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Peer-reviewedCC BY-NC-NDNature Communications

Unraveling daily dynamics of supraglacial lakes in response to hydrological pulses and anomalous climate signals

  • Jian Song1
  • Haijun Qiu2,3
  • Adam Emmer4
  • Guoqing Zhang5,6
  • Ninglian Wang7,1
  • Ya Liu1
  • Guoqing Yang1
  • Yiwen Liang1
7 affiliations
  1. 1Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Earth Surface System and Environmental Carrying Capacity, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
  2. 2Institute of Earth Surface System and Hazards, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China. [email protected]
  3. 3Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Earth Surface System and Environmental Carrying Capacity, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China. [email protected]
  4. 4Department of Physical Geography and Geoecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
  5. 5Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Environment on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, Ministry of Education, School of Ecology and Environment, Xizang University, Lhasa, China
  6. 6State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
  7. 7Institute of Earth Surface System and Hazards, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
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Abstract

Mass loss from debris-covered glaciers in High Mountain Asia drives the expansion of small supraglacial lakes (SGLs) and changes the occurrence patterns of hazardous processes including glacial lake outburst floods. Here, we analyse surface area changes of small SGLs ( > 0.045×10 4 m 2 ) in the Sagarmatha region, Eastern Himalaya, integrating data with daily resolution from 2016 to 2024. The results show SGLs expanded at a mean rate of 5.90 ± 1.49×10 4 m 2 ·yr⁻¹. Starting from October 2022, SGLs in the study area have exhibited anomalous expansion, with the total lake area reached its maximum during this period, 67.35% higher than during the second peak (2020). The seasonal fluctuations of SGLs are synchronous with short-term variations in global temperature. By mid-century, SGL expansion in High Mountain Asia is expected to continue. Given their rapid response to climate change, small SGLs could support the development of early-warning frameworks for hydrological pulses and extreme climate events.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{song2026unraveling,
  title = {{Unraveling daily dynamics of supraglacial lakes in response to hydrological pulses and anomalous climate signals}},
  author = {Jian Song and Haijun Qiu and Adam Emmer and Guoqing Zhang and Ninglian Wang and Ya Liu and Guoqing Yang and Yiwen Liang},
  journal = {Nature Communications},
  year = {2026},
  month = jul,
  doi = {10.1038/s41467-026-75669-3},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-75669-3},
  note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Unraveling daily dynamics of supraglacial lakes in response to hydrological pulses and anomalous climate signals
AU  - Jian Song
AU  - Haijun Qiu
AU  - Adam Emmer
AU  - Guoqing Zhang
AU  - Ninglian Wang
AU  - Ya Liu
AU  - Guoqing Yang
AU  - Yiwen Liang
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/07/17
JO  - Nature Communications
DO  - 10.1038/s41467-026-75669-3
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-75669-3
AB  - Mass loss from debris-covered glaciers in High Mountain Asia drives the expansion of small supraglacial lakes (SGLs) and changes the occurrence patterns of hazardous processes including glacial lake outburst floods. Here, we analyse surface area changes of small SGLs ( > 0.045×10 4 m 2 ) in the Sagarmatha region, Eastern Himalaya, integrating data with daily resolution from 2016 to 2024. The results show SGLs expanded at a mean rate of 5.90 ± 1.49×10 4 m 2 ·yr⁻¹. Starting from October 2022, SGLs in the study area have exhibited anomalous expansion, with the total lake area reached its maximum during this period, 67.35% higher than during the second peak (2020). The seasonal fluctuations of SGLs are synchronous with short-term variations in global temperature. By mid-century, SGL expansion in High Mountain Asia is expected to continue. Given their rapid response to climate change, small SGLs could support the development of early-warning frameworks for hydrological pulses and extreme climate events.
SN  - 2041-1723
ER  -