<
https://phys.org/news/2024-12-world-largest-glacier-triggered-greenland.html>
'For the first time, scientists have observed the release of a massive glacial
lake outburst in East Greenland, where more than 3,000 billion liters of
meltwater were unleashed in just weeks. This rare, natural flooding event,
witnessed by University of Copenhagen researchers, provides new insight into
the immense and potentially hazardous forces that meltwater can unleash.
Imagine an enormous bathtub atop a mountain filled with water equivalent to
three times Denmark's annual water consumption, and then suddenly bursting.
This is essentially what happened when the massive Catalina Lake in East
Greenland released 3.4 cubic kilometers of meltwater—3,000 billion liters—into
the Scoresby Sound fjord.
The enormous volume places this event among the top three largest of its kind
ever documented. The meltwater outburst flood occurred between September 23 and
October 11, during which the lake's water level plummeted 154 meters. The
dramatic phenomenon was observed for the first time in real time using
satellite imagery by scientists from the University of Copenhagen's Niels Bohr
Institute.
"We have previously found traces of similar outburst floods, but due to polar
night and clouds obstructing the potential for satellite observations, this is
the first time that researchers have been able to monitor an event and measure
the water volumes in real time," explains Niels Bohr Institute climate
researcher Aslak Grinsted.'
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
