AbstractsEarth & Environmental Science

Climate Change and Glacial Lake Outburst Floods in the Bolivian Andes

by Maria Louisa Joensen




Institution: Roskilde University
Department:
Year: 2015
Keywords: Climate Change; GLOF; Glacial Lake Outburst Flood; Andes; Glaciers; Glacier retreat
Record ID: 1120898
Full text PDF: http://rudar.ruc.dk/handle/1800/23185


Abstract

Climate change is causing many tropical glaciers to retreat, creating dangerous glacier lakes with risks of outbursts. Although it is a growing hazard in many countries, glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) have not been studied much in the Bolivian Andes. Through this literature review, the risks of GLOFs has been researched by looking into temperature, precipitation and glacier retreat trends in the Altiplano, Cordillera Real and Cordillera Apolobamba, as well as the vulnerability of mountain communities. The amount of glacier lakes in Cordillera Apolobamba has increased from 174 to 216 lakes between 1986 and 2008. In 2009, a GLOF incident occurred in this area, hitting a village, and several other villages are at risk of GLOFs. Cordillera Real has been reported to have no GLOF risks, but no glacier lake inventory or published reports have been found over this area. Continued climate change may cause future GLOF risks in the Bolivian Andes, in places where local communities are unprepared. Therefore, more studies on GLOFs in Bolivia should be conducted and potential at-risk communities should be made aware of such a hazard and mitigation measures that can be taken.