Scientists could not have predicted the severity of a glacial lake outburst flood that inundated a large portion of Juneau, Alaska. Now, they're worried it could happen again.
Now, they're worried the unprecedented event could happen again.
The sheer force of Mother Nature was on full display -- and nearly difficult to fathom -- as the energy from the fast-moving waters were able to decimate hillsides, homes and 100-foot trees, Jacobs said.How rare was the flooding event from the Mendenhall Glacier A glacial lake outburst flood occurs when a dam containing a glacial lake breaks. But Mendenhall Glacier actually gets lifted up from pressure building within the basin. So when the glacier is great enough to lift the glacier, the water escapes the basin and flows downstream, Jacobs said.
"A handful" of other residences, including a condo building were left significantly undermined," Barr said.How researchers predict outburst floods from Mendenhall Glacier The swollen Mendenhall River courses along a neighborhood in Juneau, Alaska, Aug. 6, 2023, after a glacial dam burst earlier in the weekend caused flooding along the river and Mendenhall Lake.A flood watch was issued for the region on July 31, nearly a week before the break on Mendenhall Glacier occurred.
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