Science is Fun Fridays!

 

The Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, Alaska.

You may have heard the news about the river flooding, which came after what's called a "glacier lake outburst flood."  As glaciers melt and lakes form, sometimes the glacier acts as a dam.  

This year, the runoff was especially intense and the so named "Suicide Basin" couldn't hold.

This article has a time lapse of the basin from a US Geological Survey camera.

The glacier had been receding fairly consistently at 160 feet per year, but from August 2021 to August 2022, it retreated more than 800 feet.

The ice is also thinning, which means the seasonal and annual cycle of the glacier is losing to the hotter, longer summers.  As it retreats, the whole ecosystem is affected as nutrient levels fluctuate.  Changes in water temperature will have a large impact on species such as salmon.