Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Georg Veh, Natalie Luetzow, Jenny Tamm, Lisa V. Luna, Romain Hugonnet, Kristin Vogel, Marten Geertsema, John J. Clague, Oliver Korup
Summary: Episodic failures of ice-dammed lakes have caused catastrophic floods in high mountains. By analyzing 1,569 ice-dam failures in six major mountain regions, we find that extreme peak flows and volumes have significantly decreased since 1900, while median flood discharges have remained stable or slightly decreased. Ice-dam floods today occur at higher elevations and earlier in the year compared to 1900. Ice-dammed lakes with repeated outbursts also show a similar decline in magnitude and earlier occurrence, although with only moderate correlation to glacier thinning. Widespread deglaciation by the end of the twenty-first century may bring most outburst activity to a halt.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Nan Wang, Tao Zhong, Jianghua Zheng, Chengfeng Meng, Zexuan Liu
Summary: Through the analysis of the spatial and temporal variations of glacial lakes in the Altai Mountains, it was found that there were 3824 glacial lakes with an area of 682.38 square kilometers between 2000 and 2020, and both the number and area of glacial lakes showed an increasing trend. The distribution of glacial lakes was mainly concentrated in the north, and there was minimal change observed in glacial lakes larger than 0.2 square kilometers. In the future, with slight increases in precipitation and large increases in temperature, the number and area of glacial lakes are expected to continue to increase, but at a slower pace, and they will mainly be located in the southern Altai Mountains.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Dmitry Ganyushkin, Kirill Chistyakov, Ekaterina Derkach, Dmitriy Bantcev, Elena Kunaeva, Anton Terekhov, Valeria Rasputina
Summary: The study aims to reconstruct and estimate the reduction of the Altai glaciers, and analyze the glacier reduction rates. The results show that the glaciers in the southern part of Altai decreased by 59% since the maximum of the Little Ice Age.
Article
Geography, Physical
Qifei Zhang, Yaning Chen, Zhi Li, Gonghuan Fang, Yanyun Xiang, Huiping Ji
Summary: Monitoring alpine lakes in the Tianshan Mountains is crucial for understanding the impact of global warming. This study analyzed the changes in alpine lakes and found that glacial lakes expansion is the main driving force, influenced by climate change and glacier recession.
JOURNAL OF GEOGRAPHICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Akhmetkal R. Medeu, Nikolay Popov, Viktor P. Blagovechshenskiy, Maulken A. Askarova, Alikhan A. Medeu, Sandguash U. Ranova, Aidana Kamalbekova, Tobias Bolch
Summary: This study focuses on the formation of MGLs and the characteristics of lake outburst floods and debris flows in the Kazakh part of Tien Shan. The number of MGLs has increased since the 1970s, with 40 identified as dangerous. Outburst events mainly occurred between the end of June and the end of August, typically caused by ruptures in ice-cored moraine dams.
EARTH-SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2022)
Review
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Bijeesh Kozhikkodan Veettil, Ulrich Kamp
Summary: The article reviews the current knowledge of glacial recession and lake development in the Andes, highlighting the potential hazards posed by glacial lakes to local communities. Despite the increasing formation of glacial lakes, research on these lakes is still relatively rare, with an emphasis on the need for monitoring and mitigation systems.
JOURNAL OF EARTH SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Taigang Zhang, Weicai Wang, Tanguang Gao, Baosheng An, Tandong Yao
Summary: Glacial lakes in the Himalayas have been the source of over 100 glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) since 1900, causing significant casualties and economic losses. This study presents a thorough inventory of potentially dangerous glacial lakes (PDGLs) and improves the evaluation system to identify high-hazard glacial lakes based on key assessment factors. The best combination of assessment factors is applied to 1650 glacial lakes in the Himalayas, identifying 207 as very high-hazard and 345 as high-hazard, which can serve as benchmark data for assessing GLOF risks for local communities.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Halley M. Mastro, Sarah M. Principato, Ilana B. Sobel, Ivar Orn Benediktsson, Nina Aradottir
Summary: This study investigates the potential of ice scour lake morphology and density as a proxy for paleo-ice flow direction and basal thermal regime. GIS analysis was used to examine ice scour lakes in regions with different rates of ice flow during and after the Last Glacial Maximum. The results show that ice scour lake density, packing, and elevation are highest in the Vestfiroir region, indicating the presence of an independent ice cap. Differential intensity of glacial erosion and lake orientation support the proposed ice divide in the Bakkaheioi region.
EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Chen Chen, Huanyun Li, Jiankang Chen, Jianmin Zhang, Limin Zhang, Xiyang Tang
Summary: With the increasing impacts of global warming, glacier collapse chain disasters have been frequently occurring in high-mountain areas. The consequences of the ice avalanche-glacial debris flow/landslide-barrier lake-flood burst chain disaster are particularly severe. Studies have shown that as the amount of ice melting increases, the dam material becomes more erodible and the structure becomes looser, leading to faster dam breach, larger floods, and earlier peak arrival times.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Vijendra Kumar Pandey, Rajesh Kumar, Rupendra Singh, Suresh Chand Rai, Ramesh P. Singh, Arun Kumar Tripathi, Vijay Kumar Soni, S. Nawaz Ali, Dakshina Tamang, Syed Umer Latief
Summary: A catastrophic flood occurred in the Rishiganga River on 7 February 2021, caused by a rockslide in the upper reach of the Raunthi River. This event resulted in severe damage and loss of lives, as well as the flooding of displaced materials.
GEOMATICS NATURAL HAZARDS & RISK
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Maksymilian Solarski, Mariusz Rzetala
Summary: This study investigated the vertical and horizontal variation in the ice cover of mountain lakes in the temperate climate zone. The research focused on four lakes located in the Tatra National Park in the Tatra Mountains. The study found that besides negative air temperature, the thickness and spatial variability of the snow overlying the ice were significant factors affecting the magnitude of variation in lake ice thickness.
Article
Geography, Physical
Yuan Li, Xiaozhong Huang, Lixiong Xiang, Jun Zhang, Yue Xu, Erik Jeppesen
Summary: Glacier retreat in high altitude areas triggered by anthropogenic warming has a significant impact on the ecology of glacier-fed lakes. This study analyzed a core from Kanas Lake in the Altai Mountains, China, and found that intense meltwater influxes resulted in increased nutrient levels, promoting phytoplankton growth, and a decrease in benthic algae and invertebrates. These findings suggest that future anthropogenic warming could lead to significant changes in aquatic ecosystems in glacier-fed lakes worldwide.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Fang Chen
Summary: This study utilized Chinese GF-3 SAR imagery and various machine learning methods to extract glacial lake outlines and other surface features, with the U-Net deep learning model showing the best accuracy and efficiency in supra-glacial lake segmentation. Comprehensive analysis of the spatial characteristics and temporal evolution of glacier features was conducted based on the time series of mapping results, providing a novel approach to enhance the detection accuracy of glacier elements for dynamic monitoring in future research.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Yunjie Chen, Nozomu Takeuchi, Feiteng Wang, Zhongqin Li
Summary: Diverse microbial communities live on glacial surfaces, with their abundance and diversity influenced by the chemical and physical conditions of the supraglacial environment. This study analyzed an ice core from a mountain glacier in the Tien Shan Mountains to characterize the chemical solutes and mineral dust in glacial ice. The results showed variations in concentrations of chemical solutes and mineral dust with depth, and suggested that melting glacial ice could potentially impact supraglacial conditions and the growth of photoautotrophs on the ablating ice surface.
FRONTIERS IN EARTH SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ankit Gupta, Ruhi Maheshwari, Nibedita Guru, Sweta, B. Simhadri Rao, P. Venkat Raju, V. Venkateshwar Rao
Summary: This study presents a comprehensive updated inventory of glacial lakes in the Indus River basin, identifying 20 high potential lakes through preliminary screening and quantitative assessment methods, with 6 of them being considered as potentially critical glacial lakes (PCGLs).
GEOCARTO INTERNATIONAL
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Slobodan P. Simonovic, Zbigniew W. Kundzewicz, Nigel Wright
Summary: The coincidence of floods and COVID-19 presents a significant multi-hazard challenge globally, requiring a new approach to handling complex intersecting threats. Preparation and action plans are crucial for resilience in facing multiple hazards, with involvement of both responsible actors and the general population to build awareness and understanding of risks and necessary actions.
WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-WATER
(2021)
Review
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Amrie Singh, David Dawson, Mark Trigg, Nigel Wright
Summary: Flooding, a significant global hazard, causes substantial economic losses and impacts a large population. Understanding flood source areas is crucial for effective flood risk management, especially in urban areas where landscapes are constantly changing.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
S. L. Norris, D. Garcia-Castellanos, J. D. Jansen, P. A. Carling, M. Margold, R. J. Woywitka, D. G. Froese
Summary: The study quantifies the catastrophic meltwater drainage from glacial Lake Agassiz during the Younger Dryas cold reversal using mathematical models, indicating that the flood discharge could only come from Lake Agassiz and not smaller glacial lakes in the region. This suggests that the northwestern outlet of Lake Agassiz played a key role in draining meltwater to the Arctic Ocean during the Younger Dryas period.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Victor R. Baker, Gerardo Benito, Antony G. Brown, Paul A. Carling, Yehouda Enzel, Noam Greenbaum, Juergen Herget, Vishwas S. Kale, Edgardo M. Latrubesse, Mark G. Macklin, Gerald C. Nanson, Takashi Oguchi, Varyl R. Thorndycraft, Yoav Ben Dor, Rami Zituni
Summary: Professor Kenneth J. Gregory made significant contributions to research in fluvial palaeohydrology, leading to rapid international growth and advancements in research methods and techniques. Current research focuses on quantitative modeling, correlation of fluvial events with other records, and applications to river engineering and management. Future developments will involve interdisciplinary collaboration and applications to practical problems arising from climate change and environmental hazards.
EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Jie Wang, Qiuhong Tang, Aifang Chen, Yin Tang, Ximeng Xu, Xiaobo Yun, Mengfei Mu, Nigel Wright, Deliang Chen
Summary: Monsoon has a significant impact on rainfall and flood characteristics in the Lancang-Mekong River Basin, modulating interannual variability in certain regions, advancing or delaying flood start dates, and affecting flood volume and flow. Different types of monsoon have varying effects on flood distribution in the basin.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Paul A. Carling, Philip Jonathan, Teng Su
Summary: Geoscientists often use techniques like least-squares regression to define trends in x-y data clouds, but sometimes the data exhibits a wide spread of y-values for given x-values, with visual upper or lower limits. The paper reviews methods for fitting limit lines, concluding that commonly used ad-hoc methods may lack statistical robustness, while other methods corresponding to specific statistical models offer more objective estimation. The adoption of statistical models could enhance confidence in fitted limits and promote transformative developments in limit fitting methodologies for interpretation of limits.
PROGRESS IN PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY-EARTH AND ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Alejandro Tejedor, Jon Schwenk, Maarten Kleinhans, Ajay B. Limaye, Lawrence Vulis, Paul Carling, Holger Kantz, Efi Foufoula-Georgiou
Summary: The Braiding Index (BI) is a widely used metric for multi-thread river systems, but it fails to account for the diversity of channels within different cross-sections, omitting important information related to system complexity. In this study, the researchers propose a modification called the Entropic Braiding Index (eBI) which uses Shannon Entropy to encode the diversity of channels, providing a more comprehensive characterization of the system. They demonstrate that the ratio BI/eBI can quantify channel disparity, differentiate types of multi-thread systems, and assess the effect of discharge variability on river cross-section stability.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications
Yanhui Liu, Paul A. Carling, Yuanjian Wang, Enhui Jiang, Peter M. Atkinson
Summary: The article introduces a new algorithm called RivMACNet, which extracts multichannel river network topology from satellite sensor images and calculates a series of topological measures. The study finds that the networks of the Indus River and the Yangtze River both exhibit low transitivity and clustering coefficients.
COMPUTERS & GEOSCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Dingzhu Liu, Paul A. Carling, Hao Wang, Weiming Liu, Yifei Cui, Chaohua Wu, Wen Jin, Nazir Ahmed Bazai
Summary: The shape and stratigraphy of giant flow-eddy bars can provide information on the style of large palaeofloods, assisting with the identification and interpretation of the floodwater and informing flood modeling. Experimental flume studies demonstrate that different styles of floodwaves deposit distinctive barforms and stratigraphy, allowing for the identification of the nature and source of the floodwater.
EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Mingfu Guan, Kaihua Guo, Haochen Yan, Nigel Wright
Summary: This study develops a bottom-up approach for urban flood hazard mapping, by integrating grid-based flood modelling with data acquisition from open sources. The approach reduces the adverse effects of data scarcity and quality on hazard modelling.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Amrie Singh, David Dawson, Mark A. Trigg, Nigel Wright, Claire Seymour, Luke Ferriday
Summary: Drainage systems are crucial for managing wastewater and flooding, but their representation in flood models is often oversimplified. A new framework developed in the UK provides data on drainage system capacity, allowing for a more explicit representation in flood models. Applying this framework in Leeds showed that using realistic drainage capacity increased flood depths, velocities, and hazards compared to using national averages.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Paul A. Carling, John D. Jansen, Teng Su, Jane Lund Andersen, Mads Faurschou Knudsen
Summary: Rock slope failures in the Lake District, UK, are related to deglaciation processes after the Last Glacial Maximum, but the causes and timing of these failures are still unclear. A study on a cirque headwall failure revealed that the slope was unstable and would have failed catastrophically without the support of glacial ice. As the ice thinned, the translated wedge of rock slowly descended, gradually exposing the failure plane. Cosmogenic 10Be surface exposure ages suggest the presence of small buttressing ice during regional deglaciation and a post-failure mass-wasting event.
EARTH SURFACE DYNAMICS
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Andrea Gasparotto, Stephen E. Darby, Julian Leyland, Paul A. Carling
Summary: This study investigates the processes and trends of bank failure in hypertidal estuaries using numerical models and field-based observations. The results show that the periodic fluctuations in water level in a hypertidal environment lead to corresponding changes in hydrostatic pressure and positive pore water pressures. Due to the low transmissivity of the fine-grained banks, the variations in positive pore water pressures are relatively small compared to hydrostatic pressure. This imbalance between resisting and driving forces results in frequent oscillation of bank stability between stable and unstable states.
EARTH SURFACE DYNAMICS
(2023)
Review
Water Resources
Lindsay Beevers, Ioana Popescu, Maria Pregnolato, Yuexiao Liu, Nigel Wright
Summary: This paper provides a global review of research on hotspots for floods and drought, analyzing published papers and identifying potential avenues for future research.
FRONTIERS IN WATER
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Faith Ka Shun Chan, Liang Emlyn Yang, Gordon Mitchell, Nigel Wright, Mingfu Guan, Xiaohui Lu, Zilin Wang, Burrell Montz, Olalekan Adekola
Summary: This paper reviews flood management experiences from four developed countries and explores recent strategies to provide lessons for developing coastal megacities. The case studies offer valuable insights for achieving long-term sustainable flood risk management considering social, economic, and environmental concerns.
NATURAL HAZARDS AND EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCES
(2022)