Cachet 2 Glacial Lake in Chile Suddenly Empties
Climate change is affecting glacial mountain lakes. Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) release blocks of ice, destabilizing glacier structures and posing a threat to entire drainage basins.
The Centro de Estudios Científicos (CECS), Chile’s national scientific research centre, conducted a study employing geoinformation technologies on Lake Cachet 2 in Patagonia. This study is supported by Planet Action and revealed a drainage tunnel running from Lake Cachet 2 under the Colonia glacier and into Lake Colonia.
The drainage tunnel was formed by a devastating GLOF that emptied Lake Cachet 2 on 9 October 2008. This type of outburst flood is known as a jökulhlaup, an Icelandic term originally used to describe floods triggered by volcanic eruptions.
The research team’s study raised government awareness of the risks of such outburst floods from Lake Cachet 2. A second phase is now underway to deploy meteorological instruments and monitoring cameras at the site.