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In light of the recent tragedy in Uttarakhand, India, we've organized some information about floods, GLOFs and early warning systems here. Please do reach out to us if we can be of any help or if you need any further information.
GLOFs
A glacial lake outburst flood, or GLOF, is sudden release of water from a lake fed by glacier melt that has formed at the side, in front, within, beneath or on the surface of a glacier. It can be impounded by moraine complexes, glacial ice or even bedrock and, as a result of breaching, slope failure, overtopping or other failure mechanisms, can lead to catastrophic phenomena in the high mountains that threaten people’s lives, livelihoods and regional infrastructure.
The Melamchi disaster of 15 June and the following days cannot be attributed to a single factor. It was the result of multiple anthropogenic and climatic factors and processes that occurred at various…
Across the globe, so many people have seen visuals of or heard about the flooding event which occurred in Uttarakhand, India yesterday, which has resulted in loss of lives, property, and great suffering. The visuals are frightening and heartbreaking.
A new glacial lake inventory report has identified 47 potentially dangerous glacial lakes (PDGLs) within the Koshi, Gandaki, and Karnali river basins of Nepal…
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This report provides comprehensive information about the glacial lakes of five major river basins of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) — Amu Darya, Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Irrawaddy…
Glaciers in the Himalaya have been melting at an unprecedented rate since the mid-20th century…
This policy summary looks at reported and possible, future consequences of climate change in the greater Himalayan region.
This open access volume is the first comprehensive assessment of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region.
A community based flood early warning system (CBFEWS) is an integrated system of tools and plans managed by and for communities, providing real-time flood warnings to reduce flood risks.
Most Himalayan glaciers are rapidly melting and shrinking, concurrent with the warming climate.
With global warming, most Himalayan glaciers are melting faster and rapidly losing ice mass. This has significantly raised the threat of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) in the region.
Water- and weather-related disasters result in the loss of life and billions of dollars annually, a problem that demands an all-hands-on-deck approach from the broad hydrological…
