An experiment in >1000 river and riparian sites found spatial patterns and controls of carbon processing at the global scale.

Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) constitute a major hazard in glacierized regions. They are particularly pronounced in the Baker River watershed (Chilean Patagonia, 48°S), where 23 events occurred between 2008 and 2020. Although GLOF deposits have previously been studied in lake settings, how modern GLOFs are recorded in fjord sediments remains mostly unknown. To address this issue, ten sediment cores collected in the fjord immediately downstream of the Baker River (Martínez Channel) were investigated and compared to the recent GLOF history of the river. Results show that sediments accumulate at 2.0 to 3.4 cm year −1 and that GLOF deposits can be distinguished from background sediments by their finer grain size (5.98 AE 0.82 μm) and lower organic carbon content (0.31 AE 0.06%), reflecting the release and transport in suspension of high amounts of glacial rock flour during GLOFs. Although 21 GLOFs from Cachet 2 Lake occurred between 2008 and 2017, the first events left a stronger imprint in the sediment, suggesting that more sediment of glacial origin was released during those initial events, possibly due to lake-bed erosion. An older GLOF deposit was tentatively linked to the outburst of Las Lengas Lake in 1988. The sediment cores also contain fine-grained turbidites, especially in the prodelta area. These turbidites confirm recent channel activity, but most of them seem to have been triggered by processes other than GLOFs. Overall, the results of this study suggest that GLOF deposits are distinct from typical flood turbidites. They are best identified by their low grain size and total organic carbon content, and best archived on the delta slope, away from any submarine channel influence. Finally, these results highlight the potential of fjord sediment archives to establish pre-historical GLOF records and ultimately improve GLOF hazard assessments.

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