Glacier lake outburst floods and englacial water flow - a full-​scale experiment (GLOFFEE)

Glacier lake outburst floods (GLOFs) are a natural hazard characteristic of high alpine environments. This project sets out to take advantage of a unique situation emerging at Glacier de la Plaine Morte, Switzerland: With the aim of mitigating an annually-​occurring GLOF, the local authorities have decided to construct an englacial channel through which the lake will be drained artificially. The project will perform dedicated measurements during the time that water flows through the artificial channel. Exploiting the unique fact that the initial channel location and geometry are known, the measurements will allow for testing both long-​standing theories of englacial water flow and more recently proposed monitoring strategies based on seismics. This project is in support to WSL initiative Climate Change Impacts on Alpine Mass Movements (CCAMM).