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Surge-type glaciers in Karakoram Mountain and possible catastrophes alongside a portion of the Karakoram Highway

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Abstract

Along the Karakoram Highway (KKH) region, glacier surge, avalanche and debris flow play a dominant role in these disasters. The data of surge-type glaciers along the KKH are collected and analyzed in this study. We identified 15 surge-type glaciers, which may have potential disasters, and all were about 20 km away from the highway. The results indicated that the surge-type glaciers may seriously affect the operation of the Karakoram Highway and may have disastrous consequences in extreme cases. It should be paid more attention, and a more comprehensive and updated assessment is much needed.

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Acknowledgements

We received financial assistance from the National Natural Science Funding of China (41690143) and the Special Financial Grant from the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2017M612332 and 404113).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Polar Meteorology, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China

    Minghu Ding, Dongqi Zhang, Xiaoyin Guo & Tong Zhang

  2. College of Geography and Environment, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, 250014, China

    Baojuan Huai, Weijun Sun & Yetang Wang

Authors
  1. Minghu Ding
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  2. Baojuan Huai
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  3. Weijun Sun
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  4. Yetang Wang
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  5. Dongqi Zhang
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  6. Xiaoyin Guo
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  7. Tong Zhang
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Weijun Sun.

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Ding, M., Huai, B., Sun, W. et al. Surge-type glaciers in Karakoram Mountain and possible catastrophes alongside a portion of the Karakoram Highway. Nat Hazards 90, 1017–1020 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-017-3063-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-017-3063-4

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