Changes in Imja Tsho in the Mount Everest region of Nepal
Imja Tsho, located in the Sagarmatha (Everest) National Park of Nepal, is one of the most studied and rapidly growing lakes in the Himalayan range. Compared with previous studies, the results of our sonar bathymetric survey conducted in September of 2012 suggest that its maximum depth has increased...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Copernicus Publications
2014-09-01
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| Series: | The Cryosphere |
| Online Access: | http://www.the-cryosphere.net/8/1661/2014/tc-8-1661-2014.pdf |
| _version_ | 1818133514699145216 |
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| author | M. A. Somos-Valenzuela D. C. McKinney D. R. Rounce A. C. Byers |
| author_facet | M. A. Somos-Valenzuela D. C. McKinney D. R. Rounce A. C. Byers |
| author_sort | M. A. Somos-Valenzuela |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Imja Tsho, located in the Sagarmatha (Everest) National Park of Nepal, is one
of the most studied and rapidly growing lakes in the Himalayan range.
Compared with previous studies, the results of our sonar bathymetric survey
conducted in September of 2012 suggest that its maximum depth has increased
from 90.5 to 116.3 ± 5.2 m since 2002, and that its estimated volume
has grown from 35.8 ± 0.7 to 61.7 ± 3.7 million m<sup>3</sup>. Most of
the expansion of the lake in recent years has taken place in the glacier
terminus–lake interface on the eastern end of the lake, with the glacier
receding at about 52 m yr<sup>−1</sup> and the lake expanding in area by
0.04 km<sup>2</sup> yr<sup>−1</sup>. A ground penetrating radar survey of the
Imja–Lhotse Shar glacier just behind the glacier terminus shows that the ice
is over 200 m thick in the center of the glacier. The volume of water that
could be released from the lake in the event of a breach in the damming
moraine on the western end of the lake has increased to 34.1 ± 1.08
million m<sup>3</sup> from the 21 million m<sup>3</sup> estimated in 2002. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T08:53:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7cc07afb39c448dba0124e74486feb12 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1994-0416 1994-0424 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T08:53:56Z |
| publishDate | 2014-09-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Cryosphere |
| spelling | doaj.art-7cc07afb39c448dba0124e74486feb122022-12-22T01:13:57ZengCopernicus PublicationsThe Cryosphere1994-04161994-04242014-09-01851661167110.5194/tc-8-1661-2014Changes in Imja Tsho in the Mount Everest region of NepalM. A. Somos-Valenzuela0D. C. McKinney1D. R. Rounce2A. C. Byers3Center for Research in Water Resources, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USACenter for Research in Water Resources, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USACenter for Research in Water Resources, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USAThe Mountain Institute, Washington DC, USAImja Tsho, located in the Sagarmatha (Everest) National Park of Nepal, is one of the most studied and rapidly growing lakes in the Himalayan range. Compared with previous studies, the results of our sonar bathymetric survey conducted in September of 2012 suggest that its maximum depth has increased from 90.5 to 116.3 ± 5.2 m since 2002, and that its estimated volume has grown from 35.8 ± 0.7 to 61.7 ± 3.7 million m<sup>3</sup>. Most of the expansion of the lake in recent years has taken place in the glacier terminus–lake interface on the eastern end of the lake, with the glacier receding at about 52 m yr<sup>−1</sup> and the lake expanding in area by 0.04 km<sup>2</sup> yr<sup>−1</sup>. A ground penetrating radar survey of the Imja–Lhotse Shar glacier just behind the glacier terminus shows that the ice is over 200 m thick in the center of the glacier. The volume of water that could be released from the lake in the event of a breach in the damming moraine on the western end of the lake has increased to 34.1 ± 1.08 million m<sup>3</sup> from the 21 million m<sup>3</sup> estimated in 2002.http://www.the-cryosphere.net/8/1661/2014/tc-8-1661-2014.pdf |
| spellingShingle | M. A. Somos-Valenzuela D. C. McKinney D. R. Rounce A. C. Byers Changes in Imja Tsho in the Mount Everest region of Nepal The Cryosphere |
| title | Changes in Imja Tsho in the Mount Everest region of Nepal |
| title_full | Changes in Imja Tsho in the Mount Everest region of Nepal |
| title_fullStr | Changes in Imja Tsho in the Mount Everest region of Nepal |
| title_full_unstemmed | Changes in Imja Tsho in the Mount Everest region of Nepal |
| title_short | Changes in Imja Tsho in the Mount Everest region of Nepal |
| title_sort | changes in imja tsho in the mount everest region of nepal |
| url | http://www.the-cryosphere.net/8/1661/2014/tc-8-1661-2014.pdf |
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