Articles | Volume 25, issue 8
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-25-2699-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-25-2699-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Transformations in exposure to debris flows in post-earthquake Sichuan, China
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, UK
Tristram Hales
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, UK
Ekbal Hussain
British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham, NG12 5GG, UK
Xuanmei Fan
State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, China
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Xiangyang Dou, Xuanmei Fan, Ali P. Yunus, Junlin Xiong, Ran Tang, Xin Wang, and Qiang Xu
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Preprint withdrawn
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This study created a multi-temporal inventory of glacial lake from 1990 to 2019 throughout the Tibetan Plateau . In here, we demonstrated the quantity and size of glacier lakes have grown by 3285 and 258.82 sq km, respectively. The distribution of glacial lakes across the 17 mountains of TP is uneven, and the pace of area change varies per subregion. Most glacial lakes are distributed in the elevation range of 4400–5400 m above sea level, with an obvious expansion tendency in recent decades.
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The Cryosphere Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2022-119, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2022-119, 2022
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Climate change is causing mountain lakes behind glacier barriers to drain through ice tunnels as catastrophe floods, threatening people and infrastructure downstream. Understanding of how process works can mitigate the impacts by providing advanced warnings. A laboratory study of ice tunnel development improved understanding of how floods evolve. The principles of ice tunnel development were defined numerically and can be used to better model natural floods leading to improved prediction.
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Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2021-354, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2021-354, 2021
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Due to global warming, the glaciers in the Tibetan Plateau (TP) undergoes rapid melting, leading to an increase in the number of glacial lakes and lake areas. However, these changes are not homogenous throughout TP. Here, we present the 30 years (1990–2019) record of glacial lakes inventory of TP using archived Landsat images. We showed that the number and area of glacial lakes increased by 3285 and 258.82 km2 in the last three decades in TP.
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Short summary
We analysed debris flows in Sichuan, China, using satellite data and simulations to assess check dam efficacy. Our study found that while check dams can mitigate smaller flows, they may increase exposure to extreme events, with up to 40 % of structures in some areas affected. Urban development and reliance on check dams can create a false sense of security, increasing exposure during large debris flows and highlighting the need for risk management and infrastructure planning in hazard-prone areas.
We analysed debris flows in Sichuan, China, using satellite data and simulations to assess check...
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