Saturday, September 7, 2024

Yes, it is indeed melting

 

A couple of weeks ago, the Mendenhall Glacier near Juneau, Alaska, released a meltwater flood that put a lot of water into parts of Juneau, which is obviously downriver. 

As the Washington Post article notes, it's a problem that's getting worse, because yes, global warming means more melting.

A melting Alaska glacier keeps inundating Juneau. Floods are getting worse.

"Glacial outburst floods have poured out of Suicide Basin more than 30 times since 2011. It is challenging to predict exactly how large they will be, since conditions change each year. The jumble of icebergs in the basin keep melting — adding more liquid water to the pool — and the glacier that acts as a dam keeps thinning and retreating as the atmosphere warms, so scientists don’t know exactly when the pent-up water might release."

The picture below shows the basic problem. Juneau is both in the Mendenhall Valley and to the east and south of it, but much of the city population lives in the valley.




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