-2024.pdf
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author N. A. Bazai
N. A. Bazai
P. A. Carling
P. Cui
P. Cui
W. Hao
W. Hao
Z. Guotao
L. Dingzhu
L. Dingzhu
L. Dingzhu
J. Hassan
author_facet N. A. Bazai
N. A. Bazai
P. A. Carling
P. Cui
P. Cui
W. Hao
W. Hao
Z. Guotao
L. Dingzhu
L. Dingzhu
L. Dingzhu
J. Hassan
author_sort N. A. Bazai
collection DOAJ
description <p>Climate change leads to changes in glacier mass balance, including steady advancements and surges that reposition the glacier snouts. Glacier advancement can dam proglacial meltwater lakes. Within the Karakoram and surrounding regions, the positive feedback of climate change has resulted in more frequent ice-dammed glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), often facilitated by englacial conduits. However, the complex and multi-factor processes of conduit development are difficult to measure. Determining the lake depths that might trigger GLOFs and the numerical model specifications for breaching is challenging. Empirical estimates of lake volumes, along with field-based monitoring of lake levels and depths and the assessment of GLOF hazards, enable warnings and damage mitigation. Using historical data, remote sensing techniques, high-resolution imagery, cross-correlation feature tracking, and field-based data, we identified the processes of lake formation, drainage timing, and triggering depth. We developed empirical approaches to determine lake volume and trigger water pressure leading to a GLOF. A correlation, albeit a weak one, between glacier surge velocity and lake volume reveals that glacier surge may play a crucial role in lake formation and thus controls the size and volume of the lake. Lake volume estimation involves geometric considerations of the lake basin shape. A GLOF becomes likely when the lake's normalized depth (<span class="inline-formula"><i>n</i><sup>′</sup></span>) exceeds 0.60, equivalent to a typical water pressure on the dam face of 510 kPa. These field and remotely sensed findings not only offer valuable insights for early warning procedures in the Karakoram but also suggest that similar approaches might be effectively applied to other mountain environments worldwide where GLOFs pose a hazard.</p>
format Article
id doaj-art-95e11f7db39341479577d62b17cbe9fb
institution Kabale University
issn 1994-0416
1994-0424
language English
publishDate 2024-12-01
publisher Copernicus Publications
record_format Article
series The Cryosphere
spelling doaj-art-95e11f7db39341479577d62b17cbe9fb2024-12-17T10:38:21ZengCopernicus PublicationsThe Cryosphere1994-04161994-04242024-12-01185921593810.5194/tc-18-5921-2024Refining lake volume estimation and critical depth identification for enhanced glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) event anticipationN. A. Bazai0N. A. Bazai1P. A. Carling2P. Cui3P. Cui4W. Hao5W. Hao6Z. Guotao7L. Dingzhu8L. Dingzhu9L. Dingzhu10J. Hassan11Key Laboratory of Mountain Hazards and Earth Surface Process/Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Chengdu, ChinaChina-Pakistan Joint Research Center on Earth Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences and HEC, Islamabad, PakistanSchool of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UKChina-Pakistan Joint Research Center on Earth Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences and HEC, Islamabad, PakistanInstitute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, ChinaChina-Pakistan Joint Research Center on Earth Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences and HEC, Islamabad, PakistanInstitute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, ChinaInstitute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, ChinaInstitute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, ChinaEarth Surface Process Modelling, German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), Potsdam, GermanyNational Disaster Reduction Centre of China, Ministry of Emergency Management, Beijing, ChinaDTU Space, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark<p>Climate change leads to changes in glacier mass balance, including steady advancements and surges that reposition the glacier snouts. Glacier advancement can dam proglacial meltwater lakes. Within the Karakoram and surrounding regions, the positive feedback of climate change has resulted in more frequent ice-dammed glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), often facilitated by englacial conduits. However, the complex and multi-factor processes of conduit development are difficult to measure. Determining the lake depths that might trigger GLOFs and the numerical model specifications for breaching is challenging. Empirical estimates of lake volumes, along with field-based monitoring of lake levels and depths and the assessment of GLOF hazards, enable warnings and damage mitigation. Using historical data, remote sensing techniques, high-resolution imagery, cross-correlation feature tracking, and field-based data, we identified the processes of lake formation, drainage timing, and triggering depth. We developed empirical approaches to determine lake volume and trigger water pressure leading to a GLOF. A correlation, albeit a weak one, between glacier surge velocity and lake volume reveals that glacier surge may play a crucial role in lake formation and thus controls the size and volume of the lake. Lake volume estimation involves geometric considerations of the lake basin shape. A GLOF becomes likely when the lake's normalized depth (<span class="inline-formula"><i>n</i><sup>′</sup></span>) exceeds 0.60, equivalent to a typical water pressure on the dam face of 510 kPa. These field and remotely sensed findings not only offer valuable insights for early warning procedures in the Karakoram but also suggest that similar approaches might be effectively applied to other mountain environments worldwide where GLOFs pose a hazard.</p>https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/18/5921/2024/tc-18-5921-2024.pdf
spellingShingle N. A. Bazai
N. A. Bazai
P. A. Carling
P. Cui
P. Cui
W. Hao
W. Hao
Z. Guotao
L. Dingzhu
L. Dingzhu
L. Dingzhu
J. Hassan
Refining lake volume estimation and critical depth identification for enhanced glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) event anticipation
The Cryosphere
title Refining lake volume estimation and critical depth identification for enhanced glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) event anticipation
title_full Refining lake volume estimation and critical depth identification for enhanced glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) event anticipation
title_fullStr Refining lake volume estimation and critical depth identification for enhanced glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) event anticipation
title_full_unstemmed Refining lake volume estimation and critical depth identification for enhanced glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) event anticipation
title_short Refining lake volume estimation and critical depth identification for enhanced glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) event anticipation
title_sort refining lake volume estimation and critical depth identification for enhanced glacial lake outburst flood glof event anticipation
url https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/18/5921/2024/tc-18-5921-2024.pdf
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