Hazard assessment of glacial lake outburst floods from Kyagar glacier, Karakoram mountains, China

Haemmig, Christoph; Huss, Matthias; Keusen, Hans-Rudolf; Hess, Josef; Wegmüller, U.; Ao, Zhigang; Kulubayi, Wubuli

doi:10.3189/2014aog66a001

Cited by 66 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…However, over the last 2-3 years, interest in these data sets has grown due to easier accessibility by researchers (e.g. Haemmig et al, 2014;Marti et al, 2014;Sirguey and Cullen, 2014). In the US, WorldView-1 and WorldView-2 images are distributed by the Polar Geospatial Center (PGC) to US-funded researchers (Noh and Howat, 2014a, b).…”

Section: E Berthier Et Al: Glacier Topography and Elevation Changesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Glacier topography and elevation changes derived from Pléiades sub-meter stereo images

et al. 2014

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Abstract. In response to climate change, most glaciers are losing mass and hence contribute to sea-level rise. Repeated and accurate mapping of their surface topography is required to estimate their mass balance and to extrapolate/calibrate sparse field glaciological measurements. In this study we evaluate the potential of sub-meter stereo imagery from the recently launched Pléiades satellites to derive digital elevation models (DEMs) of glaciers and their elevation changes. Our five evaluation sites, where nearly simultaneous field measurements were collected, are located in Iceland, the European Alps, the central Andes, Nepal and Antarctica. For Iceland, the Pléiades DEM is also compared to a lidar DEM. The vertical biases of the Pléiades DEMs are less than 1 m if ground control points (GCPs) are used, but reach up to 7 m without GCPs. Even without GCPs, vertical biases can be reduced to a few decimetres by horizontal and vertical co-registration of the DEMs to reference altimetric data on ice-free terrain. Around these biases, the vertical precision of the Pléiades DEMs is ±1 m and even ±0.5 m on the flat glacier tongues (1σ confidence level). Similar precision levels are obtained in the accumulation areas of glaciers and in Antarctica. We also demonstrate the high potential of Pléiades DEMs for measuring seasonal, annual and multiannual elevation changes with an accuracy of 1 m or bet-

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Section: E Berthier Et Al: Glacier Topography and Elevation Changesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Glacier topography and elevation changes derived from Pléiades sub-meter stereo images

et al. 2014

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“…In this paper, we attempt to assess the seasonal glacier surface velocity variability. Significant differences in the kinematics might give clues about the expectable amount of melt water [11] or the onset of a GLOF [12], which could be used as constrains in dynamic glacier modelling.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating Spatial and Temporal Variability in Surface Kinematics of the Inylchek Glacier, Central Asia, using TerraSAR–X Data

2014

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We use 124 scenes of TerraSAR-X data that were acquired in 2009 and 2010 to analyse the spatial and temporal variability in surface kinematics of the debris-covered Inylchek Glacier, located in the Tien Shan mountain range in Central Asia. By applying the feature tracking method to the intensity information of the radar data and combining the results from the ascending and descending orbits, we derive the surface velocity field of the glaciated area. Analysing the seasonal variations over the upper part of the Southern Inylchek branch, we find a temperature-related increase in velocity from 25 cm/d up to 50 cm/d between spring and summer, with the peak occurring in June. Another prominent velocity peak is observable one month later in the lower part of the Southern Inylchek branch. This area shows generally little motion, with values of approximately 5-10 cm/d over the year, but yields surface kinematics of up to 25 cm/d during the peak period. Comparisons of the dates of annual glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) of the proglacial Lake Merzbacher suggest that this lower part is directly influenced by the drainage, leading to the observed mini-surge, which has over twice the normal displacement rate. With regard to the GLOF and the related response of Inylchek Glacier, we conclude that X-band radar systems such as TerraSAR-X have a high potential for detecting and characterising small-scale glacial surface kinematic variations and should be considered for future inter-annual glacial monitoring tasks.Remote Sens. 2014, 6 9240

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“…For a real-time warning system, the data has to be transferred to a control station. This can be done via a satellite telephone, similar to the concept presented by Haemmig et al (2014). Due to the limited data bandwidth and costs, the transmission of a complete image is not the best solution.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Photogrammetric monitoring of glacier margin lakes

Mulsow¹,

Koschitzki²,

Maas³

2014

Geomatics, Natural Hazards and Risk

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The growing number of glacier margin lakes that have developed due to glacier retreat have caused an increase of dangerous glacier lake outburst floods (GLOFs) in several regions over the last decade. This normally causes a flood wave downstream the glacier. Typically, such an event takes few to several hours. GLOF scenarios may be a significant hazard to life, property, nature and infrastructure in the affected areas. A GLOF is usually characterized by a progressive water level drop. By observing the water level of the lake, an imminent GLOF-event can be identified. Common gauging systems are often not suitable for the measurement task, as they may be affected by ice fall or landslides in the lake basin. Therefore, in our pilot study, the water level is observed by processing images of a terrestrial camera system observing a glacier margin lake. The paper presents the basic principle of an automatic single-camera-based GLOF early warning system. Challenges and approaches to solve them are discussed. First, results from processed image sequences are presented to show the feasibility of the concept. Water level changes can be determined at decimetre precision.

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Hazard assessment of glacial lake outburst floods from Kyagar glacier, Karakoram mountains, China

Abstract: ABSTRACT. Kyagar glacier is located in the Chinese

Cited by 66 publications

References 37 publications

Glacier topography and elevation changes derived from Pléiades sub-meter stereo images

Glacier topography and elevation changes derived from Pléiades sub-meter stereo images

Estimating Spatial and Temporal Variability in Surface Kinematics of the Inylchek Glacier, Central Asia, using TerraSAR–X Data

Photogrammetric monitoring of glacier margin lakes

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