Research reveals smaller glacial lakes more prone to flooding

For many years, scientists have been discussing whether the population in mountain regions is increasingly at risk from meltwater floods, as melting glaciers release more and more water. A small proportion of this meltwater remains in the glacial lakes around the world. If their dams break, the corresponding glacial lake floods can have catastrophic consequences for the population living downstream. The Potsdam research team was able to show that it is not only the increasing number and surface area of glacial lakes that determines the risk of such floods. By analyzing satellite images of almost 1700 documented glacial lake floods in 13 glacier regions around the world over a period from 1990 to 2023 they found that the areas of ice dammed lakes became smaller, while those of moraine-dammed lakes remained largely constant. Overall, they were unable to identify a trend towards larger lake floods. For many years, scientists have been discussing whether the population in mountain regions is increasingly at risk from meltwater floods, as melting glaciers release more and more water. A small proportion of this meltwater remains in the glacial lakes around the world. If their dams break, the corresponding glacial lake floods can have catastrophic consequences for the population living downstream. The Potsdam research team was able to show that it is not only the increasing number and surface area of glacial lakes that determines the risk of such floods. By analyzing satellite images of almost 1700 documented glacial lake floods in 13 glacier regions around the world over a period from 1990 to 2023 they found that the areas of ice dammed lakes became smaller, while those of moraine-dammed lakes remained largely constant. Overall, they were unable to identify a trend towards larger lake floods. Environment Phys.org – latest science and technology news stories