High Mountain Asia hydropower systems threatened by climate-driven landscape instability
Global warming-induced melting and thawing of the cryosphere are severely altering the volume and timing of water supplied from High Mountain Asia, adversely affecting downstream food and energy systems that are relied on by billions of people. The construction of more reservoirs designed to regulat...
Published in: | Nature Geoscience |
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Online Access: | https://research-portal.st-andrews.ac.uk/en/publications/205752cb-de57-4554-ab2e-0c3d36d410da https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-022-00953-y |
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ftunstandrewcris:oai:research-portal.st-andrews.ac.uk:publications/205752cb-de57-4554-ab2e-0c3d36d410da 2024-10-13T14:07:59+00:00 High Mountain Asia hydropower systems threatened by climate-driven landscape instability Li, Dongfeng Lu, Xixi Walling, Desmond E. Zhang, Ting Steiner, Jakob F. Wasson, Robert J. Harrison, Stephan Nepal, Santosh Nie, Yong Immerzeel, Walter W. Shugar, Dan H. Koppes, Michele Lane, Stuart Zeng, Zhenzhong Sun, Xiaofei Yegorov, Alexandr Bolch, Tobias 2022-07-01 https://research-portal.st-andrews.ac.uk/en/publications/205752cb-de57-4554-ab2e-0c3d36d410da https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-022-00953-y eng eng info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess Li , D , Lu , X , Walling , D E , Zhang , T , Steiner , J F , Wasson , R J , Harrison , S , Nepal , S , Nie , Y , Immerzeel , W W , Shugar , D H , Koppes , M , Lane , S , Zeng , Z , Sun , X , Yegorov , A & Bolch , T 2022 , ' High Mountain Asia hydropower systems threatened by climate-driven landscape instability ' , Nature Geoscience , vol. 15 , pp. 520-530 . https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-022-00953-y article 2022 ftunstandrewcris https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-022-00953-y 2024-09-26T14:11:27Z Global warming-induced melting and thawing of the cryosphere are severely altering the volume and timing of water supplied from High Mountain Asia, adversely affecting downstream food and energy systems that are relied on by billions of people. The construction of more reservoirs designed to regulate streamflow and produce hydropower is a critical part of strategies for adapting to these changes. However, these projects are vulnerable to a complex set of interacting processes that are destabilizing landscapes throughout the region. Ranging in severity and the pace of change, these processes include glacial retreat and detachments, permafrost thaw and associated landslides, rock–ice avalanches, debris flows and outburst floods from glacial lakes and landslide-dammed lakes. The result is large amounts of sediment being mobilized that can fill up reservoirs, cause dam failure and degrade power turbines. Here we recommend forward-looking design and maintenance measures and sustainable sediment management solutions that can help transition towards climate change-resilient dams and reservoirs in High Mountain Asia, in large part based on improved monitoring and prediction of compound and cascading hazards. Article in Journal/Newspaper Ice permafrost University of St Andrews: Research Portal Nature Geoscience 15 7 520 530 |
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University of St Andrews: Research Portal |
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ftunstandrewcris |
language |
English |
description |
Global warming-induced melting and thawing of the cryosphere are severely altering the volume and timing of water supplied from High Mountain Asia, adversely affecting downstream food and energy systems that are relied on by billions of people. The construction of more reservoirs designed to regulate streamflow and produce hydropower is a critical part of strategies for adapting to these changes. However, these projects are vulnerable to a complex set of interacting processes that are destabilizing landscapes throughout the region. Ranging in severity and the pace of change, these processes include glacial retreat and detachments, permafrost thaw and associated landslides, rock–ice avalanches, debris flows and outburst floods from glacial lakes and landslide-dammed lakes. The result is large amounts of sediment being mobilized that can fill up reservoirs, cause dam failure and degrade power turbines. Here we recommend forward-looking design and maintenance measures and sustainable sediment management solutions that can help transition towards climate change-resilient dams and reservoirs in High Mountain Asia, in large part based on improved monitoring and prediction of compound and cascading hazards. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Li, Dongfeng Lu, Xixi Walling, Desmond E. Zhang, Ting Steiner, Jakob F. Wasson, Robert J. Harrison, Stephan Nepal, Santosh Nie, Yong Immerzeel, Walter W. Shugar, Dan H. Koppes, Michele Lane, Stuart Zeng, Zhenzhong Sun, Xiaofei Yegorov, Alexandr Bolch, Tobias |
spellingShingle |
Li, Dongfeng Lu, Xixi Walling, Desmond E. Zhang, Ting Steiner, Jakob F. Wasson, Robert J. Harrison, Stephan Nepal, Santosh Nie, Yong Immerzeel, Walter W. Shugar, Dan H. Koppes, Michele Lane, Stuart Zeng, Zhenzhong Sun, Xiaofei Yegorov, Alexandr Bolch, Tobias High Mountain Asia hydropower systems threatened by climate-driven landscape instability |
author_facet |
Li, Dongfeng Lu, Xixi Walling, Desmond E. Zhang, Ting Steiner, Jakob F. Wasson, Robert J. Harrison, Stephan Nepal, Santosh Nie, Yong Immerzeel, Walter W. Shugar, Dan H. Koppes, Michele Lane, Stuart Zeng, Zhenzhong Sun, Xiaofei Yegorov, Alexandr Bolch, Tobias |
author_sort |
Li, Dongfeng |
title |
High Mountain Asia hydropower systems threatened by climate-driven landscape instability |
title_short |
High Mountain Asia hydropower systems threatened by climate-driven landscape instability |
title_full |
High Mountain Asia hydropower systems threatened by climate-driven landscape instability |
title_fullStr |
High Mountain Asia hydropower systems threatened by climate-driven landscape instability |
title_full_unstemmed |
High Mountain Asia hydropower systems threatened by climate-driven landscape instability |
title_sort |
high mountain asia hydropower systems threatened by climate-driven landscape instability |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://research-portal.st-andrews.ac.uk/en/publications/205752cb-de57-4554-ab2e-0c3d36d410da https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-022-00953-y |
genre |
Ice permafrost |
genre_facet |
Ice permafrost |
op_source |
Li , D , Lu , X , Walling , D E , Zhang , T , Steiner , J F , Wasson , R J , Harrison , S , Nepal , S , Nie , Y , Immerzeel , W W , Shugar , D H , Koppes , M , Lane , S , Zeng , Z , Sun , X , Yegorov , A & Bolch , T 2022 , ' High Mountain Asia hydropower systems threatened by climate-driven landscape instability ' , Nature Geoscience , vol. 15 , pp. 520-530 . https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-022-00953-y |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-022-00953-y |
container_title |
Nature Geoscience |
container_volume |
15 |
container_issue |
7 |
container_start_page |
520 |
op_container_end_page |
530 |
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1812814570775904256 |