The study led by Newcastle University finds that up to 15 million people face the risk of catastrophic flooding from glacial lakes, which could burst their natural dams at any moment. This study is the first attempt to map potential hotspots for such floods.
As the climate warms, glaciers retreat and meltwater collects, forming lakes. These lakes have natural dams of loose rocks and ice that can fail suddenly and unpredictably. It could happen at any point, that is what makes them particularly dangerous.
Floods that follow come very fast, they are powerful enough to destroy vital infrastructure.
“It’s how close people are to those lakes, and their capacity to respond to the disaster that’s important,” said Dr. Carr, a glaciologist at Newcastle University.
People facing the greatest threat live in mountainous countries in Asia and South America. While people living in India, Pakistan, Peru, and China account for over half of those at risk. In Asia, around one million people live within just 10km of a glacial lake.
Stephan Harrison, a leading expert on the impact of climate change on glacial lakes at the University of Exeter, said this is an important research that can alert policymakers to the likely impact of future climate change.
Dr. Harrison added that the research was only a first step towards a better understanding of the impact of climate change on what is known as glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs).
However, while scientists expect glacial floods to increase due to human-induced climate change, there has as yet been no such increase.
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