By Gunjan Silwal, OnePlanet Doctoral Student Nepal, a landlocked Himalayan country with 30 million people1, has a strikingly diverse topography. Within just 150–200 km across the width of the nation, its elevation shifts dramatically from the low-lying Terai Plains (~70 m asl) to Mount Everest (8,848 m), the world’s highest peak. This extreme altitudinal variation creates […]
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What are cascade hazards? Cascade hazards can occur when more than one hazard interact. Primary hazards (e.g. avalanches and landslides) can often trigger secondary hazards (e.g. flooding and debris flows). As a result, the impacts are extended further downstream 1,2. Cascade hazards are difficult to predict and even harder to model 4 , therefore are
Glacial lake hazards | Flooding | Case Study 1 | Case Study 2 | Summary Increasing glacial lakes In recent decades glacial lake hazards have increased due to accelerated glacial mass loss and retreat leading to the expansion of existing glacial lakes and formation of new lakes 1,2. As a result, glacial lakes now exist
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Introduction | Mass Movements | Rockfall and Avalanches | Ice and snow avalanches | Landslide and debris flow | Case Study What are glacial hazards? Generally, there are two types of hazards found in glacial environments that can impact humans. First, we have direct hazards such as avalanches and rockfalls. Second, we have indirect hazards
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By Alex Hyde The sub-tropical glaciers of Bhutan Bhutan is a small mountainous nation located in the Eastern Himalaya, with a population of around 727 000 people (Figure 1). The country has a sub-tropical climate in its south, where it borders lowland plains, and a Himalayan subalpine climate to the north where it meets the
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By Caroline Taylor What is a glacial lake outburst flood? Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) refer to the sudden release of meltwater and sediment from a dammed lake1. Across the globe there are many types of glacial lake dams, including moraine-dams, ice-dams, bedrock-dams, and landslide-dams 2, all of which can produce GLOFs. Why are
Increasing risk of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) Read More »
This article was written by Katie Miles from Aberystwyth University. Debris-covered glaciers are valley glaciers that have a layer of rocks and sediment on top of the ice surface. While this can range from a thin smattering of rocks to a thick layer several meters deep (even on the same glacier surface), we typically define
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A glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) is a release of meltwater from a moraine- or ice-dam glacial lake due to dam failure1,2. GLOFs often result in catastrophic flooding downstream, with major geomorphic and socioeconomic impacts3,4. GLOFs have three main features: They involve sudden (and sometimes cyclic) releases of water. They tend to be rapid events,
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