IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/nathaz/v104y2020i3d10.1007_s11069-020-04262-8.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Cryosphere hazards in Ladakh: the 2014 Gya glacial lake outburst flood and its implications for risk assessment

Author

Listed:
  • Susanne Schmidt

    (Heidelberg University)

  • Marcus Nüsser

    (Heidelberg University
    Heidelberg University)

  • Ravi Baghel

    (Heidelberg University)

  • Juliane Dame

    (Heidelberg University
    Heidelberg University)

Abstract

This article attempts to reconstruct the causes and consequences of the 2014 glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) event in Gya, Ladakh. We analyse the evolution of the Gya glacial lake using a high temporal and high spatial resolution remote sensing approach. In order to frame the case study in a larger picture, we produce a comprehensive inventory of glacial lakes for the entire Trans-Himalayan region of Ladakh. Changes in the extent and number of glacial lakes have been detected for the years 1969, 1993, 2000/02 and 2018 in order to assess the potential risk of future GLOFs in the region. The remote sensing approach was supported by field surveys between 2014 and 2019. The case study of the Gya GLOF illustrates the problem of potentially hazardous lakes being overlooked in inventories. The broader analysis of the Ladakh region and in-depth analysis of one GLOF lead us to propose an integrated approach for detecting undocumented GLOFs. This article demonstrates the necessity for using multiple methods to ensure robustness of risk assessment. The improved understanding can lead to a more accurate evaluation of exposure to cryosphere hazards and identification of alternative mechanisms and spatial patterns of GLOFs in the Himalaya.

Suggested Citation

  • Susanne Schmidt & Marcus Nüsser & Ravi Baghel & Juliane Dame, 2020. "Cryosphere hazards in Ladakh: the 2014 Gya glacial lake outburst flood and its implications for risk assessment," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 104(3), pages 2071-2095, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:nathaz:v:104:y:2020:i:3:d:10.1007_s11069-020-04262-8
    DOI: 10.1007/s11069-020-04262-8
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11069-020-04262-8
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11069-020-04262-8?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. R. K. Sharma & Pranay Pradhan & N. P. Sharma & D. G. Shrestha, 2018. "Remote sensing and in situ-based assessment of rapidly growing South Lhonak glacial lake in eastern Himalaya, India," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 93(1), pages 393-409, August.
    2. Matthias Huss & Regine Hock, 2018. "Global-scale hydrological response to future glacier mass loss," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 8(2), pages 135-140, February.
    3. Rakesh Bhambri & Manish Mehta & D. Dobhal & Anil Gupta & Bhanu Pratap & Kapil Kesarwani & Akshaya Verma, 2016. "Devastation in the Kedarnath (Mandakini) Valley, Garhwal Himalaya, during 16–17 June 2013: a remote sensing and ground-based assessment," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 80(3), pages 1801-1822, February.
    4. Georg Veh & Oliver Korup & Sebastian Specht & Sigrid Roessner & Ariane Walz, 2019. "Unchanged frequency of moraine-dammed glacial lake outburst floods in the Himalaya," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 9(5), pages 379-383, May.
    5. R. K. Sharma & Pranay Pradhan & N. P. Sharma & D. G. Shrestha, 2018. "Correction to: Remote sensing and in situ-based assessment of rapidly growing South Lhonak glacial lake in eastern Himalaya, India," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 93(1), pages 411-411, August.
    6. Lasafam Iturrizaga, 2019. "Historical beacon fire lines as early warning systems for glacier lake outbursts in the Hindu Kush–Karakoram Mountains," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 99(1), pages 39-70, October.
    7. Rakesh Bhambri & Manish Mehta & D. P. Dobhal & Anil Kumar Gupta & Bhanu Pratap & Kapil Kesarwani & Akshaya Verma, 2016. "Devastation in the Kedarnath (Mandakini) Valley, Garhwal Himalaya, during 16–17 June 2013: a remote sensing and ground-based assessment," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 80(3), pages 1801-1822, February.
    8. Mark Carey & Olivia C. Molden & Mattias Borg Rasmussen & M Jackson & Anne W. Nolin & Bryan G. Mark, 2017. "Impacts of Glacier Recession and Declining Meltwater on Mountain Societies," Annals of the American Association of Geographers, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 107(2), pages 350-359, March.
    9. Renoj Thayyen & A. Dimri & Pradeep Kumar & G. Agnihotri, 2013. "Study of cloudburst and flash floods around Leh, India, during August 4–6, 2010," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 65(3), pages 2175-2204, February.
    10. D. Petrakov & O. Tutubalina & A. Aleinikov & S. Chernomorets & S. Evans & V. Kidyaeva & I. Krylenko & S. Norin & M. Shakhmina & I. Seynova, 2012. "Monitoring of Bashkara Glacier lakes (Central Caucasus, Russia) and modelling of their potential outburst," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 61(3), pages 1293-1316, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Harish Chandra Nainwal & R. Shankar & Aditya Mishra & Sumit Mishra & Ankit Pandey & Sunil Singh Shah & Gambhir Singh Chauhan & Deepak Kumar, 2022. "A comprehensive and quantitative assessment of Raunthi Gad flash flood, Rishi Ganga catchment, central Himalaya, Uttarakhand, India," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 114(1), pages 157-181, October.
    2. Choudhurimayum Pankaj Sharma & Anil Kumar & Poonam Chahal & Uma Kant Shukla & Pradeep Srivastava & Manoj K. Jaiswal, 2023. "Debris flow susceptibility assessment of Leh Valley, Ladakh, based on concepts of connectivity, propagation and evidence-based probability," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 115(2), pages 1833-1859, January.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ekaterina P. Rets & Ivan N. Durmanov & Maria B. Kireeva & Andrew M. Smirnov & Viktor V. Popovnin, 2020. "Past ‘peak water’ in the North Caucasus: deglaciation drives a reduction in glacial runoff impacting summer river runoff and peak discharges," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 163(4), pages 2135-2151, December.
    2. Ashok Kumar Singh & Jagadish Kundu & Kripamoy Sarkar, 2018. "Stability analysis of a recurring soil slope failure along NH-5, Himachal Himalaya, India," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 90(2), pages 863-885, January.
    3. Tushar Kanti Ghosh & Flemming Jakobsen & Madhu Joshi & Kuldeep Pareta, 2019. "Extreme rainfall and vulnerability assessment: case study of Uttarakhand rivers," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 99(2), pages 665-687, November.
    4. Bo Su & Cunde Xiao & Deliang Chen & Dahe Qin & Yongjian Ding, 2019. "Cryosphere Services and Human Well-Being," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-23, August.
    5. Caroline Taylor & Tom R. Robinson & Stuart Dunning & J. Rachel Carr & Matthew Westoby, 2023. "Glacial lake outburst floods threaten millions globally," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-10, December.
    6. Shijin Wang & Yanqiang Wei, 2019. "Water resource system risk and adaptive management of the Chinese Heihe River Basin in Asian arid areas," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 24(7), pages 1271-1292, October.
    7. Cook, David & Malinauskaite, Laura & Davíðsdóttir, Brynhildur & Ögmundardóttir, Helga, 2021. "Co-production processes underpinning the ecosystem services of glaciers and adaptive management in the era of climate change," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 50(C).
    8. Mark D. Risser & William D. Collins & Michael F. Wehner & Travis A. O’Brien & Huanping Huang & Paul A. Ullrich, 2024. "Anthropogenic aerosols mask increases in US rainfall by greenhouse gases," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-15, December.
    9. Choudhurimayum Pankaj Sharma & Anil Kumar & Poonam Chahal & Uma Kant Shukla & Pradeep Srivastava & Manoj K. Jaiswal, 2023. "Debris flow susceptibility assessment of Leh Valley, Ladakh, based on concepts of connectivity, propagation and evidence-based probability," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 115(2), pages 1833-1859, January.
    10. Han, Shumin & Xin, Ping & Li, Huilong & Yang, Yonghui, 2022. "Evolution of agricultural development and land-water-food nexus in Central Asia," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 273(C).
    11. Alina Motschmann & Christian Huggel & Mark Carey & Holly Moulton & Noah Walker-Crawford & Randy Muñoz, 2020. "Losses and damages connected to glacier retreat in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 162(2), pages 837-858, September.
    12. Veniamin Perov & Sergey Chernomorets & Olga Budarina & Elena Savernyuk & Tatiana Leontyeva, 2017. "Debris flow hazards for mountain regions of Russia: regional features and key events," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 88(1), pages 199-235, August.
    13. Jiahui Li & Xinliang Xu, 2023. "Glacier Change and Its Response to Climate Change in Western China," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-13, March.
    14. Shannon G. Klein & Cassandra Roch & Carlos M. Duarte, 2024. "Systematic review of the uncertainty of coral reef futures under climate change," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-17, December.
    15. Daniel Ehrbar & Lukas Schmocker & Michael Doering & Marco Cortesi & Gérald Bourban & Robert M. Boes & David F. Vetsch, 2018. "Continuous Seasonal and Large-Scale Periglacial Reservoir Sedimentation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-16, September.
    16. Jinglin Zhang & Wei Zhang & Shiwei Liu & Weiming Kong & Wei Zhang, 2022. "Cryosphere Services to Advance the National SDG Priorities in Himalaya-Karakoram Region," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-16, February.
    17. Taigang Zhang & Weicai Wang & Baosheng An & Lele Wei, 2023. "Enhanced glacial lake activity threatens numerous communities and infrastructure in the Third Pole," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-12, December.
    18. Meimei Zhang & Fang Chen & Bangsen Tian & Dong Liang & Aqiang Yang, 2020. "High-Frequency Glacial Lake Mapping Using Time Series of Sentinel-1A/1B SAR Imagery: An Assessment for the Southeastern Tibetan Plateau," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(3), pages 1-13, February.
    19. Yang Yang & Shiwei Liu & Cunde Xiao & Cuiyang Feng & Chenyu Li, 2021. "Evaluating Cryospheric Water Withdrawal and Virtual Water Flows in Tarim River Basin of China: An Input–Output Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-16, July.
    20. Wolfgang Jens-Henrik Meier & Perdita Pohle & Jussi Grießinger, 2022. "Climate Change and New Markets: Multi-Factorial Drivers of Recent Land-Use Change in The Semi-Arid Trans-Himalaya, Nepal," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-26, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:nathaz:v:104:y:2020:i:3:d:10.1007_s11069-020-04262-8. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.