glacier lake outburst flood

Glacial lake outburst floods: What we know about this destructive ice hazard

Gillian D'Souza October 7, 2022

Credit: Jyotirmoy Paul (from imaggeo.egu.eu)

Glacial lake outburst floods are among the most concerning consequences of retreating glaciers in mountain ranges around the world. Although the phenomenon isn’t a new one, it has increasingly become the focus of research efforts in the last two decades, with many scientists seeing these floods as an emblematic symptom of climate change. This blog sheds some light on this lesser-known geological e ...[Read More]

Geosciences Column: The dangers of an enigmatic glacier in the Karakoram

Laura Roberts-Artal April 5, 2017

Kyagar as seen from the observation station upstream of the glacier’s terminus during the surge. The dashed line indicates the ice dam height from 2012, highlighting the dramatic thickening at the glacier's snout. Credit: V.Round et al., 2017

Nestled among the high peaks of the Karakoram, in a difficult to reach region of China, lies Kyagar Glacier. It’s trident-like shape climbs from 4800 to 7000 meters above sea level and is made up of three upper glacier tributaries which converge to form an 8 km long glacier tongue. Until recently, it’s remoteness meant that studying its behaviour relied heavily on the acquisition of data by satel ...[Read More]

Geosciences Column: Getting a handle on glacial lakes

Sara Mynott November 21, 2013

Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) are caused when masses of meltwater are released from behind a glacier moraine. Moraines are piles of unconsolidated debris that have either eroded from the glacier valley or have been deposited by melting glaciers. When they fail, a huge volume of water can be released, threatening populations further down the valley. Moraine failure can be caused by avalanche ...[Read More]