Lake Merzbacher

Lake Merzbacher is a moraine glacier lake located in east Kyrgyzstan between the north and south Engilchek Glaciers in the Tien Shan Mountains.[1] It is often called the "Disappearing Lake" because it drains every year as the ice melts, often causing a glacial lake outburst flood.[2] The lake was named after a German explorer, Gottfried Merzbacher, who led an expedition in the area in 1903.[1][3] An ice dam prevents the lake from draining through the majority of the year however when a hole finally melts through the dam the lake drains within three days.[3] When this happens, the lake's discharge can be up to 1000 m³ a second which causes destruction of infrastructure and creates major flooding downstream.[1] It goes through this cycle of appearing, expanding and then draining annually.[3]

Lake Merzbacher
Lake Merzbacher after outburst
Lake Merzbacher Show map of Kyrgyzstan Lake Merzbacher Show map of Asia
Coordinates	42°12′N 79°52′E
Lake type	Glacier lake
Primary inflows	Glaciers
Primary outflows	Engilchek River
Basin countries	Kyrgyzstan
Surface elevation	3,304 metres (10,840 ft)