Glacier change and glacial lake outburst flood risk in the Bolivian Andes
Glaciers of the Bolivian Andes represent an important water resource for Andean cities and mountain communities, yet relatively little work has assessed changes in their extent over recent decades. In many mountain regions, glacier recession has been accompanied by the development of proglacial...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2016-10-01
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| Series: | The Cryosphere |
| Online Access: | https://www.the-cryosphere.net/10/2399/2016/tc-10-2399-2016.pdf |
| Summary: | Glaciers of the Bolivian Andes represent an important water resource for
Andean cities and mountain communities, yet relatively little work has
assessed changes in their extent over recent decades. In many mountain
regions, glacier recession has been accompanied by the development of
proglacial lakes, which can pose a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) hazard.
However, no studies have assessed the development of such lakes in Bolivia
despite recent GLOF incidents here. Our mapping from satellite imagery
reveals an overall areal shrinkage of 228.1 ± 22.8 km<sup>2</sup>
(43.1 %) across the Bolivian Cordillera Oriental between 1986 and 2014.
Shrinkage was greatest in the Tres Cruces region (47.3 %), followed by
the Cordillera Apolobamba (43.1 %) and Cordillera Real (41.9 %). A
growing number of proglacial lakes have developed as glaciers have receded,
in accordance with trends in most other deglaciating mountain ranges,
although the number of ice-contact lakes has decreased. The reasons for this
are unclear, but the pattern of lake change has varied significantly
throughout the study period, suggesting that monitoring of future lake
development is required as ice continues to recede. Ultimately, we use our
2014 database of proglacial lakes to assess GLOF risk across the Bolivian
Andes. We identify 25 lakes that pose a potential GLOF threat to downstream
communities and infrastructure. We suggest that further studies of potential
GLOF impacts are urgently required. |
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| ISSN: | 1994-0416 1994-0424 |