Rapid formation and drainage of a new glacial lake in the Monte Rosa Massif, Swiss Alps, as observed on Sentinel-2 imagery
2023
Abstract
Gornersee, in Switzerland, is an ice-marginal lake that used to be filled every spring with melt water and drained in early summer in a flood-like manner in a few days till 2011. On 26th April of 2022, a new lake started forming near to the former Gornersee having a length of 1.13 km and an area of 0.08 km2.
We present an analysis of the evolution of this lake using remote sensing. The lake itself drained on 26th May of 2022 without any damage. The formation of this short-lived lake after an extremely dry winter is in line with the increased dynamics of the melting processes in high mountains. The rapid formation and sudden drainage of the lake in a new location has been discussed in this article.