The Sikkim flood of October 2023: Drivers, causes, and impacts of a multihazard cascade
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: On 3 October 2023, a multihazard cascade in the Sikkim Himalaya, India, was triggered by 14.7 million cubic meters of frozen lateral moraine collapsing into South Lhonak Lake. The impact generated an ~20-meter tsunami-like impact wave, which breached the moraine and drained ~50 million cubic meters of the lake’s water. The ensuing glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) eroded ~270 million cubic meters of sediment, which overwhelmed infrastructure, including hydropower installations along the Teesta River. The physical scale and human and economic impacts of this event prompt urgent reflection on the role of climate change and human activities in exacerbating such disasters. Insights into multihazard evolution are pivotal for informing policy development, enhancing early warning systems (EWS), and spurring paradigm shifts in GLOF risk management strategies in the Himalaya and other mountain environments.
DOI: 10.5167/uzh-276475
Authors: Sattar, Ashim, Cook, Kristen L, Rai, Shashi Kant, Berthier, Etienne, Allen, Simon, Rinzin, Sonam, de Vries, Maximillian Van Wyk, Haeberli, Wilfried, Kushwaha, Pradeep, Shugar, Dan H, Emmer, Adam, Haritashya, Umesh K, Frey, Holger, Rao, Praful, Gurudin, Kori Sanjay Kumar, Rai, Prabhakar, Rajak, Rajeev, Hossain, Faruk, Huggel, Christian, Mergili, Martin, Azam, Mohd Farooq, Gascoin, Simon, Carrivick, Jonathan L, Bell, Louie Elliot, Ranjan, Rakesh Kumar, Rashid, Irfan, Kulkarni, Anil V, Petley, Dave, Schwanghart, Wolfgang, Watson, C Scott, et al
Language: English
Subfield: Atmospheric Science
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Climate action
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W6911006024
FWCI:
Cites:
Cited by:
Related to: