Researchers have produced a detailed inventory of glacial lakes and dams over a 35-year timeframe from 1984 to 2019 in Alaska and northwest Canada.

«Floods that originate from these lakes can have devastating impacts on the downstream ecosystem, human infrastructure and communities,» said Rick, also a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow.

Alaska and northwest Canada have more than 27,000 glaciers, which account for the second-largest area of ice in the world outside of Greenland and Antarctica. In part because large portions of the region are sparsely populated, there hasn’t been a comprehensive survey of glacial lakes, until now.

Rick and a team of researchers — including CSU Assistant Professor Dan McGrath — have produced a detailed inventory of glacial lakes and dams over a 35-year timeframe from 1984 to 2019 in Alaska and northwest Canada.

Their study was published Jan. 25 in The Cryosphere, an open-access journal of the European Geosciences Union.

Lake number, area increase

McGrath said that the new research is an essential first step in assessing hazards associated with these lakes and understanding why lakes have changed in recent decades.

Story Source:
Materials provided by Colorado State University. Original written by Mary Guiden. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.