Impact of glacier changes and permafrost distribution on debris flows in Badswat and Shishkat catchments, Northern Pakistan

Knowledge of glacier changes and associated hazards is of great importance for the safety consideration of the population and infrastructure in the mountainous regions of Upper Indus Basin (UIB). In this study, we assessed the variations in glacier velocity, glacier surface elevation change, meteoro...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Mountain Science
Main Authors: Hassan, Wajid, Su, Feng-huan, Liu, Wei-ming, Hassan, Javed, Hassan, Muzammil, Bazai, Nazir Ahmed, Wang, Hao, Yang, Ze-wen, Ali, Muzaffar, Castellanos, Daniel Garcia
Format: Report
Language:English
Published: SCIENCE PRESS 2023
Subjects:
Cryosphere change
Climate change
Debris flow
Remote sensing
Permafrost
Cryosphere hazard
MASS BALANCES
ROCK GLACIERS
KARAKORAM
BASIN
HIMALAYA
RUNOFF
REGION
IMAGES
Environmental Sciences & Ecology
Environmental Sciences
permafrost
Online Access:http://ir.imde.ac.cn/handle/131551/57845
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-023-7894-5
Description
Summary:Knowledge of glacier changes and associated hazards is of great importance for the safety consideration of the population and infrastructure in the mountainous regions of Upper Indus Basin (UIB). In this study, we assessed the variations in glacier velocity, glacier surface elevation change, meteorological conditions, and permafrost distribution in Badswat and Shishkat catchments located in UIB to access the potential impact on the occurrence of debris flow in both catchments. We find that the glacier surface velocity increased during the debris flow event in the Badswat catchment and the mean daily temperature was 3.7 degrees C to 3.9 degrees C higher in most of the locations. The enhanced glacier surface elevation lowering period coincide with the rise in temperature during spring and autumn months between 2015 to 2019 in Badswat catchment. The source region of debris flow falls within the lower boundary of permafrost occurrence zone and lies below the 0 degrees C isotherm during late spring and summer months. In Shishkat catchment the 0 degrees C isotherm reaches above the debris flow source area during August and the glacier do not show any significant variations in velocity and surface elevation change. The debris flow source area is adjacent to the slow-moving rock glacier in Shishkat catchment while in Badswat catchment the debris flow initiated from the former glacier moraine. Both catchments are largely glacierized and thus sensitive to changes in climatic conditions and changes in the cryosphere response possess significant threats to the population downstream. Continuous monitoring of cryosphere-climate change in the region can contribute toward the improvement of disaster risk reduction and mitigation policies.

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