High Mountain Asia (HMA) contains the largest reservoir of snow and ice outside the polar regions and can be regarded as “the Third Pole of the Earth”. In recent decades, HMA has been warming at a higher rate than the global mean surface temperature. Thousands of natural lakes in HMA have been forming and growing because of a warmer and wetter climate, and related climate-driven glacier, permafrost, and snow melt. Large lakes on the plateau interior can be an effective indicator of responses to climate changes. Smaller glacial lakes in the Hindu-Kush-Himalaya and surroundings can suddenly burst and cause catastrophic societal and geomorphic impacts. Yet many baseline characteristics such as lake volumes, water levels, temperatures, lake ice phenology, biochemistry, and associated changes remain poorly quantified. High-resolution, multi-temporal data from satellite missions, supported with in-situ data can help to robustly monitor lakes in this region, and hence assist to understand, model, and project the interactions between atmosphere, cryosphere, hydrosphere, and assess implications for natural hazards and hydrological resources.
Natural lakes are a visible surface indicator of climate change across HMA, with implications for ecosystems, hazards, and hydrological resources. While there is increasing recognition of the far-reaching and potentially transboundary significance of lakes across HMA, there lacks a cohesive and coordinated body of literature covering the range of disciplines engaged in monitoring and modelling of related changes. This Research Topic shall address this gap and provide a platform for scientists who are interested in: 1) monitoring lake area, level, volume, water surface temperature, biochemistry, ice phenology changes using a variety of remote sensing , in situ observations; 2) evaluation of lake water balance by combining multi-sensor remote sensing data and model simulation; 3) glacial lake inventory and classification; 4) examination of glacier-lake interaction; 5) past, present and future hazard and risk from glacier lake outburst floods; 6) early warning or risk reduction strategies; 7) the causes and mechanisms of lake changes; and 8) current and future potential of lakes as a hydrological resource.
We are interested in manuscripts addressing:
• Lake area, level, volume changes;
• Lake ice phenology;
• Lake water surface temperature;
• Lake water clarity;
• Lake water balance;
• Glacial lake inventory and classification;
• Glacier-lake interaction;
• Glacial lake outburst flood;
• Hazard and risk mitigation;
• Drivers and mechanisms of lake changes;
• Lakes as a hydrological resource.
High Mountain Asia (HMA) contains the largest reservoir of snow and ice outside the polar regions and can be regarded as “the Third Pole of the Earth”. In recent decades, HMA has been warming at a higher rate than the global mean surface temperature. Thousands of natural lakes in HMA have been forming and growing because of a warmer and wetter climate, and related climate-driven glacier, permafrost, and snow melt. Large lakes on the plateau interior can be an effective indicator of responses to climate changes. Smaller glacial lakes in the Hindu-Kush-Himalaya and surroundings can suddenly burst and cause catastrophic societal and geomorphic impacts. Yet many baseline characteristics such as lake volumes, water levels, temperatures, lake ice phenology, biochemistry, and associated changes remain poorly quantified. High-resolution, multi-temporal data from satellite missions, supported with in-situ data can help to robustly monitor lakes in this region, and hence assist to understand, model, and project the interactions between atmosphere, cryosphere, hydrosphere, and assess implications for natural hazards and hydrological resources.
Natural lakes are a visible surface indicator of climate change across HMA, with implications for ecosystems, hazards, and hydrological resources. While there is increasing recognition of the far-reaching and potentially transboundary significance of lakes across HMA, there lacks a cohesive and coordinated body of literature covering the range of disciplines engaged in monitoring and modelling of related changes. This Research Topic shall address this gap and provide a platform for scientists who are interested in: 1) monitoring lake area, level, volume, water surface temperature, biochemistry, ice phenology changes using a variety of remote sensing , in situ observations; 2) evaluation of lake water balance by combining multi-sensor remote sensing data and model simulation; 3) glacial lake inventory and classification; 4) examination of glacier-lake interaction; 5) past, present and future hazard and risk from glacier lake outburst floods; 6) early warning or risk reduction strategies; 7) the causes and mechanisms of lake changes; and 8) current and future potential of lakes as a hydrological resource.
We are interested in manuscripts addressing:
• Lake area, level, volume changes;
• Lake ice phenology;
• Lake water surface temperature;
• Lake water clarity;
• Lake water balance;
• Glacial lake inventory and classification;
• Glacier-lake interaction;
• Glacial lake outburst flood;
• Hazard and risk mitigation;
• Drivers and mechanisms of lake changes;
• Lakes as a hydrological resource.
