Geometric similarity of the twin collapsed glaciers in the west Tibet

Abstract

Abstract Two adjacent glaciers collapsed consecutively in the Western Xizang Autonomous Region, China, on July 17 and September 21, 2016, presumably triggered by relatively intensive climate change in this region, leading to massive downstream ice and mud avalanches. After these twin glacier collapses, there have been many researches, which mainly focus on the physical characteristics of these two glaciers while lack the differences between them and the other glaciers. In this study, the geometric features and energy distribution along the glacier centerlines are investigated to identify the differences between these two collapsed glaciers and other glaciers in the western Tibetan Plateau. The anomaly of climate change is presumed to be the trigger of the twin glacier collapses in accordance with existing research results, whereas in this study, the striking geometric similarity between the centerlines of the twin glaciers, which is quantitatively interpreted by the Fréchet distance among the glacier centerlines, unearth some novel mechanisms. The essential point in these new mechanisms is the energy distribution along the glacier centerlines. A hypothesis based on the principle of energy conservation is derived to demonstrate the mechanisms and dynamic processes of the glacier collapses. Furthermore, on the basis of the geometric similarity and energy distribution of the glacier centerlines, a risk assessment of glacier collapse in the western Tibetan Plateau is implemented to facilitate glacier disaster prevention.