scholarly journals Estimating the volume of Alpine glacial lakes

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 559-575 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. J. Cook ◽  
D. J. Quincey
Keyword(s):  
Glacial Lake ◽  
Lake Area ◽  
Empirical Relationships ◽  
Main Trunk ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Global Database ◽  
Lake Volume ◽  
Supraglacial Lakes ◽  
Glacial Lake Outburst Flood ◽  
Downstream Communities

Abstract. Supraglacial, moraine-dammed and ice-dammed lakes represent a potential glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) threat to downstream communities in many mountain regions. This has motivated the development of empirical relationships to predict lake volume given a measurement of lake surface area obtained from satellite imagery. Such relationships are based on the notion that lake depth, area and volume scale predictably. We critically evaluate the performance of these existing empirical relationships by examining a global database of glacial lake depths, areas and volumes. Results show that lake area and depth are not always well correlated (r2 = 0.38) and that although lake volume and area are well correlated (r2 = 0.91), and indeed are auto-correlated, there are distinct outliers in the data set. These outliers represent situations where it may not be appropriate to apply existing empirical relationships to predict lake volume and include growing supraglacial lakes, glaciers that recede into basins with complex overdeepened morphologies or that have been deepened by intense erosion and lakes formed where glaciers advance across and block a main trunk valley. We use the compiled data set to develop a conceptual model of how the volumes of supraglacial ponds and lakes, moraine-dammed lakes and ice-dammed lakes should be expected to evolve with increasing area. Although a large amount of bathymetric data exist for moraine-dammed and ice-dammed lakes, we suggest that further measurements of growing supraglacial ponds and lakes are needed to better understand their development.

scholarly journals Estimating the volume of Alpine glacial lakes

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 909-940 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. J. Cook ◽  
D. J. Quincey
Keyword(s):  
Glacial Lake ◽  
Lake Area ◽  
Empirical Relationships ◽  
Main Trunk ◽  
Global Database ◽  
Bathymetric Data ◽  
Lake Volume ◽  
Supraglacial Lakes ◽  
Glacial Lake Outburst Flood ◽  
Downstream Communities

Abstract. Supraglacial, moraine-dammed and ice-dammed lakes represent a potential glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) threat to downstream communities in many mountain regions. This has motivated the development of empirical relationships to predict lake volume given a measurement of lake surface area obtained from satellite imagery. Such relationships are based on the notion that lake depth, area and volume scale predictably. We critically evaluate the performance of these existing empirical relationships by examining a global database of measured glacial lake depths, areas and volumes. Results show that lake area and depth are not always well correlated (r2 = 0.38), and that although lake volume and area are well correlated (r2 = 0.91), there are distinct outliers in the dataset. These outliers represent situations where it may not be appropriate to apply existing empirical relationships to predict lake volume, and include growing supraglacial lakes, glaciers that recede into basins with complex overdeepened morphologies or that have been deepened by intense erosion, and lakes formed where glaciers advance across and block a main trunk valley. We use the compiled dataset to develop a conceptual model of how the volumes of supraglacial ponds and lakes, moraine-dammed lakes and ice-dammed lakes should be expected to evolve with increasing area. Although a large amount of bathymetric data exist for moraine-dammed and ice-dammed lakes, we suggest that further measurements of growing supraglacial ponds and lakes are needed to better understand their development.

Role of supraglacial lakes in recession of Himalayan glaciers: A case study of Dudh Koshi basin, Nepal

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 199-207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florencia Matina Tuladhar ◽  
Diwakar KC
Keyword(s):  
Interannual Variation ◽  
Google Earth ◽  
Glacial Lake ◽  
Coefficient Of Determination ◽  
Lake Area ◽  
Supraglacial Lakes ◽  
Glacier Recession ◽  
Outburst Floods ◽  
Koshi Basin

Abstract Climate change has been adversely affecting glaciers causing them to advance and recession worldwide. Existing studies have primarily attributed temperature as the leading factor causing glacier recession. However, detailed studies that investigate effect of other factors like presence of debris cover, slope, and contact with water bodies are still scarce. This research, thus investigated the role of supraglacial lakes in recession of debris-covered glaciers (DCG). Such glaciers were studied since these lakes are found in debris-covered glaciers only. For this purpose the interannual variation in area of supraglacial lakes of Dudh Koshi basin was computed to test the hypothesis that these lakes play a significant role in glacier recession. Supraglacial lakes were delineated using Google Earth Pro at five year intervals to assess interannual variation in lake area. Slope, elevation and change in supraglacial lake area were the predictors influencing average decadal change in area of glaciers. Two models prepared using multiple linear regression in Excel were compared. The first model used elevation and slope as predictors while the second model used change in supraglacial lake area as the additional predictor. The second model had a higher coefficient of determination (R square) and Adjusted R-square values of 99 % and 96 % compared to the first model. Further test statistics from Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) results were compared to test the hypothesis. Moreover the Root mean square error (RMSE) of second model was also less than the first one. Hence both the regression statistics and RMSE confirmed that change in area of supraglacial lakes was an important factor that influences overall recession of debris-covered glaciers. Nevertheless, use of high spatial and temporal resolution imageries along-with increase in number of glaciers sampled should be incorporated in future studies to ensure robust outcomes. Thus this research can bolster the overall understanding between glacier and glacial lake dynamics which will improve the resilience of downstream inhabitants from climate induced hazards, such as glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs).

scholarly journals Seasonal evolution of supraglacial lake volume from ASTER imagery

2009 ◽  
Vol 50 (52) ◽  
pp. 95-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Georgiou ◽  
A. Shepherd ◽  
M. McMillan ◽  
P. Nienow
Keyword(s):  
Greenland Ice Sheet ◽  
Airborne Lidar ◽  
Radiative Transfer Model ◽  
Transfer Model ◽  
Lake Area ◽  
Lake Volume ◽  
Supraglacial Lakes ◽  
Term Evolution ◽  
Lidar Observations

AbstractWater stored in and released from supraglacial lakes is an important factor when considering the seasonal and long-term evolution of the Greenland ice sheet. Here we use a radiative transfer model to estimate changes in the depth and volume of a supraglacial lake on the surface of Jakobshavn Isbræ, West Greenland, between 2002 and 2005. When compared to estimates of the lake depth determined from airborne lidar observations, we estimate that the root-mean-square departure of the modelled lake depths was 0.3 m during cloud-free conditions. The maximum lake area, depth and volume were 3.4 km2, 9.6 ±1.0 m and (18.6±3.7)×106 m3, respectively. When sequenced according to the number of positive degree-days (PDDs) accumulated prior to each image, we observe that the lake volume evolves in three distinct phases. At the start of the melting season, the rate of filling is slow; after approximately 80 PDDs the rate of filling increases by a factor ∽3, and after approximately 125 PDDs the lake drains rapidly. We estimate that the lake drains at a minimum rate of (2.66±0.53)×106 m3 d–1 over a 6 day period.

scholarly journals Spatially and Temporally Resolved Monitoring of Glacial Lake Changes in Alps During the Recent Two Decades

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingsong Ma ◽  
Chunqiao Song ◽  
Yanjun Wang
Keyword(s):  
Glacial Lake ◽  
Water Volume ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Lake Area ◽  
Glacial Lakes ◽  
Holistic View ◽  
Supraglacial Lakes ◽  
Different Types ◽  
The Alps ◽  
The Mean

Climate warming is intensifying the melting of glaciers and the growth of glacial lakes in the Alps, which has a profound impact on the management of water resources and high-mountain hydropower in this region. However, the research on the spatial distribution and temporal evolution of the Alps glacial lakes of various types still lacks a holistic view. In this study, we developed an inventory of Alps glacial lakes of different types and then obtained the annual areas of these lakes from 2000 to 2019 using JRC Global Surface Water and Global Land Analysis and Discovery data at a resolution of 30 m. A total of 498 glacial lakes (>0.01 km2) with the net area of 33.77 ± 6.94 km2 were identified in the Alps in 2019 and are mainly distributed in the western and central Alps. These Alps glacial lakes, with the area ranging 0.01–1.59 km2, are generally dominated by small-sized ones. The comparison of lakes of different types indicated that ice-uncontacted lakes are dominant in number and area, accounting for 59.4 and 58.4%, respectively. In terms of the elevation distribution, almost half of the lakes are concentrated at the altitude of 2,250–2,750 m (a.s.l.). Meanwhile, the mean altitude of small glacial lakes is higher than that of large lakes. The distribution of ice-contacted lakes and supraglacial lakes were more concentrated, and the mean altitude was higher. During the study period, the number, area, and water volume of glacial lakes were increasing, but the expansion varied between different periods. The changing trends of the glacial lake area and volume were consistent and presents in three stages, as the glacial lake expanded rapidly in the first 5 years and in the last 7 years and remained relatively stable between 2005 and 2012. The number and area of glacier-fed lakes increased rapidly, while the non-glacier-fed lakes were relatively stable. The area change rate of supraglacial lakes was the largest (+47%). This study provides a spatially-complete and temporally-consecutive picture of glacial lake changes in the Alps and can be greatly helpful for future research on climate-glacier-lake interactions, glacial lake outburst floods, and freshwater resources in this region.

scholarly journals Glacier change and glacial lake outburst flood risk in the Bolivian Andes

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon J. Cook ◽  
Ioannis Kougkoulos ◽  
Laura A. Edwards ◽  
Jason Dortch ◽  
Dirk Hoffmann
Keyword(s):  
Glacial Lake ◽  
Outburst Flood ◽  
Mountain Ranges ◽  
Mountain Communities ◽  
Bolivian Andes ◽  
Proglacial Lakes ◽  
Lake Change ◽  
Glacial Lake Outburst Flood ◽  
Downstream Communities ◽  
Cordillera Real

Abstract. Glaciers of the Bolivian Andes represent a vital water resource for Andean cities and mountain communities, yet relatively little work has assessed changes in their extent over recent decades. In many mountain regions, glacier recession has been accompanied by the development of proglacial lakes, which can pose a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) hazard. However, no studies have assessed the development of such lakes in Bolivia despite recent GLOF incidents here. Our mapping from satellite imagery reveals an overall areal shrinkage of 228.1 ± 22.8 km2 (43.1 %) across the Bolivian Cordillera Oriental between 1986 and 2014. Shrinkage was greatest in the Tres Cruces region (47.3 %), followed by the Cordillera Apolobamba (43.1 %) and Cordillera Real (41.9 %). A growing number of proglacial lakes have developed as glaciers have receded, in accordance with trends in most other deglaciating mountain ranges, although the number of ice-contact lakes has decreased. The reasons for this are unclear, but the pattern of lake change has varied significantly throughout the study period, suggesting that monitoring of future lake development is required as ice continues to recede. Ultimately, we use our 2014 database of proglacial lakes to assess GLOF risk across the Bolivian Andes. We identify 25 lakes that pose a potential GLOF threat to downstream communities and infrastructure. We suggest that further studies of potential GLOF impacts are urgently required.

scholarly journals GLACIAL LAKE EVOLUTION BASED ON REMOTE SENSING TIME SERIES: A CASE STUDY OF TSHO ROLPA IN NEPAL

2020 ◽  
Vol V-3-2020 ◽  
pp. 633-639
Author(s):  
M. V. Peppa ◽  
S. B. Maharjan ◽  
S. P. Joshi ◽  
W. Xiao ◽  
J. P. Mills
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Time Series ◽  
Glacial Lake ◽  
Lake Area ◽  
Glacial Lakes ◽  
Glacier Terminus ◽  
Lake Evolution ◽  
Frequency Monitoring ◽  
Downstream Communities ◽  
Sensing Time

Abstract. Himalayan glaciers have retreated rapidly in recent years. Resultant glacial lakes in the region pose potential catastrophic threats to downstream communities, especially under a changing climate. The potential for Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) has increased and studies have assessed the risks of those in Nepal and prioritised several glacial lakes for urgent and closer investigation. The risk posed by the Tsho Rolpa Glacial Lake is one of the most serious in Nepal. To investigate the feasibility of high-frequency monitoring of glacial lake evolution by remote sensing, this paper proposes a workflow for automated glacial lake boundary extraction and evolution using a time series of Sentinel optical imagery. The waterbody is segmented and vectorised using bimodal histograms from water indices. The vectorised lake boundary is validated against reference data extracted from rigorous contemporary unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based photogrammetric survey. Lake boundaries were subsequently extracted at four different epochs to evaluate the evolution of the lake, especially at the glacier terminus. The final lake area was estimated at 1.61 km2, significantly larger than the areal extent last formally reported. A 0.99 m/day maximum, and a 0.45 m/day average, horizontal glacier retreat rates were estimated. The reported research has demonstrated the potential of remote sensing time series to monitor glacial lake evolution, which is particularly important for lakes in remote mountain regions that are otherwise difficult to access.

scholarly journals User Engagement in Developing Use-Inspired Glacial Lake Outburst Flood Decision Support Tools in Juneau and the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dina Abdel-Fattah ◽  
Sarah Trainor ◽  
Eran Hood ◽  
Regine Hock ◽  
Christian Kienholz
Keyword(s):  
Glacial Lake ◽  
User Engagement ◽  
National Weather Service ◽  
Kenai Peninsula ◽  
Emergency Responders ◽  
The Us ◽  
Information User ◽  
Glacial Lake Outburst Flood ◽  
Downstream Communities ◽  
Weather Service

Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) significantly affect downstream communities in Alaska. Notably, GLOFs originating from Suicide Basin, adjacent to Mendenhall Glacier, have impacted populated areas in Juneau, Alaska since 2011. On the Kenai Peninsula, records of GLOFs from Snow Glacier date as far back as 1949, affecting downstream communities and infrastructure along the Kenai and Snow river systems. The US National Weather Service, US Geological Survey, and University of Alaska Southeast (for Suicide Basin) provide informational products to aid the public in monitoring both glacial dammed lakes as well as the ensuing GLOFs. This 2 year study (2018–2019) analyzed how communities affected by the aforementioned GLOFs utilize these various products. The participants in this project represented a variety of different sectors and backgrounds to capture a diverse set of perspectives and insights, including those of homeowners, emergency responders, tour operators, and staff at federal and state agencies. In addition, feedback and suggestions were collected from interviewees to facilitate improvements or modifications by the relevant entities to make the informational products more usable. Findings from this study were also used to inform changes to the US National Weather Service monitoring websites for both Suicide Basin and Snow Glacier. This paper’s findings on GLOF information use are relevant for other GLOF-affected communities, from both an information user and information developer perspective.

scholarly journals Glacier change and glacial lake outburst flood risk in the Bolivian Andes

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 2399-2413 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon J. Cook ◽  
Ioannis Kougkoulos ◽  
Laura A. Edwards ◽  
Jason Dortch ◽  
Dirk Hoffmann
Keyword(s):  
Glacial Lake ◽  
Outburst Flood ◽  
Mountain Ranges ◽  
Mountain Communities ◽  
Bolivian Andes ◽  
Proglacial Lakes ◽  
Lake Change ◽  
Glacial Lake Outburst Flood ◽  
Downstream Communities ◽  
Cordillera Real

Abstract. Glaciers of the Bolivian Andes represent an important water resource for Andean cities and mountain communities, yet relatively little work has assessed changes in their extent over recent decades. In many mountain regions, glacier recession has been accompanied by the development of proglacial lakes, which can pose a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) hazard. However, no studies have assessed the development of such lakes in Bolivia despite recent GLOF incidents here. Our mapping from satellite imagery reveals an overall areal shrinkage of 228.1 ± 22.8 km2 (43.1 %) across the Bolivian Cordillera Oriental between 1986 and 2014. Shrinkage was greatest in the Tres Cruces region (47.3 %), followed by the Cordillera Apolobamba (43.1 %) and Cordillera Real (41.9 %). A growing number of proglacial lakes have developed as glaciers have receded, in accordance with trends in most other deglaciating mountain ranges, although the number of ice-contact lakes has decreased. The reasons for this are unclear, but the pattern of lake change has varied significantly throughout the study period, suggesting that monitoring of future lake development is required as ice continues to recede. Ultimately, we use our 2014 database of proglacial lakes to assess GLOF risk across the Bolivian Andes. We identify 25 lakes that pose a potential GLOF threat to downstream communities and infrastructure. We suggest that further studies of potential GLOF impacts are urgently required.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Glacial Lake Outburst Flood Susceptibility Using Multi-Criteria Assessment Framework in Mahalangur Himalaya

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nitesh Khadka ◽  
Xiaoqing Chen ◽  
Yong Nie ◽  
Sudeep Thakuri ◽  
Guoxiong Zheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Global Climate ◽  
Rapid Expansion ◽  
Glacial Lake ◽  
Assessment Framework ◽  
Glacial Lakes ◽  
Flood Susceptibility ◽  
Outburst Floods ◽  
Glacial Lake Outburst Flood ◽  
Downstream Communities ◽  
Very High

Ongoing recession of glaciers in the Himalaya in response to global climate change has far-reaching impacts on the formation and expansion of glacial lakes. The subsequent glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) are a significant threat to lives and livelihoods as they can cause catastrophic damage up to hundreds of kilometres downstream. Previous studies have reported the rapid expansion of glacial lakes and several notable destructive past GLOF events in the Mahalangur Himalaya, suggesting a necessity of timely and updated GLOF susceptibility assessment. Here, an updated inventory of glacial lakes across the Mahalangur Himalaya is developed based on 10-m Sentinel-2 satellite data from 2018. Additionally, the GLOF susceptibilities of glacial lakes (≥0.045 km2) are evaluated using a multi-criteria-based assessment framework where six key factors are selected and analyzed. Weight for each factor was assigned from the analytical hierarchy process. Glacial lakes are classified into very low, low, medium, high, and very high GLOF susceptibility classes depending upon their susceptibility index based on analysis of three historical GLOF events in the study area. The result shows the existence of 345 glacial lakes (>0.001 km2) with a total area of 18.80 ± 1.35 km2 across the region in 2018. Furthermore, out of the 64 glacial lakes (≥0.045 km2) assessed, seven were identified with very high GLOF susceptibility. We underline that pronounced glacier-lake interaction will likely increase the GLOF susceptibility. Regular monitoring and more detailed fieldworks for these highly susceptible glacial lakes are necessary. This will benefit in early warning and disaster risk reduction of downstream communities.

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