Glacial Lake Outburst Floods in Upper Nainchu River Basin, Tibet

Abstract

A large outburst flood from a glacial terminal moraine lake can cause severe damage to downstream communities. This paper presents a study on the outbursts of glacial terminal moraine lakes in the upper Nainchu River basin of Tibet. This study includes an investigation of the number, size, and distribution of glacial terminal moraine lakes; analysis of climatic and geographic factors that contribute to glacial lake outbursts; investigations of the outburst potential of the three largest lakes in the Nainchu River basin; simulations of floods that might occur from the glacial lakes; and a description of the monitoring and flood warning system setup.