Glacial Lake Changes and Risk Assessment in Rongxer Watershed of China–Nepal Economic Corridor
Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) are one of the most severe disasters in alpine regions, releasing a large amount of water and sediment that can cause fatalities and economic loss as well as substantial damage to downstream infrastructures. The risk of GLOFs in the Himalayas is exacerbated by gl...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-02-01
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| Series: | Remote Sensing |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/16/4/725 |
| _version_ | 1797297047181721600 |
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| author | Sihui Zhang Yong Nie Huayu Zhang |
| author_facet | Sihui Zhang Yong Nie Huayu Zhang |
| author_sort | Sihui Zhang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) are one of the most severe disasters in alpine regions, releasing a large amount of water and sediment that can cause fatalities and economic loss as well as substantial damage to downstream infrastructures. The risk of GLOFs in the Himalayas is exacerbated by glacier retreat caused by global warming. Critical economic corridors, such as the Rongxer Watershed, are threatened by GLOFs, but the lack of risk assessment specific to the watershed hinders hazard prevention. In this study, we propose a novel model to evaluate the risk of GLOF using a combination of remote sensing observations, GIS, and hydrological models and apply this model to the GLOF risk assessment in the Rongxer Watershed. The results show that (1) the area of glacial lakes in the Rongxer Watershed increased by 31.19% from 11.35 km<sup>2</sup> in 1990 to 14.89 km<sup>2</sup> in 2020, and (2) 18 lakes were identified as potentially dangerous glacial lakes (PDGLs) that need to be assessed for the GLOF risk, and two of them were categorized as very high risk (Niangzongmajue and Tsho Rolpa). The proposed model was robust in a GLOF risk evaluation by historical GLOFs in the Himalayas. The glacial lake data and GLOF risk assessment model of this study have the potential to be widely used in research on the relationships between glacial lakes and climate change, as well as in disaster mitigation of GLOFs. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T22:14:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0ee855d5cd71483cab6981ef2ab9b69c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T22:14:37Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj.art-0ee855d5cd71483cab6981ef2ab9b69c2024-02-23T15:33:13ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922024-02-0116472510.3390/rs16040725Glacial Lake Changes and Risk Assessment in Rongxer Watershed of China–Nepal Economic CorridorSihui Zhang0Yong Nie1Huayu Zhang2Mountain Science Data Center, Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610299, ChinaMountain Science Data Center, Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610299, ChinaMountain Science Data Center, Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610299, ChinaGlacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) are one of the most severe disasters in alpine regions, releasing a large amount of water and sediment that can cause fatalities and economic loss as well as substantial damage to downstream infrastructures. The risk of GLOFs in the Himalayas is exacerbated by glacier retreat caused by global warming. Critical economic corridors, such as the Rongxer Watershed, are threatened by GLOFs, but the lack of risk assessment specific to the watershed hinders hazard prevention. In this study, we propose a novel model to evaluate the risk of GLOF using a combination of remote sensing observations, GIS, and hydrological models and apply this model to the GLOF risk assessment in the Rongxer Watershed. The results show that (1) the area of glacial lakes in the Rongxer Watershed increased by 31.19% from 11.35 km<sup>2</sup> in 1990 to 14.89 km<sup>2</sup> in 2020, and (2) 18 lakes were identified as potentially dangerous glacial lakes (PDGLs) that need to be assessed for the GLOF risk, and two of them were categorized as very high risk (Niangzongmajue and Tsho Rolpa). The proposed model was robust in a GLOF risk evaluation by historical GLOFs in the Himalayas. The glacial lake data and GLOF risk assessment model of this study have the potential to be widely used in research on the relationships between glacial lakes and climate change, as well as in disaster mitigation of GLOFs.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/16/4/725remote sensingglacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs)potentially dangerous glacial lakes (PDGLs)GLOF risk assessmentCentral Himalayas |
| spellingShingle | Sihui Zhang Yong Nie Huayu Zhang Glacial Lake Changes and Risk Assessment in Rongxer Watershed of China–Nepal Economic Corridor Remote Sensing remote sensing glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) potentially dangerous glacial lakes (PDGLs) GLOF risk assessment Central Himalayas |
| title | Glacial Lake Changes and Risk Assessment in Rongxer Watershed of China–Nepal Economic Corridor |
| title_full | Glacial Lake Changes and Risk Assessment in Rongxer Watershed of China–Nepal Economic Corridor |
| title_fullStr | Glacial Lake Changes and Risk Assessment in Rongxer Watershed of China–Nepal Economic Corridor |
| title_full_unstemmed | Glacial Lake Changes and Risk Assessment in Rongxer Watershed of China–Nepal Economic Corridor |
| title_short | Glacial Lake Changes and Risk Assessment in Rongxer Watershed of China–Nepal Economic Corridor |
| title_sort | glacial lake changes and risk assessment in rongxer watershed of china nepal economic corridor |
| topic | remote sensing glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) potentially dangerous glacial lakes (PDGLs) GLOF risk assessment Central Himalayas |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/16/4/725 |
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