Understanding the Susceptibility of the Tropical Proglacial Environment in Peru Using Optical Imagery and Radon Measurements
The tropical glaciers of the Cordillera Blanca have played host to some of the most significant mass movements ever recorded in the world and Peru; many proglacial lakes formed in this mountain range have natural dikes made of moraine material, which, if they collapse, would present a risk for the c...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-03-01
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| Series: | Atmosphere |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/14/3/568 |
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| author | Diego Antonio García-Tadeo Modesto Montoya-Zavaleta Yumin Tan |
| author_facet | Diego Antonio García-Tadeo Modesto Montoya-Zavaleta Yumin Tan |
| author_sort | Diego Antonio García-Tadeo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The tropical glaciers of the Cordillera Blanca have played host to some of the most significant mass movements ever recorded in the world and Peru; many proglacial lakes formed in this mountain range have natural dikes made of moraine material, which, if they collapse, would present a risk for the cities located downstream of a proglacial lake, where the proglacial lake Palcacocha has a remarkable background regarding floods. The Sentinel-2 MSI (Multi-Spectral Instrument, Level-2A) has a specific band for snow probability mapping that indicates glaciers and snow cover; this is effective for recognizing proglacial lakes by calculating the <i>NDWI<sub>ice</sub></i>. It is also helpful for lithology with <i>SWIR</i> for granite moraine deposits and slate moraines in the proglacial environment Palcacocha; these deposits surround the proglacial lake, with <i>NDWI<sub>ice</sub></i> determining the perimeter where sediment interacts with the rocks and meltwater. In addition, there are high radon concentrations made by ice avalanche impacts on the proglacial lake. Unstable glacier blocks cause ice avalanches into this proglacial lake, and the radon responds to flow variations from these high-impact avalanches. We used the device RadonEye PLus2, which allows real-time detection of radon flux changes in the proglacial environment. Our results indicated that ice avalanches making a high impact in the proglacial lake cause turbulent flow and generate radon concentration marks with a rising magnitude, while the absence of ice avalanches in the lake will cause the values to go down. The relationships of radon concentrations in the atmosphere for a tropical proglacial environment are radon and temperature (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.364), radon and humidity (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.469). In a passive proglacial environment with prolonged rainfall, radon concentrations tend to decrease, with an inversely proportional relationship between humidity and radon in the tropical proglacial environment. Proglacial lakes in the tropical zone often have large volumes of freshwater with high slopes from tropical glaciers, and climate change effects are an imminent danger for nearby cities. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T06:56:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-223fa29d0597432292d99c72988f3472 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4433 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T06:56:14Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Atmosphere |
| spelling | doaj.art-223fa29d0597432292d99c72988f34722023-11-17T09:33:34ZengMDPI AGAtmosphere2073-44332023-03-0114356810.3390/atmos14030568Understanding the Susceptibility of the Tropical Proglacial Environment in Peru Using Optical Imagery and Radon MeasurementsDiego Antonio García-Tadeo0Modesto Montoya-Zavaleta1Yumin Tan2School of Transportation Science and Engineering, Beihang University, No. 37 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100191, ChinaGraduate School of Science, Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería, Av. Túpac Amaru 210, Lima 15333, PeruSchool of Transportation Science and Engineering, Beihang University, No. 37 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100191, ChinaThe tropical glaciers of the Cordillera Blanca have played host to some of the most significant mass movements ever recorded in the world and Peru; many proglacial lakes formed in this mountain range have natural dikes made of moraine material, which, if they collapse, would present a risk for the cities located downstream of a proglacial lake, where the proglacial lake Palcacocha has a remarkable background regarding floods. The Sentinel-2 MSI (Multi-Spectral Instrument, Level-2A) has a specific band for snow probability mapping that indicates glaciers and snow cover; this is effective for recognizing proglacial lakes by calculating the <i>NDWI<sub>ice</sub></i>. It is also helpful for lithology with <i>SWIR</i> for granite moraine deposits and slate moraines in the proglacial environment Palcacocha; these deposits surround the proglacial lake, with <i>NDWI<sub>ice</sub></i> determining the perimeter where sediment interacts with the rocks and meltwater. In addition, there are high radon concentrations made by ice avalanche impacts on the proglacial lake. Unstable glacier blocks cause ice avalanches into this proglacial lake, and the radon responds to flow variations from these high-impact avalanches. We used the device RadonEye PLus2, which allows real-time detection of radon flux changes in the proglacial environment. Our results indicated that ice avalanches making a high impact in the proglacial lake cause turbulent flow and generate radon concentration marks with a rising magnitude, while the absence of ice avalanches in the lake will cause the values to go down. The relationships of radon concentrations in the atmosphere for a tropical proglacial environment are radon and temperature (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.364), radon and humidity (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.469). In a passive proglacial environment with prolonged rainfall, radon concentrations tend to decrease, with an inversely proportional relationship between humidity and radon in the tropical proglacial environment. Proglacial lakes in the tropical zone often have large volumes of freshwater with high slopes from tropical glaciers, and climate change effects are an imminent danger for nearby cities.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/14/3/568tropical glacierproglacial environmentremote sensingradonPeru |
| spellingShingle | Diego Antonio García-Tadeo Modesto Montoya-Zavaleta Yumin Tan Understanding the Susceptibility of the Tropical Proglacial Environment in Peru Using Optical Imagery and Radon Measurements Atmosphere tropical glacier proglacial environment remote sensing radon Peru |
| title | Understanding the Susceptibility of the Tropical Proglacial Environment in Peru Using Optical Imagery and Radon Measurements |
| title_full | Understanding the Susceptibility of the Tropical Proglacial Environment in Peru Using Optical Imagery and Radon Measurements |
| title_fullStr | Understanding the Susceptibility of the Tropical Proglacial Environment in Peru Using Optical Imagery and Radon Measurements |
| title_full_unstemmed | Understanding the Susceptibility of the Tropical Proglacial Environment in Peru Using Optical Imagery and Radon Measurements |
| title_short | Understanding the Susceptibility of the Tropical Proglacial Environment in Peru Using Optical Imagery and Radon Measurements |
| title_sort | understanding the susceptibility of the tropical proglacial environment in peru using optical imagery and radon measurements |
| topic | tropical glacier proglacial environment remote sensing radon Peru |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/14/3/568 |
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