Debris flow hazard of glacial lakes in the Central Caucasus
Glacier retreat is accompanied by formation of lakes within glacier moraines. The lakes may produce outburst floods which can transform into destructive debris flows. In the Central Caucasus this hazard has not been sufficiently studied, and the location and size of glacial lakes is not shown on the topographical maps. We have combined field and remote sensing research to study glacial lakes and debris flow initiation zones in periglacial areas. Two case studies are presented. Bashkara lakes in the upper Adyl-Su River valley have been subject to detailed monitoring since 1999. In 2005 their total area reached 93,000 m2, and the total volume exceeded 900,000 m3. Buildings, bridges and camping sites are in areas endangered by potential debris flows. A second group of 13 glacier lakes was identified in 2005 on the northeastern slopes of Mt. Elbrus. In July 2006 the area of the largest lake reached 89,000 m2, and its volume was 550,000 m3. On August 11, 2006 the lake produced an outburst flood releasing about 400,000 m3of water which later transformed into a debris flow that entrained up to 350,000 m3of solid material. A downstream mineral water resort was damaged. We have identified 71 glacial lakes in the Central Caucasus. These include post-disaster lakes, e.g. in the Genaldon River valley where 13 new lakes formed after a glacier disaster in 2002, which at one point reached 437,000 m2in area and 5,000,000 m3in volume. In the future we hope to develop detailed recommendations for risk management of glacier and debris flow hazards in the Central Caucasus.
glacial lake outburst debris flow natural disaster Central Caucasus
D.A. Petrakov I.V. Krylenko S.S. Chernomorets O.V. Tutubalina I.N. Krylenko M.S. Shakhmina
Faculty of Geography, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia University Centre for Engineering Geodynamics and Monitoring, Moscow, Russia
国际会议
成都
英文
703-714
2007-05-17（万方平台首次上网日期，不代表论文的发表时间）