How to Prevent Glacial Lakes From Flooding Mountain Communities

Mountain geographer Alton Byers is helping remote Himalayan villages prepare for climate change.

By Alton Byers, University of Colorado Boulder
May 21, 2013 7:00 PMNov 12, 2019 4:19 AM
alton-byers-over-imja-lake.jpg
Alton Byers works perched high above Imja Lake in May 2012. | Santa Rai/Himalayan Research Expeditions

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As temperatures rise around the globe, glaciers are shrinking at an unprecedented rate. The resulting glacial meltwater can form dangerous lakes contained only by unstable rock and debris. These can burst from their basins at any moment, flooding communities and potentially killing thousands. 

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