scholarly journals Impacts of Glacier-Related Landslides on the Settlement at Hopar, Karakoram Himalaya

1989 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 185-188
Author(s):  
K.I. MacDonald
Keyword(s):  
Social Change ◽  
Slope Instability ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Daily Routine ◽  
Northern Pakistan ◽  
Mountain Areas ◽  
Ice Surface ◽  
Wage Labour ◽  
Irrigation Channels

Slope instability and occasional devastating landslides are well-known hazards in high mountain areas. This paper describes and discusses an example of extensive and recurring damage associated with agricultural settlements around the lower reaches of the rapidly flowing Bualtar and Barpu Glaciers in northern Pakistan. These landslides occur over a zone about 20 km long in response to erosive processes at the ice-slope interface, and slowly descend 150–300 m from the edges of cultivation to the glacier margins. Damage is evident in the loss and/or abandonment of approximately 10 km2 of land, and in the destruction of dwellings and irrigation channels. The daily routine of local villagers is affected because alterations of both the slope and the ice surface destroy frequently used transport routes. Although the landslides have a history decades long, the landslide problem has more recently assumed heightened significance in relation to rapidly occurring economic and social change such as the introduction of wage labour and seasonal outmigration.

scholarly journals Impacts of Glacier-Related Landslides on the Settlement at Hopar, Karakoram Himalaya

1989 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 185-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
K.I. MacDonald
Keyword(s):  
Social Change ◽  
Slope Instability ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Daily Routine ◽  
Northern Pakistan ◽  
Mountain Areas ◽  
Ice Surface ◽  
Wage Labour ◽  
Irrigation Channels

Slope instability and occasional devastating landslides are well-known hazards in high mountain areas. This paper describes and discusses an example of extensive and recurring damage associated with agricultural settlements around the lower reaches of the rapidly flowing Bualtar and Barpu Glaciers in northern Pakistan. These landslides occur over a zone about 20 km long in response to erosive processes at the ice-slope interface, and slowly descend 150–300 m from the edges of cultivation to the glacier margins. Damage is evident in the loss and/or abandonment of approximately 10 km2 of land, and in the destruction of dwellings and irrigation channels. The daily routine of local villagers is affected because alterations of both the slope and the ice surface destroy frequently used transport routes. Although the landslides have a history decades long, the landslide problem has more recently assumed heightened significance in relation to rapidly occurring economic and social change such as the introduction of wage labour and seasonal outmigration.

scholarly journals Formation Patterns of Mediterranean High-Mountain Water-Bodies in Sierra-Nevada, SE Spain

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 438
Author(s):  
Jose Luis Diaz-Hernandez ◽  
Antonio Jose Herrera-Martinez
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Unknown Origin ◽  
Slope Instability ◽  
Water Bodies ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Mountain Areas ◽  
Glacial Processes ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Water Volumes

At present, there is a lack of detailed understanding on how the factors converging on water variables from mountain areas modify the quantity and quality of their watercourses, which are features determining these areas’ hydrological contribution to downstream regions. In order to remedy this situation to some extent, we studied the water-bodies of the western sector of the Sierra Nevada massif (Spain). Since thaw is a necessary but not sufficient contributor to the formation of these fragile water-bodies, we carried out field visits to identify their number, size and spatial distribution as well as their different modelling processes. The best-defined water-bodies were the result of glacial processes, such as overdeepening and moraine dams. These water-bodies are the highest in the massif (2918 m mean altitude), the largest and the deepest, making up 72% of the total. Another group is formed by hillside instability phenomena, which are very dynamic and are related to a variety of processes. The resulting water-bodies are irregular and located at lower altitudes (2842 m mean altitude), representing 25% of the total. The third group is the smallest (3%), with one subgroup formed by anthropic causes and another formed from unknown origin. It has recently been found that the Mediterranean and Atlantic watersheds of this massif are somewhat paradoxical in behaviour, since, despite its higher xericity, the Mediterranean watershed generally has higher water contents than the Atlantic. The overall cause of these discrepancies between watersheds is not connected to their formation processes. However, we found that the classification of water volumes by the manners of formation of their water-bodies is not coherent with the associated green fringes because of the anomalous behaviour of the water-bodies formed by moraine dams. This discrepancy is largely due to the passive role of the water retained in this type of water-body as it depends on the characteristics of its hollows. The water-bodies of Sierra Nevada close to the peak line (2918 m mean altitude) are therefore highly dependent on the glacial processes that created the hollows in which they are located. Slope instability created water-bodies mainly located at lower altitudes (2842 m mean altitude), representing tectonic weak zones or accumulation of debris, which are influenced by intense slope dynamics. These water-bodies are therefore more fragile, and their existence is probably more short-lived than that of bodies created under glacial conditions.

scholarly journals Research advances on climate-induced slope instability in glacier and permafrost high-mountain environments

2010 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 146-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Huggel ◽  
L. Fischer ◽  
D. Schneider ◽  
W. Haeberli
Keyword(s):  
Slope Failure ◽  
Hazard Analysis ◽  
Slope Instability ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Temperature Sensitive ◽  
Mountain Areas ◽  
Mountain Environments ◽  
Slope Instabilities ◽  
Monte Rosa ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract. High-mountain areas with glacier and permafrost occurrence are temperature sensitive environments. Climatic changes are, thus, likely to have an effect on slope stability. Several recent events have shown that rock and ice avalanches and related hazards can have severe consequences. For hazard analysis, the processes of slope failure and flow dynamics should therefore be better understood. In this article, recent advances in this field are presented, including high-resolution topographic monitoring of a large Alpine high-mountain flank (Monte Rosa) over the past 50 years and laboratory experiments with rotating drums and numerical modelling. This recent research has revealed important insight into the causes and dynamics of slope instabilities and contributes towards a better understanding of the influence of ice on avalanche dynamics and runout. It is emphasized that high-mountain slope failures need to be viewed from an interdisciplinary perspective, taking a number of process interactions into account.

scholarly journals Intensified paraglacial slope failures due to accelerating downwasting of a temperate glacier in Mt. Gongga, southeastern Tibetan Plateau

2022 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-42
Author(s):  
Yan Zhong ◽  
Qiao Liu ◽  
Matthew Westoby ◽  
Yong Nie ◽  
Francesca Pellicciotti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Loss ◽  
Slope Failure ◽  
Geological Structure ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Slope Instability ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Seasonal Temperature ◽  
Lateral Moraine ◽  
Mountain Areas ◽  
Mountain Glacier

Abstract. Topographic development via paraglacial slope failure (PSF) represents a complex interplay between geological structure, climate, and glacial denudation. Southeastern Tibet has experienced amongst the highest rates of ice mass loss in High Mountain Asia in recent decades, but few studies have focused on the implications of this mass loss on the stability of paraglacial slopes. We used repeat satellite- and unpiloted aerial vehicle (UAV)-derived imagery between 1990 and 2020 as the basis for mapping PSFs from slopes adjacent to Hailuogou Glacier (HLG), a 5 km long monsoon temperate valley glacier in the Mt. Gongga region. We observed recent lowering of the glacier tongue surface at rates of up to 0.88 m a−1 in the period 2000 to 2016, whilst overall paraglacial bare ground area (PBGA) on glacier-adjacent slopes increased from 0.31 ± 0.27 km2 in 1990 to 1.38 ± 0.06 km2 in 2020. Decadal PBGA expansion rates were ∼ 0.01 km2 a−1, 0.02 km2 a−1, and 0.08 km2 in the periods 1990–2000, 2000–2011, and 2011–2020 respectively, indicating an increasing rate of expansion of PBGA. Three types of PSFs, including rockfalls, sediment-mantled slope slides, and headward gully erosion, were mapped, with a total area of 0.75 ± 0.03 km2 in 2020. South-facing valley slopes (true left of the glacier) exhibited more destabilization (56 % of the total PSF area) than north-facing (true right) valley slopes (44 % of the total PSF area). Deformation of sediment-mantled moraine slopes (mean 1.65–2.63 ± 0.04 cm d−1) and an increase in erosion activity in ice-marginal tributary valleys caused by a drop in local base level (gully headward erosion rates are 0.76–3.39 cm d−1) have occurred in tandem with recent glacier downwasting. We also observe deformation of glacier ice, possibly driven by destabilization of lateral moraine, as has been reported in other deglaciating mountain glacier catchments. The formation, evolution, and future trajectory of PSFs at HLG (as well as other monsoon-dominated deglaciating mountain areas) are related to glacial history, including recent rapid downwasting leading to the exposure of steep, unstable bedrock and moraine slopes, and climatic conditions that promote slope instability, such as very high seasonal precipitation and seasonal temperature fluctuations that are conducive to freeze–thaw and ice segregation processes.

scholarly journals Trapping of Organochlorine Compounds in High Mountain Lakes

2001 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 609-611 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joan O. Grimalt ◽  
Pilar Fernandez ◽  
Rosa M. Vilanova
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Transport ◽  
Mountain Lakes ◽  
Organochlorine Compounds ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
High Latitudes ◽  
High Mountain Lakes ◽  
Mountain Areas ◽  
Persistent Pollutants

High mountain areas have recently been observed to be polluted by organochlorine compounds (OC) despite their isolation. These persistent pollutants arrive at these remote regions through atmospheric transport. However, the mechanisms involving the accumulation of these compounds from the atmospheric pool to the lacustrine systems still need to be elucidated. These mechanisms must be related to the processes involving the transfer of these pollutant from low to high latitudes[1] as described in the global distillation effect[2].

scholarly journals Mechanisms linking active rock glaciers and impounded surface water formation in high-mountain areas

2017 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 417-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Colombo ◽  
Luigi Sambuelli ◽  
Cesare Comina ◽  
Chiara Colombero ◽  
Marco Giardino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Mountain Areas ◽  
Water Formation ◽  
Rock Glaciers

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Soils from European High Mountain Areas

2010 ◽  
Vol 215 (1-4) ◽  
pp. 655-666 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberto Quiroz ◽  
Joan O. Grimalt ◽  
Pilar Fernandez ◽  
Lluis Camarero ◽  
Jordi Catalan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons ◽  
Aromatic Hydrocarbons ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Mountain Areas ◽  
Polycyclic Aromatic ◽  
Hydrocarbons In Soils

scholarly journals Hypsugo stubbei sp. nov., a novel cryptic bat species of the genus Hypsugo (Vespertilionidae, Chiroptera, Mammalia) from Mongolia. Results of the Mongolian-German Biological Expeditions Since 1962, No. 347.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dietrich Dolch ◽  
Michael Stubbe ◽  
Nyamsuren Batsaikhan ◽  
Annegret Stubbe ◽  
Dirk Steinhauser
Keyword(s):  
High Mountain ◽  
Limited Data ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Mountain Areas ◽  
Mitochondrial Coi ◽  
Subspecies Level ◽  
Western Palearctic ◽  
Close Proximity ◽  
Morphological Differences ◽  
Mitochondrial Nd1

The occurrence of two members of the genus Hypsugo, namely H. alaschanicus and H. savii caucasicus, have been reported for Mongolia in the literature. Due to various taxonomic reassignments within and between genera, the number of records for the genus Hypsugo in Mongolia is quite scarce and sometimes not resolved at species or subspecies level. Despite recognition of the two above-mentioned species, recent reports based on genetic analyses describe only new and further records of H. alaschanicus. Thus, it exists a large uncertainty regarding the occurrence and distribution of H. savii caucasicus in Mongolia. Here, our efforts in gaining a deeper understanding towards the occurrence and distribution of Hypsugo species in Mongolia are described. A combination of genetic and morphological analyses of collected material from Hypsugo specimens revealed the existence of a genetically largely distant Hypsugo clade. Therefore, a new and cryptic Hypsugo species is proposed which is named after Prof. Dr. Michael Stubbe for his continuous, long-standing and significant contributions into the biological exploration of Mongolia. Hypsugo stubbei sp. nov. differs by at least 8.4 % and 9 % to the closest Western Palearctic distributed H. cf. darwinii and H. savii as well as at least 11.3 % to the Easter Palearctic (including Mongolia) distributed H. alaschanicus based on the first 798 nucleotides of the gene encoding the mitochondrial ND1 (subunit one of NADH dehydrogenase). Neither a close proximity species based on the gene encoding the mitochondrial COI (cytochrome oxidase subunit one) could be found in publicly accessible nucleotide databases. While the cryptic H. stubbei sp. nov. reveals no obvious cranial and morphological differences, few external characteristics are dissimilar to both H. alaschanicus and H. savii (caucasicus). Currently, Hypsugo stubbei sp. nov. was found at four different locations in Mongolia. Among the 11 specimens captured, six facilitated a genetic assignment. Based on the current scarce data records, the species seems to occur mainly in the far west of Mongolia inhabiting semi-deserts and steppes up to high mountain areas. An overlapping distribution with H. alaschanicus cannot be excluded based on the limited data currently available.

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