With rising water levels and a disaster declaration in effect, officials warn that climate change may intensify these natural hazards.
**Evacuations Prompted in Juneau as Glacier Melts Threaten Record Flooding**
**Evacuations Prompted in Juneau as Glacier Melts Threaten Record Flooding**
Residents of Alaska's capital brace for possible floods as glacial meltwater breaches a crucial dam.
Residents in Juneau, Alaska are facing urgent evacuations as concerns mount over potential record flooding caused by the Mendenhall Glacier's melting. The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued flood warnings, indicating that release of glacial outburst water into the Mendenhall River could jeopardize homes nearby. Local officials had been alerting the community for the past few days about the risk of evacuation, and on Tuesday, they confirmed that water had begun escaping from the ice dam, further elevating flood risk expectations.
Glacial lakes, formed by melting snow, ice, and rain, can overflow their natural barriers due to rapid increases in water levels akin to "pulling the plug" from a bathtub. As of Tuesday, the water level had reached 9.85ft (3m), below the major flooding threshold of 14ft, but by Wednesday morning, it surpassed 16ft, reaching levels categorized as cresting. Nicole Ferrin, a meteorologist with the NWS, indicated that the forthcoming flooding could set new records based on current data.
In light of this escalating situation, Alaska's Governor Mike Dunleavy declared a state of disaster on Sunday, citing the "imminent threat of catastrophic flooding from a glacier lake outburst flood (GLOF)." Since 2011, the region has experienced recurring flooding issues that have damaged homes, with significant destruction occurring in the previous year.
Research indicates that the world's glaciers are melting at unprecedented rates due to climate change, leading to an increase in the formation of glacial lakes. Scientists have documented a rise in both the number and size of these lakes since 1990, warning that the failure of the natural ice and rock barriers that contain them can lead to sudden and unpredictable flooding events. As climate change progresses, experts anticipate a rise in these dangerous outburst floods worldwide, despite the complex nature of their causes and patterns.
