Glacier change and glacial lake outburst flood risk in the Bolivian Andes

Glaciers of the Bolivian Andes represent a vital water resource for Andean cities and mountain communities, yet relatively little work has assessed changes in their extent over recent decades. In many mountain regions, glacier recession has been accompanied by the development of proglacial lakes, wh...

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Main Authors: Cook, SJ, Kougkoulos, I, Edwards, LA, Dortch, J, Hoffmann, D
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Copernicus Publications 2016
Subjects:
Online Access:https://e-space.mmu.ac.uk/615786/11/Cook%20et%20al%202016_tc-10-2399-2016.pdf
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author Cook, SJ
Kougkoulos, I
Edwards, LA
Dortch, J
Hoffmann, D
author_facet Cook, SJ
Kougkoulos, I
Edwards, LA
Dortch, J
Hoffmann, D
author_sort Cook, SJ
collection eSpace - Manchester Metropolitan University's Research Repository
description Glaciers of the Bolivian Andes represent a vital water resource for Andean cities and mountain communities, yet relatively little work has assessed changes in their extent over recent decades. In many mountain regions, glacier recession has been accompanied by the development of proglacial lakes, which can pose a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) hazard. However, no studies have assessed the development of such lakes in Bolivia despite recent GLOF incidents here. Our mapping from satellite imagery reveals an overall areal shrinkage of 228.1 ± 22.8 km2 (43.1 %) across the Bolivian Cordillera Oriental between 1986 and 2014. Shrinkage was greatest in the Tres Cruces region (47.3 %), followed by the Cordillera Apolobamba (43.1 %) and Cordillera Real (41.9 %). A growing number of proglacial lakes have developed as glaciers have receded, in accordance with trends in most other deglaciating mountain ranges, although the number of ice-contact lakes has decreased. The reasons for this are unclear, but the pattern of lake change has varied significantly throughout the study period, suggesting that monitoring of future lake development is required as ice continues to recede. Ultimately, we use our 2014 database of proglacial lakes to assess GLOF risk across the Bolivian Andes. We identify 25 lakes that pose a potential GLOF threat to downstream communities and infrastructure. We suggest that further studies of potential GLOF impacts are urgently required.
format Article in Journal/Newspaper
genre The Cryosphere
The Cryosphere Discussions
genre_facet The Cryosphere
The Cryosphere Discussions
geographic Glacial Lake
geographic_facet Glacial Lake
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10.5194/tc-2016-140
Cook, SJ, Kougkoulos, I, Edwards, LA, Dortch, J and Hoffmann, D (2016) Glacier change and glacial lake outburst flood risk in the Bolivian Andes. The Cryosphere Discussions.
op_rights in_copyright
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publisher Copernicus Publications
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spelling ftmanchuniv:oai:e-space.mmu.ac.uk:615786 2025-04-13T14:27:27+00:00 Glacier change and glacial lake outburst flood risk in the Bolivian Andes Cook, SJ Kougkoulos, I Edwards, LA Dortch, J Hoffmann, D 2016-07-01 text https://e-space.mmu.ac.uk/615786/11/Cook%20et%20al%202016_tc-10-2399-2016.pdf en eng Copernicus Publications https://e-space.mmu.ac.uk/615786/ 10.5194/tc-2016-140 Cook, SJ, Kougkoulos, I, Edwards, LA, Dortch, J and Hoffmann, D (2016) Glacier change and glacial lake outburst flood risk in the Bolivian Andes. The Cryosphere Discussions. in_copyright info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Article NonPeerReviewed 2016 ftmanchuniv 2025-03-17T04:54:08Z Glaciers of the Bolivian Andes represent a vital water resource for Andean cities and mountain communities, yet relatively little work has assessed changes in their extent over recent decades. In many mountain regions, glacier recession has been accompanied by the development of proglacial lakes, which can pose a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) hazard. However, no studies have assessed the development of such lakes in Bolivia despite recent GLOF incidents here. Our mapping from satellite imagery reveals an overall areal shrinkage of 228.1 ± 22.8 km2 (43.1 %) across the Bolivian Cordillera Oriental between 1986 and 2014. Shrinkage was greatest in the Tres Cruces region (47.3 %), followed by the Cordillera Apolobamba (43.1 %) and Cordillera Real (41.9 %). A growing number of proglacial lakes have developed as glaciers have receded, in accordance with trends in most other deglaciating mountain ranges, although the number of ice-contact lakes has decreased. The reasons for this are unclear, but the pattern of lake change has varied significantly throughout the study period, suggesting that monitoring of future lake development is required as ice continues to recede. Ultimately, we use our 2014 database of proglacial lakes to assess GLOF risk across the Bolivian Andes. We identify 25 lakes that pose a potential GLOF threat to downstream communities and infrastructure. We suggest that further studies of potential GLOF impacts are urgently required. Article in Journal/Newspaper The Cryosphere The Cryosphere Discussions eSpace - Manchester Metropolitan University's Research Repository Glacial Lake ENVELOPE(-129.463,-129.463,58.259,58.259)
spellingShingle Cook, SJ
Kougkoulos, I
Edwards, LA
Dortch, J
Hoffmann, D
Glacier change and glacial lake outburst flood risk in the Bolivian Andes
title Glacier change and glacial lake outburst flood risk in the Bolivian Andes
title_full Glacier change and glacial lake outburst flood risk in the Bolivian Andes
title_fullStr Glacier change and glacial lake outburst flood risk in the Bolivian Andes
title_full_unstemmed Glacier change and glacial lake outburst flood risk in the Bolivian Andes
title_short Glacier change and glacial lake outburst flood risk in the Bolivian Andes
title_sort glacier change and glacial lake outburst flood risk in the bolivian andes
url https://e-space.mmu.ac.uk/615786/11/Cook%20et%20al%202016_tc-10-2399-2016.pdf