<
https://theconversation.com/glacial-lake-flood-hits-juneau-alaska-reflecting-a-growing-risk-as-mountain-glaciers-melt-around-the-world-263109>
"Each summer in the mountains above Juneau, Alaska, meltwater from the massive
Mendenhall Glacier flows into mountain lakes and into the Mendenhall River,
which runs through town.
Since 2011, scientists and local officials have kept a close eye on one lake in
particular: Suicide Basin, an ice-dammed bowl on an arm of the glacier. Glacier
ice once covered this area, but as the ice retreated in recent decades, it left
behind a large, deep depression.
In the summers of 2023 and 2024, meltwater filled Suicide Basin, overflowed its
rim and escaped through tunnels in the ice, sending surges of water downstream
that flooded neighborhoods along the river.
On Aug. 12-13, 2025, the basin flooded again.
The surge of water from Suicide Basin reached record levels at Mendenhall Lake
on Aug. 13 on its way toward Juneau, the state capital. Officials urged some
neighborhoods to evacuate ahead of the surge. As the water rose, new emergency
flood barriers appeared to have limited the damage.
The glacial flood risks that Juneau is now experiencing each summer are
becoming a growing problem in communities around the world. As an Earth
scientist and a mountain geographer, we study the impact that ice loss can have
on the stability of the surrounding mountain slopes and glacial lakes, and we
see several reasons for increasing concern."
Via Susan ****
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
