Articles | Volume 25, issue 11
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-5879-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-5879-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
11 Nov 2021
Research article |
| 11 Nov 2021
| 11 Nov 2021
Changes in glacial lakes in the Poiqu River basin in the central Himalayas
Pengcheng Su
Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China
Key Laboratory of Mountain Hazards and Surface Process,Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China
School of Engineering Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
Jingjing Liu
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China
Key Laboratory of Mountain Hazards and Surface Process,Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China
School of Engineering Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China
Key Laboratory of Mountain Hazards and Surface Process,Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China
School of Engineering Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
Wei Liu
Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China
Key Laboratory of Mountain Hazards and Surface Process,Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China
School of Engineering Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
Yang Wang
Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China
Key Laboratory of Mountain Hazards and Surface Process,Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China
Chun Ma
Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China
Key Laboratory of Mountain Hazards and Surface Process,Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China
School of Engineering Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
Qimin Li
Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China
Key Laboratory of Mountain Hazards and Surface Process,Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China
School of Engineering Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-6014, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-6014, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Hydrology and Earth System Sciences (HESS).
Short summary
Short summary
To better predict mountain hazards like landslides, we studied how long soil retains rain moisture. Using 20 years of satellite data from China, we found a control shift at about five years. Short-term memory is governed by weather and plants, while long-term persistence is locked in by soil and terrain. This creates a lasting "background" wetness, especially in humid forests, pre-conditioning slopes for years.
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Short summary
We identified ± 150 glacial lakes in the Poiqu River basin (central Himalayas), and we explore the changes in five lakes over the last few decades based on remote sensing images, field surveys, and satellite photos. We reconstruct the lake basin topography, calculate the water capacity, and propose a water balance equation (WBE) to explain glacial lake evolution in response to local weather conditions. The WBE also provides a framework for the water balance in rivers from glacierized sources.
We identified ± 150 glacial lakes in the Poiqu River basin (central Himalayas), and we explore...
