Appraisal of a Running Glacier of Pakistan in Context of Geological Perspectives

Sana Yaqoob Alvi; Ali Abbas

Authors

Sana Yaqoob Alvi Institute of social and cultural studies, University of the Punjab
Ali Abbas Department of Geography, University of the Punjab.

Keywords:

Out bursts susceptibility, glacial lake; Digital Elevation model, GLOF, Hunza River Basin

Abstract

Shishper glacier is surge type glacier which gave rise to Glacier Lake Outbursts Flood (GLOF) and an ice dammed lake. The probability of GLOF events has been increased in Pakistan’s mountain system due to increased temperature and irregular glacial fluctuations in northern region of Pakistan. The average rise of temperature in Pakistan is 1.04 ?C from the year 1960 to 2014. Rising temperature is initiating the recession of glaciers over the last decade which is indicating towards the evolution of glacial lakes in Basin of Hunza River. The Shishper glacier has travelled 800m during six months and about 1400m in the next six months in the year 2018. Shishper glacier has created a danger to fault lines and infrastructure of downstream of Hassanabad valley situated just below the hill. It travelled about 2.2km during 12 months. Temporal satellite imagery was used to evaluate susceptibility of GLOF events. Digital Elevation model was used to evaluate drainage patterns of Shishper glacier. Geological maps evaluated the geo-refred fault lines in the mountainous regions of Pakistan.

Full Text

References

Ali,G.Science of the Total Environment Climate Change and Associated Spatial Heterogeneity of Pakistan: Empirical Evidence Using Multidisciplinary Approach. Sci. Total Environ., 634, 95–108, 2018. [CrossRef][PubMed]

Kougkoulos, I.; Cook, S.J.; Jomelli, V.; Clarke, L.; Symeonakis, E.; Dortch, J.M.;Edwards, L.A.; Merad, M. Science of the Total Environment Use of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis to Identify Potentially Dangerous Glacial Lakes. Sci. Total Environ. Vol 621, pp: 1453–1466, 2018.[CrossRef]

Ali,S.;Eum,H.I.;Cho,J.;Dan,L.;Khan,F.;Dairaku,K.;Shrestha,M.L.;Hwang,S.;Nasim,W.;Khan,I.A. Assessment of Climate Extremes in Future Projections Downscaled by Multiple Statistical Downscaling Methods over Pakistan. Atmos. Res. Vol 222, pp: 114– 133,2019.[CrossRef]

Khattak, M.S.; Babel, M.S.; Sharif, M. Hydro-Meteorological Trends in the Upper Indus River Basin in Pakistan. Clim. Res.Vol 46, pp: 103–119, 2011. [CrossRef]

Wang, X.; Liu, Q.; Liu, S.; Wei, J.; Jiang, Z. Heterogeneity of Glacial Lake Expansion and Its Contrasting Signals with Climate Change in TarimBasin, Central Asia. Environ. Earth Sci. Vol 75, pp: 1–11, 2016.[CrossRef]

Zhang, G.; Yao, T.; Xie, H.; Wang, W.; Yang, W. An Inventory of Glacial Lakes in the Third Pole Region and Their Changes in Response to Global Warming. Glob. Planet. Chang. Vol 131, pp: 148–157, 2015. [CrossRef]

Cook,S.J.;Kougkoulos,I.;Edwards,L.A.;Dortch,J.;Hoffmann,D.Glacier Change and Glacial Lake Out burst Flood Risk in the Bolivian Andes. Cryosphere pp: 2399–2413, 2016.[CrossRef]

Nie, Y.; Sheng, Y.; Liu, Q.; Liu, L.; Liu, S.; Zhang, Y.; Song, C. A Regional-Scale Assessment of Himalayan Glacial Lake Changes Using Satellite Observations from 1990 to 2015 Remote Sensing of Environment A Regional-Scale Assessment of Himalayan Glacial Lake Changes Using Satellite Observations from 1990 to 2015.Remote Sens. Environ. Vol 189, pp: 1–13, 2017.[CrossRef]

Farooqi, A.B.; Khan, A.H.; Mir, H. Climate Change Perspective in Pakistan. Pak. J. Meteorol. Vol2, pp: 11–21, 2005.

Hall, D.K.; Bayr, K.J.; Schöner, W.; Bindschadler, R.A.; Chien, J.Y.L. Consideration of the Errors Inherent in Mapping Historical Glacier Positions in Austria from the Ground and Space (1893–2001). Remote Sens. Environ. Vol 86, pp:566–577, 2003. [CrossRef]

Jain,S.K.;Lohani,A.K.;Singh,R.D.;Chaudhary,A.;Thakural,L.N.Glacial Lakes and Glacial Lake Out burst Flood in a Himalayan Basin Using Remote Sensing and GIS. Nat. Hazards Vol 62, pp: 887–899, 2012.[CrossRef]

Hewitt K Tributary glacier surges: an exceptional concentration at Panmah glacier, Karakoram Himalaya. JGlaciol, Vol 53, issue 181, pp:181–188, 2007.

Iturrizaga L, Historical glacier dammed lakes and outburst floods in the Karambar valley(Hindukush-Karakoram). Geo Journal, VOL 63, issue 1–4, pp: 1–47, 2005.

Fang, Y.; Cheng, W.; Zhang, Y.; Wang, N.; Zhao, S.; Zhou, C.; Chen, X.; Bao, A. Changes in Inland Lakes on the Tibetan Plateau over the Past 40 Years.J. Geogr. Sci. Vol 26, pp: 415– 438, 2016.[CrossRef]

Frey,H.;Huggel,C.;Paul,F.;Haeberli,W.Automated Detection of Glacier Lakes Based on Remote Sensing in View of Assessing Associated Hazard Potentials. Grazer Schriften Geogr. Raumforsch. Vol 45, pp: 261–272, 2010.

Huggel,C.;Kääb,A.;Salzmann,N.;Group,G.GIS-Based Modeling of Glacial Hazards and Their Interactions Using Landsat-TM and IKONOS Imagery. Nor. Geogr. Tidsskr.Nor.J. Geogr. Vol 58, pp: 61–73, 2004. [CrossRef]

Prakash,C.Out burst Susceptibility Assessment of Moraine-Dammed Lakesin Western Himalaya Using an Analytic Hierarchy Process. Earth Surf. Process. Landforms Vol 2321, pp:2306–2321, 2017.[CrossRef]

Aggarwal, S.; Rai, S.C.; Thakur, P.K.; Emmer, A. Geomorphology Inventory and Recently Increasing GLOF Susceptibility of Glacial Lakes in Sikkim, Eastern Himalaya. Geomorphology Vol 295, pp: 39–54, 2017.[CrossRef]

Zhu,L.;Xie,M.;Wu,Y.QuantitativeAnalysisofLakeAreaVariationsandtheInfluenceFactors from1971to2004intheNamCo Basin of the Tibetan Plateau. Chin. Sci. Bull. Vol 55, pp: 1294–1303,2010.[CrossRef].