A satellite time series of moraine-dammed glacial lakes in Nepal, identifying the fastest-growing lakes and the outburst flood hazard they pose.
Authors
Nitesh Khadka, Shravan Kumar Ghimire, Shankar Sharma and Kalpana Hamal
Published in
Jalawaayu 2(1): 45–55, 2022
About the study
Many glacial lakes in Nepal are held back by moraine dams, and they are growing as the climate warms. This study used a satellite time series to track how quickly their surface areas are expanding and to evaluate the glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) hazard this creates downstream.
Contributions
- Mapping of rapidly expanding, high-hazard glacial lakes
- Expansion rates compared across Nepal’s major Himalayan river basins
- Spatial guidance for early warning and for protecting downstream infrastructure