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2003 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

Study on formation mechanism and expansion mechanism of a moraine-dammed glacier lake

Research Project

Project/Area Number 13573004
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)

Allocation TypeSingle-year Grants
Section海外学術
Research Field Meteorology/Physical oceanography/Hydrology
Research InstitutionHOKKAIDO UNIVERSITY

Principal Investigator

YAMADA Tomomi  Hokkaido Univ., Inst. of Low Temp. Science, Asso. Prof., 低温科学研究所, 助教授 (50002100)

Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) NISHIMURA Koichi  National Research Inst. for earth Sci. and Disaster Prevention, Nagaoka Inst. of Snow and Ice Study, Chief Researcher, 長岡雪氷防災研究所, 主任研究員 (10180639)
FUSHIMI Hiroji  Univ., of Shiga Pref., Dep. of Environmental Science, Prof., 環境科学部, 教授 (10109358)
KOBAYASHI Shun'ichi  Niigata Univ., Research Inst. for Hazards in Snowy Areas, Prof., 積雪地域災害研究センター, 教授 (70001659)
HIGAKI Daisuke  Hirosaki Univ., Faculty of Agricultural and life Science, Asso. Prof., 大学院・農学研究科, 助教授 (10302019)
HARADA Koichiro  Miyagi Agricultural Collage, Lecturer, 講師 (60331279)
Project Period (FY) 2001 – 2003
KeywordsNepal / Bhutan Himalayas / Imja Glacier Lake / Lugge Glacier Lake / Moraine-dammed glacier lake / moraine / debris-covered glacier / calving / glacier lake outburst flood
Research Abstract

Supra-glacial lakes have been formed on the debris covered ablation area of shrinking large valley glaciers in the southern and northern slopes of Great Himalayas in this half century, maybe due to the recent global warming. Since the lake was dammed by unstable moraines, a glacier lake outburst flood (GLOF) is frequently happened and a serious disaster is generated along down stream. The GLOF newly appears as the new face of natural disaster in the Himalayan countries. Once the lake was formed, its expansion is quite high rate. The lake is not simultaneously formed on all the glaciers : it is born on one glacier but not on the neighbor glacier, though they are situated under the same climatic and morphological condition. For predicting lake formation and its rapid growth, formation and expansion mechanism were studied.
Underground water basin is formed in the ablation area of a valley glacier and bounded by impermeable moraine. After lowering surface arrives at the water table, stable … More ponds appear on the glacier surface expanding ponds connect each other and finally grow up to a lake. Surface lowering rate of the ablation area depends on surface mass balance and surface level change derived from glacier dynamics. The negative mass balance / the emergence velocity in the compressive pressure field, which are common at the ablation area, make the surface lowering / uplifting, respectively. Such a glacier that the surface debris is thinner, the altitude of the ablation area is lower and more numbers of pond and exposed ice beside it, which usually develop on the ablation area, have advantage for the surface lowering because of more negative surface mass balance. More gentle inclination of the ablation area, the less emergence velocity, i.e., less surface uplift. Those conditions are deferent from each glacier. A glacial lake is first created on such a particular glacier as the surface lowering rate is higher than the other glaciers even though they are in the same climatic condition.
It is found that large expansion rate of the lake is attributed to the active calving of the ice cliff, which is formed in the glacier terminus and directly contact with the up-lake end Surface lake water warmed up by sun radiation is transported into the ice cliff by stable valley wind and melts the ice cliff under the water, effectively the cliff scooped out is collapsed and fall into the lake. This mechanism makes the lake expansion and the glacier rapidly retreat, efficiently. On the other hand, bottom ice under the lake melts away by lake water of 2〜3℃ and lake deepens. Investigation of heat budget of the lake proves that heat energy to melt floating ice, produced by calving, and bottom ice is mainly supplied by sun radiation absorbed in lake-surface with low albedo.
Results of the study was already published in 3 English reports and 3 Japanese repots. Less

  • Research Products

    (16 results)

All Other

All Publications (16 results)

  • [Publications] Yamada, T. et al.: "Outline of 2002 research activities on glaciers and glacier lakes in Lunana region, Bhutan Himalayas"Bulletin of Glaciological Research. 21. 79-90 (2004)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Publications] Yamada, T., Sakai, A., Naito, N.: "On the formation of a moraine-dammed glacial lake in the Himalayas"Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Hydrology and Water Resources in Asia Pacific Region. Vol.1. 107-110 (2003)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Publications] Sakai, A., Fujita, K., Yamada, T.: "Volume change of Imja Glacial Lake in the Nepal Himalayas"Disaster Mitigation & Water management. Proceedings of ISDB 2003. (印刷中). (2003)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Publications] Sakai, A., Nakawo, M., Fujita, K.: "Distribution Characteristics and Energy Balance of Ice Cliffs on Debris-covered Glaciers, Nepal Himalaya"Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research. 34(1). 12-19 (2002)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Publications] Sakai, A., Yamada, T., Chikita, K.: "Thermal regime of a moraine-dammed glacial lake, Tsho Rolpa, in Rolwaling Himal, Nepal Himalayas."Bulletin of Glaciological Research. 18. 37-44 (2001)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Publications] 山田知充: "モレーン堰き止め氷河湖の拡大と気象・水文・熱環境"雪氷. 63. 223-233 (2001)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Publications] 山田知充: "ネパールを襲う氷河湖決壊洪水-河川文化を語る会講演集<その九>"日本河川協会. 209 (2003)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Publications] Yamada, T. et al.: "Outline of 2002 research activities on glaciers and glacier lakes in Lunana region, Bhutan Himalayas"Bulletin of Glaciological Research,. 21. 79-90 (2004)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Publications] Yamada, T., Sakai, A., Naito, N.: "On the formation of a moraine-dammed glacial lake in the Himalayas"Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Hydrology and Water Resources in Asia Pacific Region. Vol.12. 107-110 (2003)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Publications] Sakai, A., Fujita, K., Yamada, T.: "Volume change of Imja Glacial Lake in the Nepal Himalayas"Disaster Mitigation & Water management, Proceedings of ISDB 2003. (In press). (2003)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Publications] Sakai, A., Nakawo, M., Fujita, K.: "Distribution Characteristics and Energy Balance of Ice Cliffs on Debris-covered Glaciers, Nepal Himalaya"Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research,. 34(1). 12-19 (2002)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Publications] Sakai, A., Yamada, T., Chikita, K.: "Thermal regime of a moraine-dammed glacial lake, Tsho Rolpa, in Rolwaling Himal, Nepal Himalayas."Bulletin of Glaciological Research. 18. 37-44 (2001)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Publications] Yamada, T.: "Expansion of a moraine-dammed glacier lake and its meteorological, hydrological and heat budget environment (in Japanese)."Seppyo. 63. 223-233 (2001)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Publications] Yamada, T., Nishimura, K.(Ed.): "Research Report of Imja Glacier lake in Khumbu Region, Nepal Himalaya."Joint Research activity between Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, Nepal Gov. and Japanese Society of Snow and Ice. (2001)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Publications] Yamada, T., Naito, N.(Ed.): "Report of Japan-Bhutan Joint Research 2002 on the assessment of glacier lake outburst flood in Bhutan."Joint Research activity between Geological Survey of Bhutan, Bhutan Gov. and Japanese Society of Snow and Ice. (2002)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Publications] Ageta, Y., Kohshima, S.(Ed.): "Report of Japan-Bhutan Joint Research 2003 on the assessments of glacier lake outburst flood in Bhutan."Joint Research activity between Geological Survey of Bhutan, Bhutan Gov. and Japanese Society of Snow and Ice. (in press). (2003)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より

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Published: 2005-04-19  

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