Due to climate change, it has been found that the amount of water in the 'glacier lake' has increased by 50% in the past 30 years, and there is a risk of floods in the downstream region.
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A glacier lake is a lake formed by the action of glaciers, and it is said that the amount of water in glacier lakes has increased in recent years due to the progress of global warming. As a result of analyzing satellite observation data collected by NASA for 30 years, it was revealed that 'the amount of water in glacier lakes around the world has increased by 50% since 1990'.
Rapid worldwide growth of glacial lakes since 1990 | Nature Climate Change
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-020-0855-4
Global Survey Using NASA Data Shows Dramatic Growth of Glacial Lakes – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet
https://climate.nasa.gov/news/3014/global-survey-using-nasa-data-shows-dramatic-growth-of-glacial-lakes/
Glacial Lake Volume Has Surged by 50 Percent in Just 30 Years, Scientists Warn
https://www.sciencealert.com/climate-change-fuels-sharp-increase-in-glacier-lakes
Glaciers are receding on a global scale, and scientists around the world are concerned about rising sea levels due to the melting of glaciers. Not all water produced by melting glaciers is immediately poured into the sea, but to some extent it remains on land in the form of glacial lakes and groundwater. However, according to Associate Professor
An international research team of Shugar et al. investigated glacier lakes around the world using Google Earth Engine , a cloud-based geospatial analysis platform. Furthermore, we analyzed 250,000 images collected by Landsat satellites launched by NASA and others for the purpose of observing the global environment.
By analyzing the satellite photos taken from 1990 to 2018 by the research team, it was possible to know how each glacier lake was expanding or newly formed .. All the data was so huge that the technology 10 years ago couldn't process and analyze that much data, the team said.
As a result of analysis, the amount of water in the glacier lake on the whole earth as of 2018 is 156.5 cubic kilometers, which is one third of Lake Erie , one of the five great lakes near the border between the United States and Canada. Also, from 1990 to 2018, the number of glacier lakes increased by 53%, the total area increased by 51%, and the amount of water increased by 48%.
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Unlike normal lakes, glacier lakes are dammed up by sediments such as ice and loose rocks, so glacial lake outburst floods occur due to excessive water volume and volcanic activity. Not only does this cause sea level rise, it poses a threat to the lives and lives of people living in the lower reaches.
The researchers particularly point out that the dangers of glacial lake outburst floods are high around the Andes in South America and around Central Asia, such as Bhutan, Nepal, and Pakistan. Thousands of people have died in the 20th century alone due to glacial lake outburst floods, and 7 million people are at risk of glacial lake outburst floods around the Himalayas and Hindu Kush Mountains .
by Sathish J
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