[In Depth] Chile's glacial lakes pose newly recognized flood threat

After three grueling days of bushwhacking through Patagonian rainforest last month, a research team finally reached the remote Chileno Valley—and beheld utter devastation. Perhaps twice in the last few years, a 2-kilometer-long lake farther up the valley had unleashed a glacial lake outburst flood: a wall of water that scoured Chileno. The valley is uninhabited. But the destruction there carries an ominous message for settled parts of Chile, including Santiago, the capital, where a glacial lake is perched up a valley from the metropolis. As mountain glaciers retreat in a warming climate, meltwater lakes can burst through unstable ice or moraine barriers. To systematically assess Chile's outburst potential, the team compiled a nationwide inventory of more than 3000 glacial lakes and identified those likely to flood.
Author: Jane Palmer

Source: ScienceNOW - March 9, 2017 Category: Science Authors: Jane Palmer Tags: Natural Disasters Source Type: news