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Study region Guangxie Co proglacial lake and its parent Midui Glacier on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP). Study focus We quantified the lake-glacier evolution from 1986 to 2021 using remote sensing, glacier modeling, and unmanned surface vessel (USV) bathymetry. This study aims to uncover the mechanisms of proglacial lake expansion and its feedback on glacier retreat. New hydrological insights The lake area expanded by 153% (0.19–0.48 km²), with its volume surging to 4.97 × 10⁶ m³ by 2021, exceeding the pre-1988 Glacier Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) level. Bathymetry revealed a "double-funnel" basin. We identified three expansion phases: (I) glacier retreat (1988–2010), (II) supraglacial lake evolution (2011–2017), and (III) enhanced calving and subglacial melting (2017–2021). These processes accelerated ice loss via thermal erosion and calving. Crucially, the recovered volume highlights the need for continued monitoring and further assessment of dam and outlet stability.
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Che et al. (2026) studied this question.
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