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In Alaska, a glacial flood causes enormous damage. Water masses of a river tear whole houses with them. A new level record has been broken.
Juneau – The progressive melting of the glaciers due to global warming has some serious effects that are becoming increasingly clear. 335 billion tons of glacial ice are lost every year. Alaska is particularly hard hit. There, nature has once again demonstrated its powers.
Alaska’s Mendenhall Glacier is melting. But the effects are worse this year than they have been so far. A glacial rupture has now caused the levels of rivers and lakes to rise dramatically and some of them to burst their banks. As a result, the Mendenhall River in Alaska has become a torrent, taking several houses and trees with it.
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Alaskan Glacial Flood: River swells and overflows its banks
The Mendenhall River in Alaska has swelled more and more due to the glacial flood. Videos show how the river makes its way and carries away more and more of the banks. Trees and houses are not spared.
During a glacial flood in Alaska, the water masses of a river swept away houses. © Screenshot Instagram @twowildhearts
Videos of the dramatic scenes are spreading on social media. “This was the worst flood of this kind in the history of Juneau Alaska,” wrote an Instagram user under his video. The Mendenhall River was filmed with a drone as the river developed into a torrent and swept away an apartment building in the city of Juneau.
Residents of Alaska’s capital, Juneau, have been urged to stay away from the riverbanks until further notice. The stream in southeast Alaska connects Mendenhall Lake with Fritz Cove and the Gulf of Alaska and is fed by meltwater from Mendenhall Glacier.
Alaska is warming twice as fast as the rest of the USA: water level records broken
As experts report, the glacial lake surpassed the previous water level record. The river level exceeded the record measured in 2016 by 91 centimeters. According to climate researchers, Alaska is warming twice as fast as the rest of the United States.
Water levels on Alaska’s Mendenhall River finally dropped rapidly on Sunday morning (August 6). However, the flood warning remained in effect, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). Due to man-made climate change, an increase in such extreme weather conditions is to be expected. (hg)
2023-08-09 05:07:39
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