Articles | Volume 15, issue 8
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4145-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4145-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Controls of outbursts of moraine-dammed lakes in the greater Himalayan region
Melanie Fischer
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Institute of Environmental Science and Geography, University of Potsdam, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
Oliver Korup
Institute of Environmental Science and Geography, University of Potsdam, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
Institute of Geosciences, University of Potsdam, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
Georg Veh
Institute of Environmental Science and Geography, University of Potsdam, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
Ariane Walz
Institute of Environmental Science and Geography, University of Potsdam, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
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Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) have attracted increased research attention recently. In this work, we review GLOF research papers published between 2017 and 2021 and complement the analysis with research community insights gained from the 2021 GLOF conference we organized. The transdisciplinary character of the conference together with broad geographical coverage allowed us to identify progress, trends and challenges in GLOF research and outline future research needs and directions.
Guilherme S. Mohor, Annegret H. Thieken, and Oliver Korup
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 1599–1614, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-21-1599-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-21-1599-2021, 2021
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We explored differences in the damaging process across different flood types, regions within Germany, and six flood events through a numerical model in which the groups can learn from each other. Differences were found mostly across flood types, indicating the importance of identifying them, but there is great overlap across regions and flood events, indicating either that socioeconomic or temporal information was not well represented or that they are in fact less different within our cases.
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Short summary
Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) in the greater Himalayan region threaten local communities and infrastructure. We assess this hazard objectively using fully data-driven models. We find that lake and catchment area, as well as regional glacier-mass balance, credibly raised the susceptibility of a glacial lake in our study area to produce a sudden outburst. However, our models hardly support the widely held notion that rapid lake growth increases GLOF susceptibility.
Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) in the greater Himalayan region threaten local communities...