Abrupt drainage of Lago Greve, a large proglacial lake in Chilean Patagonia, observed by satellite in 2020

Abstract

Glacial lakes are increasing in number and extent under a warming climate. Despite demand for lake monitoring and understanding outburst mechanisms, studies of large outburst events are sparse. Here we report an outburst of Lago Greve, a large proglacial lake in Chilean Patagonia. During the event in April–July 2020, the lake level dropped by 18.3 ± 1.2 m and the area decreased by 14.5 ± 0.02 km2. The total water discharge was 3.7 ± 0.2 km3, which is one of the largest glacial lake outbursts ever reported in satellite era. Satellite data indicated the collapse of a bump near the lake outlet triggered the event, by initiating erosion of the bank and bed of the outlet stream. Satellite gravimetry captured a signal of the event, although the magnitude of the corresponding mass change was inconsistent with the drained water mass. Our study demonstrated the potential for observing lake outburst using satellite imagery, altimetry, photogrammetry, and gravimetry.