Search

International audience; Among past interglacial periods, Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 19 is particularly interesting because its orbital geometry is very similar to that of the present interglacial. Here we present a high-resolution (sub-centennial) multiproxy record covering the ca. 790-770 ka interval, i.e. the interglacial MIS 19c and the ensuing glacial inception of MIS 19b, from a lacustrine sediment sequence retrieved from the Sulmona Basin (central Italy). The record has an independent chronology based on radiometric dating of six volcanic ash layers, and the resulting age model has a mean associated uncertainty of ±2.6 kyr. Variations in sediment geochemistry and mineralogy are interpreted in terms of past hydrological and temperature changes. Several millennial and sub-millennial events of reduced precipitation are well expressed. Comparisons with continental and marine records from the mid-latitude and sub-polar North Atlantic suggest a broad spatial expression for the observed events. Events occurring within the interglacial are not clearly associated with changes in marine proxies in the Iberian Margin, although similarities with the record from the sub-polar North Atlantic can be recognized and tentatively linked to changes in local hydrography having a downstream effect amplified by changes in atmospheric circulation. During the glacial inception, changes in the Sulmona record are coherent with changes in North Atlantic records, with drier events likely associated with meltwater-induced intervals of AMOC weakening. An event at ca. 785.6 ka may also reflect oceanic changes caused by freshwater discharges from residual ice-sheets and an outburst flood, similar to the 8.2 ka event in the Holocene.

Holocene and Upper Pleistocene sediments in the eastern Himalayan syntaxis represent an extraordinary record of glacial outburst megafloods in one of the most tectonically active landscapes on Earth. Glacial damming and outburst floods in the syntaxis may have focused erosion in the steep Tsangpo Gorge and inhibited river incision into the margin of the Tibetan Plateau. However, few flood slackwater deposits have been studied, and it is unknown which of the hundreds of known glacial impoundments in Tibet may have sourced the floods. Here we report n=1438 new detrital zircon U-Pb data from individual ancient megaflood and historical outburst flood slackwater deposits to examine the provenance and erosive potential of these events. Detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology of megaflood deposits show that megaflood provenance is more consistent with impoundment of the Yarlung River drainage at or west of the Namche Barwa massif, than impoundment of eastern drainages along the Yigong and Parlung Rivers. Compared to active bedload in the Siang River, and historical floods within the same drainage area, megaflood samples overall contain a disproportionately large amount of zircons eroded from the Tsangpo Gorge. We interpret this preferential derivation to reflect preferential erosion during large discharge events—supporting the hypothesis that Quaternary megafloods are a primary contributor to rapid exhumation of the eastern Himalayan syntaxis.

The outburst flood of the Baige landslide dam caused tremendous damage to infrastructure, unfinished hydraulic buildings, roads, and bridges that were built or under construction along the Jinsha River. Can downstream hydraulic buildings, such as high dams with flood control and discharge function, accommodate outburst floods or generate more serious losses due to wave overtopping? In this study, the unsteady flow of a one-dimensional hydraulic calculation was used to simulate natural flood discharge. Assuming a high dam (Yebatan arch dam) is constructed downstream, the flood processes were carried out in two forms of high dam interception (complete interception, comprehensive flood control of blocking and draining). Moreover, three-dimensional visualization of the inundation area was performed. Simulation results indicate that the Yebatan Hydropower Station can completely eliminate the outburst flood risk even under the most dangerous situations. This station can reduce the flood peak and delay the peak flood arrival time. Specifically, the flood peak decreased more obviously when it was closer to the upstream area, and the flood peak arrival time was more delayed when the flood spread further downstream. In addition, the downstream water depth was reduced by approximately 10 m, and the inundation area was reduced to half of the natural discharge. This phenomenon shows that hydraulic buildings such as high dams can reduce the inundation area of downstream farmlands and extend the evacuation time for downstream residents during the flood process, thus reducing the loss of life and property.

Lakes are a characteristic feature of glacial landscapes. They are found in the vicinity of current or past glaciers and ice sheets, in high alpine cirques, inner-alpine valleys as well as lowlands. In recent years, new lakes have emerged in glacier forefields and surface areas and volumes of many proglacial lakes are reported to be growing in many mountain areas due to climate-induced glacier melt. Some proglacial lakes have attracted public and scientific attention due to disastrous events such as lake outburst floods or increasing hazard potential and risk downstream. Proglacial lake formation is the result of glacier retreat exposing a topographic bedrock depression or space behind a sediment dam that inhibits runoff and provokes storage of water and sediment. Proglacial lakes thus are first-order sediment sinks and interrupt the sediment cascade and sediment transfer dynamics from uplands to lowlands. They often are of societal relevance in mountain areas ranging from water supply to energy production, hazard and risk, as well as tourism issues. This review summarises the role of proglacial lakes for geomorphic systems in high mountain environments. We start with a look at the basic terminology and formation principles, followed by an overview of global lake distribution patterns. The geomorphologic significance of proglacial lakes is discussed with respect to the current state of knowledge. Recent developments that allow a modelling of potential future lakes in mountain areas, once the glacier melt, are presented and discussed in the light of natural hazards and risks, as well as socio-economic dimensions of proglacial lake formation.

Mountain glacier is one of the extremely sensitive indicators for climate change, and its surface motion distribution and corresponding variation are valuable information for understanding ice mass exchange and glacier dynamics. This paper presents the long-term ice velocity distributions of Inylchek Glacier in the Tianshan region by pixel-tracking algorithm with time-series Landsat imagery acquired during 2006–2016. Then the monitored ice motion fields of Inylchek Glacier were carefully analyzed and revealed a generally similar spatial distribution characteristic. Most of the ice of the North Inylchek Glacier remains in a stagnant state except for the upstream part, but a relatively high velocity of 20–40 cm/day with an RMSE of 3 cm/day was observed on most part of the South Inylchek Glacier, except for the slow-moving glacier terminus. We also state the glacier dynamics around Lake Merzbacher and their possible effect on its glacier lake outburst flood (GLOF) risk. Besides, the surface velocity distribution on South Inylchek Glacier surface during the ablation period from 2014 to 2016 was also established and also compared with annual velocity. The corresponding difference yields that there is a positive relation between ice motion and temperature variation. Therefore, the time-series ice surface motion yielded by the Landsat imagery thus could provide us an efficient and low-cost way to analyze the current state and changes in glaciers, thanks to the continuous and regular spaceborne observations provided by the Landsat satellites.

The presence of glacial lakes in the Himalaya makes it a potential mountain hazard, as catastrophic failure of such waterbodies may lead to high-magnitude glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) events that can cause significant damage to the low-lying areas. The present study evaluates the hazard potential of the South Lhonak lake located in the state of Sikkim, using both one and two-dimensional hydrodynamic modeling approaches. Different breach parameters were calculated based on the lake bathymetry and moraine dimensions. The worst-case GLOF scenario is revealed during an overtopping failure of the moraine, producing a peak flood of 6064.6 m3 s−1 and releasing a total water volume of 25.7 × 106 m3. The GLOF hydrograph is routed to calculate peak flood (m3 s−1), inundation depth (m) and flow velocity (ms−1) along the main flow channel. The interaction of the flood wave with a major topographic obstruction located 15.6 km downstream of the lake, shows a significant reduction of the flow energy leading to a minimization of the South Lhonak GLOF impact. The flood wave reaches the nearest town Lachen, located at a distance of 46 km downstream from the lake, at 3 h 38 min after the initiation of the breach, with a peak flood of 3928.16 m3 s−1 and a maximum flow velocity of 13.6 ms−1. At Chungthang town, located at a distance of 62.35 km from South Lhonak lake, the flood wave potentially inundates settlements along the bank of the flow channel, where a peak flood of 3828.08 m3 s−1 is reached after 4 h of the initial dam breach event. The study also incorporates modeling of a framework to propose a potential flood remediation measure of the South Lhonak lake GLOF by demonstrating the effect of a lateral inline structure along the flow channel, to check the flow of the potential flood wave.

A landslide-dammed lake is a common geological disaster in mountainous areas that is usually triggered by heavy rainfall or a strong earthquake, posing a great threat to the population and property downstream. As quantitative data and decision-making time are usually limited in many landslide dam cases, to mitigate damage, a rapid assessment of the risk of a landslide-dammed lake is required for a successful emergency dam treatment. Based on easily available data from historic landslide dams of the Wenchun earthquake, a fuzzy comprehensive method is proposed to assess the danger of a landslide dam, the vulnerability resulting from an outburst flood and the risk associated with a landslide-dammed lake. Dam materials, dam height, maximum storage capacity, and ratio between dam length and width were four main factors used for danger assessment; four social factors (including population, administrative region, facilities, and art relics and rare species) and four environmental factors (river, wildlife habitat, human landscape and pollution enterprise) were used for vulnerability assessment. Both assessments were implemented via a first level fuzzy comprehensive evaluation. Meanwhile, the risk level of a landslide-dammed lake included the combined effects of danger and vulnerability, and the risk level was classified based on levels of danger and vulnerability by a second-level fuzzy comprehensive evaluation. Finally, this proposed fuzzy comprehensive method was successfully applied to a recent landslide dam that occurred on June 24, 2017, in Maoxian County, its danger, vulnerability and risk were rated at level IV. Accordingly, the method is supposed to be feasible and applicable for comprehensive assessment of landslide-dammed lakes, contributing to making effective measures for timely disaster mitigation.

Ice elevation changes of the Northern Patagonia Icefield (NPI) were analyzed by comparing three Digital Elevation Models (DEM) corresponding to 1975 (constructed based on topographic maps), the SRTM DEM of 2000 yr and a SPOT 5 DEM of 2005. In addition, the glacier length fluctuations and the surface area evolution between 2001 and 2011 of 25 glaciers of the NPI were studied: the information extracted from the Landsat ETM+ satellite image of 11 March 2001 was compared to the measurements performed based on the Landsat ETM+ satellite image of 19 February 2011. From a global point of view, the majority of the studied glaciers thinned, retreated and lost surface between 2001 and 2011, only few glaciers (Leones, Nef, Pared Sur and Soler) located on the eastern side of the NPI have been stable. Glaciers located on the western side of the NPI suffered a stronger wasting compared to the glaciers located on the eastern side. Overall, over the ablation areas of the NPI (below 1150 m a.s.l.) a more rapid thinning of 2.6 m yr−1 occurred between 2000 and 2005 yr compared to the period 1975–2000, in which a mean thinning of 1.7 m yr−1 was measured for the same zones of the NPI. For the whole period (1975–2005) the most important thinning of the ablation areas has been estimated for HPN-1 Glacier (4.4 m yr−1) followed by Benito (3.4 m yr−1), Fraenkel (2.4 m yr−1), Gualas (2.1 m yr−1) and Acodado glaciers, all of them located on the western side of the NPI. Between 2001 and 2011, a noteworthy retreat of 1.9 km was experienced by Gualas Glacier and by Reichert Glacier with 1.6 km, both located on the north-western side of the NPI. On the south-western side of the NPI, during the same decennia, Steffen Glacier experienced a remarkable retreat of 1.6 km as well. During the 2001–2011 period, Steffen Glacier more than doubled its rate of retreat (compared to the 1979–2001 period) and experienced the disintegration of its main front as well as a lateral tongue that retreated 3.1 km. The most significant retreat observed on the eastern side was experienced by Colonia Glacier (1 km). Area loss was also relevant during the period 2001–2011. Overall, the icefield experienced a reduction of 50.6 km2 which represents a 1.3 % relative to the surface area calculated for 2001 yr. The most remarkable surface reduction was observed for HPN-1 Glacier that lost 3.2 % of its surface estimated in 2001, followed by Steffen Glacier (2.8 %). We suggest that the glacier shrinking observed in the NPI is controlled firstly by atmospheric warming, as it has been reported in this area. Nevertheless, updated climatic studies are needed in order to confirm this suggestion. If the detected past climate trends persist, in the future, glaciers of the NPI will continuous or even increase their rate of shrinking generating important consequences for this region like the production of Glacier Lake Outburst Flood events or the decrease of the melt-water runoff in the long-term future.

A set of supraglacial ponds rapidly filled between April and July 2017 on Changri Shar Glacier in the Everest region of Nepal, coalescing into a ~ 180,000 m2 lake before sudden and complete drainage through Changri Shar and Khumbu Glaciers 15–17 July. We use a suite of PlanetScope and Pléiades satellite orthoimagery to document the system's evolution over its very short filling period and to assess the glacial and proglacial effects of the outburst flood. We additionally use high resolution stereo digital elevation models (DEMs) to complete a detailed analysis of the event's ablative and geomorphic effects. Finally, measurement of the flood’s passage at a stream gauge 4 km downstream enables a refined interpretation of the chronology and overall magnitude of the outburst. We infer largely subsurface drainage through both glaciers located on its flowpath, and efficent drainage through Khumbu Glacier. The drainage and subsequent outburst of 1.36 ± 0.19 x 106 m3 impounded water had a clear geomorphic impact on glacial and proglacial topography at least as far as 11 km downstream, including deep incision and landsliding along the Changri Nup proglacial stream, the collapse of shallow englacial conduits near the Khumbu terminus and extensive, enhanced bank erosion below Khumbu Glacier. These sudden changes led to the rerouting of major trails in three locations, demonstrating the potential hazard that short-lived, relatively small glacial lakes pose.

Recent reconstructions suggest that the British-Irish and Fennoscandian ice sheets coalesced and covered the central and northern North Sea from ca. 26 cal. ka BP and until ca. 19 cal. ka BP. At ca. 19 cal. ka BP the Norwegian Channel Ice Stream started to retreat and the ice sheets broke apart at ca. 18.7 cal. ka BP. This led to a drainage of an ice-dammed lake in the southern North Sea northwards via the Norwegian Channel into the SE Nordic Seas. In this paper we combine information from high resolution TOPAS profiles, bathymetric records and shallow borings to study the ice-dammed lake outburst, a common deglaciation process but which rarely has been evidenced in such a detail from the marine realm. A 12 m deep and 3 km wide incision at the northeastern part of the Dogger Bank is suggested to represent the point where the ice-dammed lake breached. The glacial lake outburst flood, which had an estimated peak discharge of 9.8 × 104–2.9 × 105 m3/s and lasted for about 5–15 months, flowed between the withdrawing British-Irish and Fennoscandian ice sheets following the crest of the Ling Bank northwards. Along this path, about 300 km downstream of the break-through point, an up to 10 m thick sediment package with a prograding-aggrading sedimentation pattern, typical for ice-dammed lake outburst deposits, has been deposited. This sediment package was deposited in a high-energy environment, immediately following extensive erosion of the underlying till unit of Last Glacial Maximum age. An oxygen isotope anomaly and an associated ultra-rapidly deposited meltwater plume on the Norwegian continental margin, dated to ca. 18.7 cal. ka BP, also witness this lake outburst. The ice-dammed lake outburst flood occurred when evidence suggest a sea level at least 110 m lower than at present in the region. As the sea level rose, following the melting of the Last Glacial Maximum ice sheet, the Ling Bank Delta developed on top the outburst deposits. The delta, indicating a sea level close to 80 m below present, has an extent of 80 km and up to 12 m deep fluvial channels are associated with the topset beds. This fluvial environment may have lasted until the end of the Younger Dryas time period when the Ling Bank was submerged and attained its present water depth.

The glaciers consist of a huge amount of perpetual snow and ice and are found to create many glacial lakes. Abrupt release of large amounts of stored water in these lakes results in a catastrophic outburst flood. Several such incidents of flash floods were reported all over the world and also in Himalayas region of India causing huge economic losses. To mitigate the impact of these types of events, prior knowledge about the location, the areal extent and the volume of these lakes is very essential. The location of these glacial lakes in rugged and remote terrain makes it difficult to monitor them manually. Remote sensing plays a vital role in creating inventories and monitoring of the glacial lakes quickly and accurately due to wider coverage and repetivity. The satellite images provide greater details for the evaluation of physical conditions of the area. This paper discusses a case study on the inventory and monitoring of glacial lakes or water bodies in Sutlej basin using satellite remote sensing. The study area is Sutlej basin from its origin to Bhakra dam situated in Western Himalayas. This basin is highly rugged terrain with abundant natural water resource in the form of snow pack and glacial lakes. The Inventory of glacial lakes or water bodies was done using Indian Remote Sensing LISS-III data and monitoring using AWiFS data. A total of 197 lakes or water bodies have been identified whose water spread area is greater than 2 ha. 40 lakes with area greater than 10 ha were monitored during June–August 2007. The change in water spread area statistics was observed in 23 lakes with a variation of greater than ±10%.

Debris flow is an abrupt phenomenon of earth surface movement and typical disaster in mountainous areas with steep terrace, quantity of loose soil and abundant surface runoff. Intense rainfall and rainstorm easily triggered debris flows and generated huge losses. The disastrous debris flows, on July 4, 2013 at the gullies of Hou, Heilinzi and Xiongjia in Shimian County, Sichuan Province, resulted in 18 casualties and endangering Shimian city with a population of 50,000. These debris flows were characterized by low viscosity with only 0.9% - 1.4% clay soil of less than 0.05mm, density of 1.77 - 1.84 t/m3, velocity of 4.4 - 13.5m/s and discharge of 827 - 1248 m3/s, respectively, and also delivered sediment of 16.8 × 104m3, 12.7 - 13.5 × 104 m3, 20.5 × 104m3 out of the outlet, respectively. These three events all generated a hazard chain, which involved in flash flood, channelized debris flow, dammed lake and outburst flood. The threshold conditions of debris flow blocking Nanya River and forming this hazard chain are that the unit width peak discharge and the deposition volume in river channel are more than 37.0 m3/s and 4500 m3, respectively. These debris flows were initiated by intense rainfall with the antecedent rainfall of over 52 mm and triggering rainstorm of over 36 mm/h. And, the property losses and casualties mainly originated from impacting and scouring, burying and blocking, highway destructing and river channel rising. The irrational location of constructions and the destruction of under-standard prevention constructions were responsible for loss worsening. It was strongly recommended for mitigating that hazards reassessment, integrated control, emergency plan and integrated risk management were made at mountainous urban areas, especially in high-hazard areas.

Flood events can induce considerable sediment transport which in turn influences flow dynamics. This study investigates the multiple effects of sediment transport in floods through modelling a series of hydraulic scenarios, including small-scale experimental cases and a full-scale glacial outburst flood. A non-uniform, layer-based morphodynamic model is presented which is composed of a combination of three modules: a hydrodynamic model governed by the two-dimensional shallow water equations involving sediment effects; a sediment transport model controlling the mass conservation of sediment; and a bed deformation model for updating the bed elevation. The model is solved by a second-order Godunov-type numerical scheme. Through the modelling of the selected sediment-laden flow events, the interactions of flow and sediment transport and geomorphic processes within flood events are elucidated. It is found that the inclusion of sediment transport increases peak flow discharge, water level and water depth in dam-break flows over a flat bed. For a partial dam breach, sediment material has a blockage effect on the flood dynamics. In comparison with the ‘sudden collapse’ of a dam, a gradual dam breach significantly delays the arrival time of peak flow, and the flow hydrograph is changed similarly. Considerable bed erosion and deposition occur within the rapid outburst flood, which scours the river channel severely. It is noted that the flood propagation is accelerated after the incorporation of sediment transport, and the water level in most areas of the channel is reduced.

The glaciolacustrine history of the Huron-Erie lowland is reinterpreted using a closed basin model (CBM), based on ground surveys, LiDAR imagery, and digital elevation mapping (DEM). According to the CBM, paleolakes Utica, St. Clair, and Rouge were formed about 13,813 cal yr BP in closed depressions as the level of glacial Lake Elkton dropped below that of bounding morainal swells. The CBM explains why no physical connections could be established previously between paleolakes Algonquin and St. Clair, or between paleolakes St. Clair and Rouge. The CBM obviates the need for a spillway at Port Huron during the time of early Lake Algonquin. The Port Huron spillway is reinterpreted as having first formed about 5,728 cal yr BP simply as a consequence of early Holocene glacial rebound, southward tilting of the Lake Huron basin, and rising water level during the Nipissing transgression. LiDAR and DEM maps suggest that spillway development in the Port Huron moraine caused catastrophic flooding during initial formation of the St. Clair River channel. Channeled scablands-like topography in the form of braided scour channels, streamlined erosional residuals, and boulder lag deposits downriver from Detroit suggest that the Detroit River may have formed by outburst flooding as the Detroit moraine was breached by the rising water level of paleolake St. Clair.

During the Middle Pleistocene late Saalian glaciation of northern central Europe numerous pro-glacial lakes formed along the southwestern margin of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet. Little is known about the drainage history of these lakes, the pathways of glacial lake outburst floods and their impacts on erosion, sedimentation and landscape evolution. This study investigated the impact of the late Saalian Weser and Munsterland Lake (Germany) outburst floods. In particular, we reconstructed the routing and flow dynamics of the lake outburst flood and analysed the flood related sediments. We employed one-dimensional hydraulic modelling to calculate glacial lake outburst flood hydrographs. We modelled the flow pathway and local flow conditions along the pathway based on the boundary conditions of two different hydrographs and two different ice-margin positions. The modelling results were compared with geomorphological and sedimentological field data in order to estimate the magnitude and impact of the flood on erosion and sedimentation. Two major lake drainage events are reconstructed for the study area, during which approximately 90–50 km3 of water was released. Modelling results indicate that the lake outburst floods created a high-energy flood wave with a height of 35–50 m in confined valley areas that rapidly spread out into the Lower Rhine Embayment eventually flowing into the North Sea basin. The sedimentary record of the outburst floods comprises poorly sorted coarse-grained gravel bars, long-wavelength bedforms and sandy bedforms deposited by supercritical and subcritical flows. Some parts of the sandy flood deposits are rich in reworked mammoth bones or mammoth and horse teeth, pointing to reworking of older fluvial sediments, hydraulic concentration and subsequent re-sedimentation of vertebrate remains. These deposits are preserved in sheltered areas or at high elevations, well above the influence of postglacial fluvial erosion. The flood-related erosional features include up to 80-m-deep scour pools, alluvial channels and streamlined hills.

Understanding of complex flood-riverbed interaction processes in large-scale (field) outburst floods remains incomplete, not least due to a lack of well-constrained field data on hydraulics and sediment transport, but also because consensus on an appropriate model framework has yet to be agreed. This study presents a novel full 2D hydro-morphodynamic model containing both bedload and suspended load capability. Firstly, the model design is presented with an emphasis on its design to simulate rapidly-varied sediment-laden outburst floods and also the associated geomorphological impacts. Secondly, the model is applied to a large-scale (field) glacier outburst flood or ‘jokulhlaup’ at Solheimajokull, Iceland. For this real-world event, model scenarios with only water and with inclusion of sediment with different parameter setups were performed. Results indicated that grain size specifications affected resultant geomorphological changes, but that the sensitivity of the simulated riverbed changes to the empirical bedload transport formulae were insignificant. Notably, a positive feedback occurred whereby the jokulhlaup led to significant net erosion of the riverbed, producing an increase in flow conveyance capacity of the river channel. Furthermore, bulking effects of sediment entrainment raised the peak discharge progressively downstream, as well as the flood volume. Effects of geomorphological changes on flood water level and flow velocity were significant. Overall, despite the increased computational effort required with inclusion of sediment transport processes, this study shows that river morphological changes cannot be ignored for events with significant in-channel erosion and deposition, such as during outburst floods.

In April 2000 a large-scale rock avalanche dammed the Yigong Zangpo River, forming an extensive rockslide-dammed lake. The impoundment lasted for 62 days before a catastrophic breaching caused a massive outburst flood in the Yarlung Zangpo (Tibet) and the Dihang rivers (India) that travelled downstream to the main floodplain of the Brahmaputra in northeastern India. In response to discrepancies in the published literature on the event, we present a review and re-evaluation of the characteristics of the rock avalanche and associated landslide-dammed lake. We use digital topographical data (SRTM-3) and dynamic landslide modelling (DAN-W and DAN3D) to determine the salient characteristics of the damming landslide and to characterise its behaviour. Our analysis indicates that the volume of the damming rockslide was ca. 115 Mm3, including 91 Mm3 from the initial rockslope failure (bulked during disaggregation to 109 Mm3) and 6 Mm3 from entrainment during its 10.1 km travel down Zhamulong gully. The debris travelled with an average velocity of 15–18 m/s and resulted in a landslide dam on the Yigong River with a minimum height of about 55 m. Using LANDSAT-7 imagery (obtained before, during, and after impoundment) in conjunction with an SRTM-3 DEM, we reproduced the filling of the lake. We determine that the landslide dam formed an extensive reservoir with an impounded volume of 2.015 Gm3 and a maximum possible lake level of 2264 m asl (rounded to 2265 m asl). Our figures differ from those previously published but are believed to be well-constrained verifiable estimates of the volumes of the 2000 Yigong events. The outburst occurred after an attempt by army personnel to manually dig a spillway over the landslide debris and resulted in the entire volume of the lake draining in about 12 h. The outburst flood travelled over 500 km south into India, with a recorded rise in river level of 5.5 m at the Pasighat gauging station, 462 km downstream. In terms of historical outburst volumes from rockslide-dammed lakes, the volume of the 2000 Yigong event is only exceeded by that of the 1841 outburst flood from the Indus River rockslide-dammed lake, northern Pakistan.

The Meadow Bank (MB) is a 10-km-long and 5- to 7-m-high linear scarp in glacial sediments, trending north-northeast along the west edge of the Wabash River Valley in southeast Illinois. The MB is within the Wabash Valley seismic zone and closely parallels the trace of the Herald–Phillipstown fault zone, which lies 1 km west of the MB. Previous geophysical studies found no underlying faulting but did not provide a conclusive explanation for how such a long straight feature could have been formed. Recently available mine maps in the area demonstrate that there has been no post-Pennsylvanian faulting below the MB. We used closely spaced boreholes to develop evidence that the MB is the result of erosion, not tectonics. Most likely, the MB is an erosional scarp formed by a late-glacial outburst flood.

article i nfo No glacial lake census exists for the Third Pole region, which includes the Pamir-Hindu Kush-Karakoram- Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau. Therefore, comprehensive information is lacking about the distribution of and changes in glacial lakes caused by current global warming conditions. In this study, the first glacial lake in- ventories for the Third Pole were conducted for ~1990, 2000, and 2010 using Landsat TM/ETM+ data. Glacial lake spatial distributions, corresponding areas and temporal changes were examined. The significant results are as follows. (1) There were 4602, 4981, and 5701 glacial lakes (N0.003 km 2 ) covering areas of 553.9 ± 90, 581.2 ± 97, and 682.4 ± 110 km 2 in ~1990, 2000, and 2010, respectively; these lakes are primarily located in the Brahmaputra (39%),Indus (28%), and AmuDarya (10%) basins. (2) Small lakes (b0.2 km 2 ) are more sensitive to climate changes. (3) Lakes closer to glaciers and at higher altitudes, particularly thoseconnected to glacier ter- mini, have undergone larger area changes. (4) Glacier-fed lakes are dominant in both quantity and area (N70%) and exhibit faster expansion trends overall compared to non-glacier-fed lakes. We conclude that glacier meltwa- ter may play a dominant role in the areal expansion of most glacial lakes in the Third Pole. In addition, the pat- terns of the glacier-fed lakes correspond well with warming temperature trends and negative glacier mass balance patterns. This paper presents an important database of glacial lakes and provides a basis for long-term monitoring and evaluation of outburst flood disasters primarily caused by glacial lakes in the Third Pole.

In the Biya River valley flowing from Lake Teletskoye, geomorphic and sedimentological evidence of a catastrophic debris flow has been found and assigned to glacier retreat after the last glacial maximum. Here, we report the results of lithological analysis of three sedimentary sections along Lake Teletskoye–the Biya River valley system and optically stimulated luminescence dating of key stratigraphic units that led to a revised model for the geomorphic history of the region. Maximal glacier advance is suggested to have occurred during MIS 4–early MIS 3. It was accompanied by the damming of tributary valleys by ice, by terminal and side moraines, and by the accelerated aggradation of the trunk valley below the glacier front. Formation of Lake Teletskoye, which followed the glacier retreat, occurred between 35 and 40 ka BP, most probably around 37.5 ka BP. Lake formation was shortly followed by a break in the moraine dam, catastrophic debris flow, rapid valley incision, and reduction in the lake le...

The 1999 jokulhlaup at Solheimajokull was the first major flood to be routed through the proglacial system in over 600 years. This study reconstructed the flood using hydrodynamic, sediment transport and morphodynamic numerical modelling informed by field surveys, aerial photograph and digital elevation model analysis. Total modelled sediment transport was 469 800 m3 (+/- 20%). Maximum erosion of 8.2 m occurred along the ice margin. Modelled net landscape change was –86 400 m3 (+/- 40%) resulting from –275 400 m3 (+/- 20%) proglacial erosion and 194 400 m3 (+/- 20%) proglacial deposition. Peak erosion rate and peak deposition rate were 650 m3 s-1 (+/- 20%) and 595 m3 s-1 (+/- 20%), respectively, and coincided with peak discharge of water at 1.5 h after flood initiation. The pattern of bed elevation change during the rising limb suggested widespread activation of the bed, whereas more organisation, perhaps primitive bedform development, occurred during the falling limb. Contrary to simplistic conceptual models, deposition occurred on the rising stage and erosion occurred on the falling limb. Comparison of the morphodynamic results with a hydrodynamic simulation illustrated effects of sediment transport and bed elevation change on flow conveyance. The morphodynamic model advanced flood arrival and peak discharge timings by 100% and 19%, respectively. However, peak flow depth and peak flow velocity were not significantly affected. We suggest that morphodynamic processes not only increase flow mass and momentum but that they also introduce a feedback process whereby flood conveyance becomes more efficient via erosion of minor bed protrusions and deposition that infills or subdues minor bed hollows. A major implication of this study is that reconstructions of outburst floods that ignore sediment transport, such as those used in interpretation of long-term hydrological record and flood risk assessments, may need considerable refinement. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Global climate warming causes an intensive melting and retreat of glaciers in the Tien Shan mountains. Melting water of glaciers causes overfilling of high mountain lakes. The increase of the surface and volume of the Petrov Lake accompanied with the decrease of stability of the dam represents an extremely dangerous situation that can produce a natural disaster. Failure can happen due to erosion, a buildup of water pressure, an earthquake or if a large enough portion of a glacier breaks off and massively displaces the waters in a glacial lake at its base. In case of the lake dam rupture, flooding of a disposal site of highly toxic tailing from the gold mine Kumtor is a threat. If this happens, the toxic waste containing cyanides would contaminate a large area in the Naryn (Syrdarya) river basin. Even if the flooding of the disposal site does not occur, the damage after lake dam fracture will be immense due to the glacial lake outburst flood may be a devastating mudslide. In order to prevent or reduce the risk of this event we recommend performing engineering surveys for the development and implementation of the project for the controlled reduction of water level in the Blue Bay of the Petrov Lake to a safe volume.

On 2nd August 2014, a rainfall-induced massive landslide hit Jure village, Sindhupalchowk killing 156 people at a distance of 70 km North-East of Kathmandu, Nepal. The landslide was a typical slope failure with massive rock fragments, sand and soil. A total of estimated 6 million cubic meters debris raised more than 100 m from the water level and affected opposite side of the bank. The landslide blocked the Sunkoshi River completely forming an estimated 8 million cubic meter lake of 3km length and 300-350m width upstream. It took nearly 12 hour to fill the lake and overflow the debris dam. The lake affected five Village Development Committees (VDC) including highway, school, health post, postal service, police station, VDC office and temple upstream. The bottom of the dam was composed of highly cemented material and the derbies affected Sunkoshi hydropower downstream. Moreover, it caused the potential threat of Lake Outburst Flood. The lake was released by blasting off part of the landslide blockade and facilitated release of water from the lake. With the help of Remote Sensing (RS), series satellite images were used to identified, compared with previous state and quick estimation of potential treat was analysed. Using geographic information System (GIS) technology, estimation of volume, affected households, service centres, parcels etc. in the area was possible. In such hilly regions where disaster are very frequent, using GIS and RS technology comes very handy for immediate planning and response.

In recent years, many glaciers all over the world have been distinctly retreating and thinning. One of the consequences of this is the increase of so called glacier lake outburst flood events (GLOFs). The mechanisms ruling such GLOF events are still not yet fully understood by glaciologists. Thus, there is a demand for data and measurements that can help to understand and model the phenomena. Thereby, a main issue is to obtain information about the location and formation of subglacial channels through which some lakes, dammed by a glacier, start to drain. The paper will show how photogrammetric image sequence analysis can be used to collect such data. For the purpose of detecting a subglacial tunnel, a camera has been installed in a pilot study to observe the area of the Colonia Glacier (Northern Patagonian Ice Field) where it dams the Lake Cachet II. To verify the hypothesis, that the course of the subglacial tunnel is indicated by irregular surface motion patterns during its collapse, the camera acquired image sequences of the glacier surface during several GLOF events. Applying tracking techniques to these image sequences, surface feature motion trajectories could be obtained for a dense raster of glacier points. Since only a single camera has been used for image sequence acquisition, depth information is required to scale the trajectories. Thus, for scaling and georeferencing of the measurements a GPS-supported photogrammetric network has been measured. The obtained motion fields of the Colonia Glacier deliver information about the glacier’s behaviour before during and after a GLOF event. If the daily vertical glacier motion of the glacier is integrated over a period of several days and projected into a satellite image, the location and shape of the drainage channel underneath the glacier becomes visible. The high temporal resolution of the motion fields may also allows for an analysis of the tunnels dynamic in comparison to the changing water level of the lake.

Megaturbidites have been the focus of many paleoseismic and paleoenvironmental studies because they can provide evidence for catastrophic and/or hazardous events with potentially major environmental implications. During a recent research cruise in Baker Fjord, Chile (47°54′S–74°30′W), a megaturbidite was described between the Northern and Southern Patagonian Icefields. Here, we aim to determine the depositional processes of the megaturbidite and identify its origin. Based on the turbidite's location, a possible origin was the early Holocene drainage of paleo-lake General Carrera, which was recently proposed in the literature as having produced a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) that drained through Baker Fjord. Due to the fjord's location in a subduction zone, and close to the Chile Triple Junction, however, seismic activity must also be considered as a potential triggering mechanism. To achieve our goals, we undertook a multi-proxy analysis of sediment core MD07-3121, including sedimentology (grain size, loss-on-ignition, foraminifera counts), magnetic properties, bulk organic geochemistry, and radiocarbon dating, and we analysed bathymetric maps and sub-bottom profiles. Our grain-size results display a diagnostic fining upward trend and show evidence of seiching in the 733-cm-thick megaturbidite. The age of the event (5513–5211 cal yr BP) contradicts the hypothesis of an early Holocene GLOF origin. Bulk organic geochemical results indicate that the sediments that compose the turbidite are clearly of marine origin, which further goes against a GLOF origin. In addition, the megaturbidite is underlain by a 1136 cm thick mass transport deposit (MTD), also composed of marine sediments. According to the sub-bottom profiles, the MTD and the megaturbidite originate from the reworking of thick packages of sediment previously deposited on nearby sills and on the fjord's flanks. Furthermore, similar coeval deposits are found in an adjacent sub-basin. We therefore interpret these deposits to be triggered by an earthquake during the late mid-Holocene. While megathrust and intraslab earthquakes are possible in the region, we argue that a crustal earthquake is the most likely seismic trigger in the study area. This study reveals the first earthquake-triggered megaturbidite south of the Chile Triple Junction.

A set of supraglacial ponds filled rapidly between April and July 2017 on Changri Shar Glacier in the Everest region of Nepal, coalescing into a ∼180 000 m2 lake before sudden and complete drainage through Changri Shar and Khumbu glaciers (15–17 July). We use PlanetScope and Pléiades satellite orthoimagery to document the system's evolution over its very short filling period and to assess the glacial and proglacial effects of the outburst flood. We also use high-resolution stereo digital elevation models (DEMs) to complete a detailed analysis of the event's glacial and geomorphic effects. Finally, we use discharge records at a stream gauge 4 km downstream to refine our interpretation of the chronology and magnitude of the outburst. We infer largely subsurface drainage through both of the glaciers located on its flow path, and efficient drainage through the lower portion of Khumbu Glacier. The drainage and subsequent outburst of 1.36±0.19×106 m3 of impounded water had a clear geomorphic impact on glacial and proglacial topography, including deep incision and landsliding along the Changri Nup proglacial stream, the collapse of shallow englacial conduits near the Khumbu terminus and extensive, enhanced bank erosion at least as far as 11 km downstream below Khumbu Glacier. These sudden changes destroyed major trails in three locations, demonstrating the potential hazard that short-lived, relatively small glacial lakes pose.

Natural glacier events such as ice avalanches, debris flows or glacier lake outburst floods (GLOF) may have hazardous impacts on the downstream area of the glacier and can cause severe destructions. The Inylchek Glaciers in Kyrgyzstan, are one of the largest non-polar glacier systems in the world. Each year, an ice-dammed lake is formed (Lake Merzbacher) by melt-water which drains predominantly every year suddenly within a few days causing a destructive flood. To understand the mechanism of the GLOF, a network of continuously operating GPS stations at the Inylchek Glaciers provide daily horizontal and vertical positions of the ice-dam in front of the Merzbacher Lake. Irrespective of the general motion during the year, the ice-dam is strongly influenced by the formation and outburst of the lake. Especially the vertical position and surface velocities increase shortly before the GLOF supporting the assumption that the ice-dam adjacent to the lake becomes afloat. After the GLOF, e.g. in 2014, the elevation decreases rapidly by 20 m within 8 days. In 2015, the GLOF changes in timing, magnitude and available lake water volume but the motion pattern of the ice-dam is similar compared to the year before. These comparable results have the potential to develop an early warning system for the glacier-dammed lake outburst flood.

Kedarnath (3,533 m, 30°44′05″N, 79°04′02″E) is situated within a kilometre of the termini of the Chorabari and Companion glaciers in the Indian Himalaya. An outburst flood from a lake (3,845 m) formed by right lateral moraine of the former caused severe damage to the village on 17 June 2013. We determined various physical parameters of the lake from three digital elevation datasets (CartoDEM, SRTM and ASTER) and selected the SRTM-derived data as they appeared to portray the region more accurately. The obtained parameters were used in predictive equations suggested by different authors to estimate peak discharge of the flood. We also compared high-resolution images of 10 December 1965 (Corona), June 2011 (Bing) and 25 June 2013 (Catrosat-1 Pan + LISS-4mx) to assess the damage caused to the village besides other geomorphic changes. The results showed that at least 149 mm of rainfall in its 291-ha catchment was required to fill up the lake, without considering the presence of antecedent water and loss from seepage and evaporation. At the point of breaching, the lake released 0.43 × 106 m3 of water with a peak discharge of 1,352 cumecs. The north-western section of Kedarnath village was on the direct path of the debris flow triggered by the flood and was almost completely destroyed. The southern and south-eastern sections were least affected. Out of 37,299 m2 of pre-event roof area of Kedarnath (259 structures), 44.2 % were obliterated and 26.7 % were partly damaged, representing 138 and 56 structures, respectively. Only one-quarter of the structures of the village emerged intact or slightly affected after the event.

Repeated outburst flooding from glacial Lake Missoula, Montana, affected large areas of Washington during Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage 2 (29–14 ka). We present the first high-resolution rock magnetic results from two sites that are critical to interpreting these outburst floods and that provide evidence of sediment provenance: glacial Lake Missoula, the source of the floods; and glacial Lake Columbia, where floodwaters interrupted sedimentation. Magnetic carriers in glacial Lake Missoula varves are dominated by hematite, whereas those in outburst flood sediments and glacial Lake Columbia sediments are mainly magnetite and titano-magnetite. Stratigraphic variation of magnetic parameters is consistent with changes in lithology. Importantly, magnetic properties highlight depositional processes in the flood sediments that are not evident in the field. In glacial Lake Columbia, hematite is present in fine silt and clay deposited near the end of each flood as fine sediment settled out of the water column. This signal is only present at the end of the floods because the hematite is concentrated in the finer-grained sediment transported from the floor of glacial Lake Missoula, the only possible source of hematite, ~ 240 km away.

To better understand the risk of disasters due to glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), we synthetically analyze the spatial distribution and evolution of moraine-dammed lakes and potentially dangerous glacial lakes (PDGLs) in the Chinese Himalaya. Our county-based assessment of GLOF disaster risk combines PDGL outburst hazard, regional exposure, vulnerability of exposed elements and adaptation capability (risk management) using the analytic hierarchy process. We synthetically analyze the disaster risk using the weighted comprehensive method. Remote-sensing data show there are 329 moraine-dammed lakes (>0.02 km2; total area 125.43 km2) in the Chinese Himalaya, of which 116 (total area 49.49 km2) are identified as PDGLs. The zones at highest risk of GLOF disaster are mainly located in Nyalam, Tingri, Dinggyê, Lhozhag, Kangmar and Zhongba, in the mid-eastern Himalaya. Lowest-risk zones are located in the eastern Himalaya. On the county scale, Lhozhag and Lhunze have the highest hazard degrees and exposure, while Zhongba and Zando have the highest degree of vulnerability and lowest adaptation capacity. Our regionalization results for GLOF disaster risk are consistent with the distribution of historical disaster sites across the Chinese Himalaya.

Over 240 debris flows occurred in hill-slopes, gullies ( indicated those with single-channel) and watersheds (indicated those with tributaries and channels) on July loth 2013 in the Wenchuan county, and caused 29 casualties and about 633x10(6) USD losses. This work aimed to analyze characteristics, hazards and causes of these events and explore mitigating measures based on field investigation and remote sensing images interpretation. The debris flows contained clay content of 0.1%similar to 3.56%, having densities of 1.72 similar to 2.14 t/m(3), velocities of 5.0 similar to 12.7 m/s, discharges of 335 similar to 2353 m(3)/s and sediment yields of 0.10 similar to 1.26x10(6) m(3), and also numerously occurred in large watersheds with the area over 10 km(2). Large debris flows formed 3 hazard-chains in slopes, gullies, watersheds and rivers, which all evolved in dammed lakes and outburst flood, and 26 dammed lakes and 10 newly ones were generated along the rivers of Min and Yuzi. The remarkable spatial difference of loose solid materials accumulation and intense rainfall, with the cumulative of about or more than 150 mm and the hourly of over 16mm, caused debris flows in the sections from Yingxiu to Miansi and Gengda. The damages on buildings, reconstructions, highways, factories and hydro power station originated from the impacting, scouring, burying of debris flows, the submerging of dammed lake and the scouring of outburst flood, and the huge losses came from the ruinous destructions of control engineering works of debris flows as well as the irrational location and low-resistant capabilities of reconstructions. For hazards mitigating of debris flows in long term, the feasible measures for short term, including risk-reassessing of foregone and potential hazard sites, regional alarming system establishing and integrated control in disastrous sites, and middle-long term, including improving reconstruction standard, rationally disposing river channel bed rise and selecting appropriate reconstruction time and plans, were strongly suggested.

This research was supported financially by the European Commission FP7-MC-IEF (PIEF-GA-2012-330805), the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS), National Geographic Society GRANT #W135-10. Moraine-dammed lakes at debris-covered glaciers are becoming increasingly common and pose significant outburst flood hazards if the dam is breached. While moraine subsurface structure and internal processes are likely to influence dam stability, only few sites have so far been investigated. We conducted electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) surveys at two sites on the terminal moraine complex of the Ngozumpa Glacier, Nepal, to aid assessment of future terminus stability. The resistivity signature of glacier ice at the site (100-15 kΩ m) is more consistent with values measured from cold glacier ice and while this may be feasible, uncertainties in the data inversion introduce ambiguity to this thermal interpretation. However, the ERT data does provide a significant improvement to our knowledge of the subsurface characteristics at these sites, clearly showing the presence (or absence) of glacier ice. Our interpretation is that of a highly complex latero-terminal moraine, resulting from interaction between previous glacier advance, recession and outburst flooding. If the base-level Spillway Lake continues to expand to a fully formed moraine-dammed glacial lake, the degradation of the ice core could have implications for glacial lake outburst risk. Publisher PDF

The Colorado River flood of 1914: Groeber's first geological contribution since his arrival in Argentina It is analyzed the report made by Pablo Groeber a few months after the catastrophic collapse of the Carri Lauquén paleolake developed in 1914 in the Main Cordillera between Mendoza and Neuquén. He presented the topographic survey of the area occupied by the paleolake, analyzed the causes of its formation, and estimated the volume of water released during the disaster. This was the highest known flood of the Colorado River, reaching its waters through more than 1000 km to the Atlantic.Groeber discussed the reasons for its outburst and the sudden flood produced downstream. The results obtained are evaluated by specific works carried out in the region over the past one hundred years, and it is emphasized the validity of his conclusions on the genesis of the paleolake, the causes of its rupture, the volume of the flood produced and the processes involved. Supplementing Groeber's observations on the headwaters of the Barrancas River, are discussed the disasters produced downstream by the outburst flood in the Colorado River valley. This allows recording the variations of the height of the flood peak, decreasing from 32 to 3 meters, and the slowdown of the speed from 20 to 11 km per hour from the natural dam collapse to almost its mouth in the Atlantic Ocean. The analysis confirms the validity of the reconstruction of the processes described by Groeber one hundred years ago, and once again highlights the capacity and knowledge of this young geologist recently arrived in Argentina in his first published work in our country. Fil: Ramos, Victor Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Estudios Andinos "Don Pablo Groeber". Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Estudios Andinos "Don Pablo Groeber"; Argentina

Climate change has led to the formation of numerous high-altitude lakes of glacial origin in the Himalaya. Safed Lake is one of the largest glacial lakes, located at an elevation 4882 m a.s.l. in the state of Uttarakhand, central Himalaya, India. A temporal analysis of the lake surface using satellite imagery shows that the lake has grown more than double its size from 0.10 km2 to 0.23 km2 over the past 50 years. In this study, we performed a hazard assessment of the lake using 1D and 2D hydrodynamic modeling. We identified the potential glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) triggering factors and evaluated the impact of a moraine breach event of the lake on the nearest village located 16.2 km downstream of the lake. A series of dynamic simulations were performed for different scenario-models based on varied breach depths, breach widths and time of moraine failure. In a worst-case GLOF scenario where breach depth reached up to 60 m, hydrodynamic routing of the breach hydrograph along the given channel revealed inundation depth up to 5 m and flow velocities up to 3.2 m s&minus, 1 at Milam village. Considering the flat geometry of the frontal moraine, hazard assessment of the lake was performed by for different breach incision depths (30 and 15 m). In addition, the study incorporated a series of hydrodynamic routing to understand the sensitivity of GLOF to different model input parameters and terrain conditions. The sensitivity of the initial GLOF hydrograph to breach formation time (Tf) was evaluated by considering different hypothetical breach scenarios with a varied time of failure. Increases of 11.5% and 22% in the peak flooding were recorded when the moraine failure time was decreased by 15 and 30 min respectively. The two-dimensional sensitivity revealed flow velocity (m s&minus, 1) to be more sensitive to change in Manning&rsquo, s N when compared to the inundation depth (m). Changes of 10.7% and 0.5% in the mean flow velocity (in m s&minus, 1) and flow depth (in m) were recorded when dN was 0.01. The flow velocity was more sensitive to the slope and the top-width of the channel when compared to the inundation depths. A regression of flow velocity versus slope gives a correlation coefficient of 0.76. GLOF flow hydraulics are sensitive to changes in terrain elevation, where flow depth and velocity vary in a similar manner.

Early recognition of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) is required for timely and cost-effective remedial efforts to be implemented. Although the formation of ice-dammed lakes is known to begin as a pond or river that was blocked by ice from the glacier terminus, the relationship between glacier dynamics and lake development is not well understood. Using a time-series of Sentinel-1A synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data acquired just before and after the lake outburst event in 2018, information is presented on the dynamic characteristics of Kyagar Glacier and its ice-dammed lake. Glacier velocity data derived from interferometry show that the glacier tongue experienced an accelerated advance (maximum velocity of 20 cm/day) just one month before the lake outburst, and a decreased velocity (maximum of 13 cm/day) afterward. Interferometric and backscattering properties of this region provide valuable insight into the diverse glaciated environment. Furthermore, daily temperature and total precipitation data derived from the ECMWF re-analysis (ERA)Interim highlight the importance of the sustained high-temperature driving force, supporting empirical observations from previous studies. The spatial and temporal resolution offered by the Sentinel-1A data allows variations in the glacier surface motion and lake evolution to be detected, meaning that the interaction mechanism between the glacial lake and the associated glacier can be explored. Although the glacier surge provided the boundary conditions favorable for lake formation, the short-term high temperatures and precipitation caused the melting of ice dams and also a rapid increase in the amount of water stored, which accelerated the potential for a lake outburst.

Pleistocene floods, from ice-dammed lakes in the Russian Altai Mountains, are among the largest freshwater megafloods in Earth history. Improved dating techniques have led to new dates constraining the timing of flood erosional and depositional events. In addition to a variety of interpretations and explanations of event histories, a proliferation of dates may increase confusion with respect to the characteristics and chronology of the flood events. In a succinct review, the main ice-dammed lakes features, the outburst floods and their repeated formation are presented. Among other indicators, interbedded units of lacustrine deposits and outburst flood sediments in Inya River valley demonstrate conclusively that there was a series of outburst floods with significant evidence for at least three high magnitude flood events. Prior study focussed on the interpretation of: lake sediments, shorelines, giant bars, gravel dunes; dated by radiocarbon, luminescence and cosmogenic nuclide assay. The literature presents sometimes contradictory findings with respect to flood chronology. These different interpretations, evidence and arguments, are reviewed for plausibility and consistency. This consideration includes methodical and technical dating problems: limited bleaching for luminescence techniques; low purity for cosmogenic nuclide dating; contamination of samples dated by radiocarbon assay. At the current stage of knowledge, the main period of repeated high magnitude outburst floods occurred between 28 ka and 15 ka BP. Indicators of earlier events are less distinct. Possible younger smaller floods can be identified after 15 ka BP, but it is difficult to relate these to catastrophic lake-draining. Rather, they may relate to non-catastrophic draining of residual small lakes within the larger basins. The termination of the “lake period” took place before 9.9 ± 0.3 ka cal BP in the Kuray Basin, and in the Chuya Basin before 8.2 ± 0.2 ka cal BP. Indicators are lacking for any drainage events after 7.7 ± 0.6 ka as indicated by OSL ages of aeolian deposits at low elevations in the Katun valley. Relating the outburst floods to the temporal and spatial dynamics of the impounding glacier is challenging as, with regard to Pleistocene glaciation, several conceptual models have been established supported by field evidence that, in part, can be contradictory. During the period of the high magnitude outburst floods the extension/thickness of the impounding valley glaciers were sufficient to form deep glacial lakes around the time of the last glacial maximum (LGM); yet the timing of the LGM remains controversial. Transferring glacial chronologies from mountain areas adjacent to the Russian Altai Mountains to the environment of the megafloods does not provide a clearer picture as there is evidence for maximum stages at MIS 4 and MIS 3 - in addition to recent postulations of a LGM in MIS 2 for the Russian Altai Mountains. The Russian Altai Mountains are located in a climatic transitional zone across which different LGM stages could be developed due to different moisture availability and temperature chronologies. The effects of spatially-variable rain-shadows influencing the supply of moisture from the regional prevailing winds and local moisture sources from expanded ice-dammed lakes complicates the picture and require further investigations.

After analysing the catastrophic debris flows on August 18, 2012, and on July 9, 2013, in Jushui River basin, An County, the Wenchuan Earthquake seriously striken areas, it was found that they were characterized by the clay soil content of 0.1~1.2%, the density of 1.68~2.03 t/m3, the discharges of 62.2 m3/s to 552.5 m3/s, and the sediment delivery modulus of 1.0~9.4 × 104 m3/km2. Due to intense rainstorm, many large debris flows produced hazard chain, involved in flash flood, debris flow, dammed lake, and outburst flood, and rose Jushui River channel about 1~4 m as well as amplified flood. The hazards and losses mainly originated from the burying and scouring of debris flows, flood inundating, and river channel rise. The prevention of debris flows is facing the intractable problems including potential hazard identification, overstandard debris flow control, control constructions destructing, and river channel rapid rise. Therefore, the prevention measures for the basin, including hazard identification and risk assessment, inhabitants relocating, monitoring and alarming network establishing, emergency plans founding, and river channel renovating, and the integrated control mode for watershed based on regulating the process of debris flow discharge, were recommended for mitigation.

Natural damming of upland river systems, such as landslide or lava damming, occurs worldwide. Many dams fail shortly after their creation, while other dams are long-lived and therefore have a long-term impact on fluvial and landscape evolution. This long-term impact is still poorly understood and landscape evolution modelling (LEM) can increase our understanding of different aspects of this response. Our objective was to simulate fluvial response to damming, by monitoring sediment redistribution and river profile evolution for a range of geomorphic settings. We used LEM LAPSUS, which calculates runoff erosion and deposition and can deal with non-spurious sinks, such as dam-impounded areas. Because fluvial dynamics under detachment-limited and transport-limited conditions are different, we mimicked these conditions using low and high erodibility settings, respectively. To compare the relative impact of different dam types, we evaluated five scenarios for each landscape condition: one scenario without a dam and four scenarios with dams of increasing erodibility. Results showed that dam-related sediment storage persisted at least until 15 000years for all dam scenarios. Incision and knickpoint retreat occurred faster in the detachment-limited landscape than in the transport-limited landscape. Furthermore, in the transport-limited landscape, knickpoint persistence decreased with increasing dam erodibility. Stream capture occurred only in the transport-limited landscape due to a persisting floodplain behind the dam and headward erosion of adjacent channels. Changes in sediment yield variation due to stream captures did occur but cannot be distinguished from other changes in variation of sediment yield. Comparison of the model results with field examples indicates that the model reproduces several key phenomena of damming response in both transport-limited and detachment-limited landscapes. We conclude that a damming event which occurred 15 000years ago can influence present-day sediment yield, profile evolution and stream patterns. Copyright (c) 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Decay of the last Cordilleran Ice Sheet (CIS) near its geographical centre has been conceptualized as being dominated by passive downwasting (stagnation), in part because of the lack of large recessional moraines. Yet, multiple lines of evidence, including reconstructions of glacio-isostatic rebound from palaeoglacial lake shoreline deformation suggest a sloping ice surface and a more systematic pattern of ice-margin retreat. Here we reconstructed ice-marginal lake evolution across the subdued topography of the southern Fraser Plateau in order to elucidate the pattern and style of lateglacial CIS decay. Lake stage extent was reconstructed using primary and secondary palaeo-water-plane indicators: deltas, spillways, ice-marginal channels, subaqueous fans and lake-bottom sediments identified from aerial photograph and digital elevation model interpretation combined with field observations of geomorphology and sedimentology, and ground-penetrating radar surveys. Ice-contact indicators, such as ice-marginal channels, and grounding-line moraines were used to refine and constrain ice-margin positions. The results show that ice-dammed lakes were extensive (average 27 km2; max. 116 km2) and relatively shallow (average 18 m). Within basins successive lake stages appear to have evolved by expansion, decanting or drainage (glacial lake outburst flood, outburst flood or lake maintenance) from southeast to northwest, implicating a systematic northwestward retreating ice margin (rather than chaotic stagnation) back toward the Coast Mountains, similar in style and pattern to that proposed for the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet. This pattern is confirmed by cross-cutting drainage networks between lake basins and is in agreement with numerical models of North American ice-sheet retreat and recent hypotheses on lateglacial CIS reorganization during decay. Reconstructed lake systems are dynamic and transitory and probably had significant effects on the dynamics of ice-marginal retreat, the importance of which is currently being recognized in the modern context of the Greenland Ice Sheet, where >35% of meltwater streams from land-terminating portions of the ice sheet end in ice-contact lakes.

Chamlang South Tsho has been identified as one of the six high-priority glacial lakes in terms of glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) danger in Nepal Himalaya, despite the fact that no detailed investigations of the lake had been hitherto undertaken. We conducted detailed mapping of the lake and its surroundings along with field surveys in October 2009 to determine the developmental history of Chamlang South Tsho and to assess its potential for GLOF. The lake expanded rapidly between 1964 (0.04 km2) and 2000 (0.86 km2) and has been stable ever since. Future lake expansion is improbable as its sides are confined by relatively stable landforms. The lake is 87-m deep with a water volume of approximately 34.9–35.6 × 106 m3. Hanging glaciers on the steep surrounding mountain slopes and prominent seepage water in the terminal moraine dam could be potential triggers for a future outburst flood. Additionally, the debris-covered dead-ice dam, which is higher than the lake water level, is narrow and low; therefore, it could be overtopped easily by surge waves. Furthermore, the pronounced difference in elevation between the lake and the base of the terminal moraine dam makes the lake susceptible for a large flood.

Correction: On 7th September 2015, Pei Wang was included as an author on this paper. He was omitted from the paper by mistake. John W. Pomeroy was removed as an author of the paper but was included in the Acknowledgements of the paper (p.26)Abstract:Glaciers in the Himalayas are the important resource for fresh water. Continuous releases of the water from these glaciers make an important contribution to the drinking water, agriculture, and hydropower supply of densely populated regions in south and central Asia. Glaciers are not only a necessity for the survival of the people living in the low lying areas but also for their prosperity. Therefore, special attention should be given to detail research in the distribution of the glaciers in the Himalayan region and its surroundings. Physical parameters of glaciers area, length, depth, elevation profiles were analyzed based on the data provided by WGMS and NSIDC (1989), which was updated in 2012. Machhapuchhre, Thyangbo, Cho Oyu, Taweche, Setta, Tingbo and Kanchanjanga glaciers were found as the smallest glaciers in terms of area (50km2). Large difference between start and end elevation point of glaciers of Khumbu, Ngojumba, Imja, Langtang indicates coverage area profiles are large and located in steep slopes of the Nepal Himalaya, which may result in linear erosions and avalanches. This paper also discusses about the Glacier Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) in the Himalayan region.HYDRO NEPAL Journal of Water, Energy and EnvironmentIssue No. 13, July 2013Page:20-27 Uploaded date: 3/12/2014

Glacier and permafrost hazards such as glacial-lake outburst floods and rock–ice avalanches cause significant socio-economic damages worldwide, and these processes may increase in frequency and magnitude if the atmospheric temperature rises. In the extratropical Andes nearly 200 human deaths were linked to these processes during the twentieth century. We analysed bibliographical sources and satellite images to document the glacier and permafrost dynamics that have caused socio-economic damages in this region in historic time (including glacial lake outburst floods, ice and rock–ice avalanches and lahars) to unravel their causes and geomorphological impacts. In the extratropical Andes, at least 15 ice-dammed lakes and 16 moraine-dammed lakes have failed since the eighteenth century, causing dozens of floods. Some floods rank amongst the largest events ever recorded (5000 × 106 m3 and 229 × 106 m3, respectively). Outburst flood frequency has increased in the last three decades, partially as a consequence of long-term (decades to centuries) climatic changes, glaciers shrinkage, and lake growth. Short-term (days to weeks) meteorological conditions (i.e. intense and/or prolonged rainfall and high temperature that increased meltwater production) have also triggered outburst floods and mass movements. Enormous mass failures of glaciers and permafrost (> 10 × 106 m3) have impacted lakes, glaciers, and snow-covered valleys, initiating chain reactions that have ultimately resulted in lake tsunamis and far-reaching (> 50 km) flows. The eruption of ice-covered volcanoes has also caused dozens of damaging lahars with volumes up to 45 × 106 m3. Despite the importance of these events, basic information about their occurrence (e.g. date, causes, and geomorphological impact), which is well established in other mountain ranges, is absent in the extratropical Andes. A better knowledge of the processes involved can help to forecast and mitigate these events. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Being located in a seismically active zone, these mountain valleys are exposed to different hydro-meteorological hazards like rockfall, debris flow, landslide, ice avalanches, and glacial lake outburst flood (GLOFs). The present study is to investigate different multi-hazards and their prevailing risk in the particular area of Qurumbar valley Ishkoman. In the mid-nineteen and twenty centuries at least six devastating glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) has been recorded, initially, only the Qurumbar glacier was considered as the main cause of this outburst flood, later field investigation and interview from local inhabitant revealed that nine more tributary glacier are existing in the area. The recent outburst of flood in the Badswat area of Qurumbar Ishkoman is also considerable, submerging 12 houses and a stretch of roads. Apart from it, the physical vulnerability of the area is increasing, as new areas are being used for housing with the increase in population. The study area is exposed to several other natural hazards like rock fall, debris flows, ice avalanches, and bank erosion. The present study is based on quantitative and qualitative approaches in assistance with GIS/RS an emergent application. The following methodologies were adapted to gather the primary and secondary data for GIS/RS processing. The primary data comprises GIS data and procurement and development and field data. The field data contain ground-truthing /validation. The community-based Hazard Vulnerability Risk Assessment (HVRA) was also carried out to know about human perception. Secondary data has been collected from different literature. Both the data were put into GIS for the processing which gives us our final developmental tools in the form of maps. The hazard and risk map of the Qurumbar Ishkoman depict that flash floods, debris flow, bank erosion, and GLOFs account for major hazards in Qurumbar valley. It is concluded based on our outcomes i.e., hazard and risk maps that earthquake is the main hazard of the area while flash floods, GLOFs, debris flow, bank erosion and the bank collapsed are the main hazards of the area. It is very important to systematically integrate map information into the planning and management process which contributes to a safer environment.

We present geomorphological evidence of large, previously undocumented, early Holocene ice-dammed lakes in the Scandinavian Mountains of northwestern Sweden. The lakes extents indicate that the last remnants of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet were located east of the mountain range. Some early pioneering works have presented similar reconstructions, whereas more recently published reconstructions place the last ice remnants in the high mountains of Sarek. Using high-resolution airborne LiDAR data we have mapped a large number of hitherto undocumented shorelines in some of the main valleys within the northern Scandinavian mountain range. Our results indicate that a larger system of ice-dammed lakes existed in this region than previously thought. The lakes were dammed between the main water divide to the west and the retreating ice sheet margin to the east. The shorelines dip towards the northwest with gradients ranging from 0.5 to 0.4 m/km, from the oldest to the youngest. Further, we have compiled Lateglacial and Holocene shoreline data along the Norwegian coast and from within the Baltic Sea basin and reconstructed the isostatic uplift along a 1400 km long northwest-southeast transect from the Norwegian Sea to Lake Ladoga. By comparing the measured ice-dammed lake shoreline gradients to the dated marine shorelines, we infer that the lakes may have existed for several centuries following 10.2 cal ka BP. We also describe large deposits and extensive erosive features, which demonstrate that a catastrophic glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) took place eastward along the Pite River Valley. Based on cross-cutting relations to raised shorelines developed in the early Holocene Ancylus Lake (Baltic Sea basin) we conclude that the flood and thus the final phase of deglaciation took place within the time interval 10.3–9.9 cal ka BP. publishedVersion