Kidyaeva, Vera; Iudina, Viktoriia; Averina, Alena; Pavlyukevich, Ekaterina; Gubanov, Afanasy: Glacial lake inventory of the Caucasus, 2025: satellite-based mapping with Sentinel-2 imagery including morphometry, dam properties, and hazard assessment [dataset]. PANGAEA, https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.993970 (dataset in review)
Abstract:
During the 2025 ablation season, a comprehensive inventory of glacial lakes was conducted for the Caucasus mountain range, spanning two UTM zones (37 and 38), with geographic identification including country, region, and river basin. This work was motivated by the observation that rapid glacier retreat creates extensive glacial lake formation and GLOF hazards threatening downstream communities and infrastructure. Based on satellite data, lakes were manually delineated from Sentinel-2 imagery, and morphometric parameters were derived from satellite data and DEM; dam characteristics and hazard classifications were assessed through image interpretation corroborated with published literature. The resulting dataset includes 31 parameters for glacier-associated lakes (proglacial, supraglacial, periglacial) and 15 parameters for extraglacial lakes, covering geographic coordinates, morphometry (area, perimeter, volume), dam characteristics (material, ice content, outflow type, shore hazard), lake typology, age, and GLOF hazard classification (high/moderate/low) with documented historical events.
References:
Chernomorets, Sergey S; Petrakov, Dimitry A; Aleynikov, Alexander A; Bekkiev, M Y; Viskhadzhieva, Karina; Dokukin, Mikhail D; Kalov, Ruslan; Kidyaeva, Vera; Krylenko, I N; Rets, Ekaterina P; Savernyuk, Elena A; Smirnov, Andrei (2018): The outburst of Bashkara glacier lake (Central Caucasus, Russia). On September 1, 2017. Kriosfera Zemli (Earth's Cryosphere), XXII(2), 61-70, https://doi.org/10.21782/EC2541-9994-2018-2(61-70)
Chernomorets, Sergey S; Petrakov, Dimitry A; Tutubalina, Olga V (2007): The outburst of a glacier lake on the north-eastern slope of Mount Elbrus on August 11, 2006: the forecast, event and after-effects. Materialy Glatsioloicheskikh Issledovaniy, 102, 211-215
Djappuev, D R; Gyaurgieva, M M; Khutuev, A M (2015): Analysis of actual and potential torrential (sill) danger near the village of Upper Balkaria of Kabardin-Balkar republic. News of the Kabardin-Balkar scientific center of RAS, 4, 36-44
Dokukin, Mikhail D; Shagin, S I (2014): The specific features of the behavior of glacial lakes with underground drain channels (analysis of multi temporal aerospace information). Kriosfera Zemli (Earth's Cryosphere), XVIII (2), 41-50
Kovalev, N V (1961): On debris fl ows on the northern slope of Central Caucasus. Proceedings of the Caucasian Expedition (by the program of the International Geophysical Year). Kharkov University Press, Kharkov, 3, 149-161
Krylenko, I V; Petrakov, Dimitry A; Tutubalina, Olga V; Cheromorets, S S; Zhuravleva, P G (2004): Dynamics of the Gerkhozhan-Su debris flow basin (Kabardino-Balkaria) following the catastrophe of July 18–25, 2000. Materialy Glyatsiologicheskikh Issledovaniy (Materials of Glaciological Research), 96, 159-166
Malneva, I V; Seinova, I B; Kononova, N K; Berkovchenko, S A (1990): Forecast of glacial debris flows in the central part of the Main Caucasian Ridge. Materialy Glyatsiologicheskikh Issledovaniy (Materials of Glaciological Research), 69, 50-55
Pavlyukevich, Ekaterina; Krylenko, I N; Kidyaeva, Vera; Gubanova, Alexandra; Yudina, Anna; Krylenko, I V; Drozdov, E D (in press): Dynamics of lakes near the Maliy Azau glacier on Elbrus over the past 20 years and their outburst in 2025. Ice and Snow, 66(2)
Poznanin, V L: Osobennosti mekhanizma formirovaniya proryvnykh glyatsial'nykh seley (na primere basseyna reki Temir v Dagestane) (Characteristics of the formation mechanism of glacial outburst debris flows: The Temir River basin in Dagestan) [dissertation]. Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia, pp 145
Seinova, I B (1997): Debris flow processes in the Baksan River basin in the last millennium (Central Caucasus) [In Russian]. Moscow: VINITI, pp 295
Funding:
Russian Science Foundation, grant/award no. 25-77-10049: Outburst hazard assessment of mountain glacial lakes of the Central Caucasus under climate change using modelling and machine learning methods
Coverage:
Median Latitude: 42.857105 * Median Longitude: 43.702590 * South-bound Latitude: 41.868831 * West-bound Longitude: 40.242562 * North-bound Latitude: 43.845379 * East-bound Longitude: 47.162618
Date/Time Start: 2025-07-30T08:06:09 * Date/Time End: 2025-08-29T08:06:09
Event(s):
Comment:
The dataset is intended to support research on glacier-lake interactions, GLOF hazard assessment, and water resource management in the Caucasus. It provides a baseline for monitoring future lake changes and contributes to regional disaster risk reduction efforts.
Parameter(s):
| # | Name | Short Name | Unit | Principal Investigator | Method/Device | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Binary Object | Binary | Kidyaeva, Vera | |||
| 2 | Binary Object (File Size) | Binary (Size) | Bytes | Kidyaeva, Vera | ||
| 3 | Binary Object (MD5 Hash) | Binary (Hash) | Kidyaeva, Vera | |||
| 4 | Binary Object (Media Type) | Binary (Type) | Kidyaeva, Vera | |||
| 5 | File content | Content | Kidyaeva, Vera |
License:
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY-4.0) (License comes into effect after moratorium ends)
Status:
Curation Level: Basic curation (CurationLevelB)
Size:
16 data points