ECHOES OF THE LAST MIND

ORIGIN: https://www.yourweather.co.uk/news/

Glacial lakes could increase fourfold over the coming decades, putting more communities across Alaska at risk of outburst flooding.

Glacial lakes are reshaping Alaska and could impact habitats, rivers and communities across the state.

Alaska’s glacial lakes are growing faster than ever before, increasing by around 60 square miles from 2018 to 2024. This is twice the growth rate seen between 1986 and 1999, with 80 percent of the growth coming from glacier-bed overdeepenings.

According to new research published in the journal PNAS, the area taken up by glacial lakes could grow by around 1,640 square miles in Alaska, or become about four times their current size as retreat continues to occur.

All this is growing the number of local impacts and risks, particularly the potential for outburst floods. Global Expansion And Local Hazards

The growth of glacial lakes is happening globally, with the numbers rising steadily around the Greenland Ice Sheet, through Western North America, in High Mountain Asia, and in Alaska.

Glacial lakes can occur beside glaciers in valleys, on the surface of the ice