Brief Communication: On the magnitude and frequency of Khurdopin glacier surge events

• Published in: The Cryosphere
• Main Authors: Quincey, D. J., Luckman, A.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Copernicus Publications 2014
• Subjects: article; Verlagsveröffentlichung; The Cryosphere
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-571-2014; https://noa.gwlb.de/receive/cop_mods_00020309; https://noa.gwlb.de/servlets/MCRFileNodeServlet/cop_derivate_00020264/tc-8-571-2014.pdf; https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/8/571/2014/tc-8-571-2014.pdf

The return periods of Karakoram glacier surges are poorly quantified. Here, we present evidence of an historic surge of the Khurdopin Glacier that began in the mid-1970s and peaked in 1979. Measured surface displacements reached >5 km a−1, two orders of magnitude faster than during quiescence. The Khurdopin Glacier next surged in the late 1990s, equating to a return period of 20 years. Surge evolution in the two events shows remarkable similarity suggesting a common trigger. Surge activity in the Karakoram needs to be better understood if accurate mass balance assessments of Hindu-Kush–Karakoram–Himalaya glaciers are to be made.