Study: Glacier Lakes Are Responsible for Rapid Disappearance of Permanent Ice

On Thursday, researchers published a study that indicated that glaciers are rapidly retreating around the world owing to climate change, but they melt more quickly when they flow into a lake rather than land, which has effects on water supplies. 

(Photo : FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images)

Examination of Glaciers

Switzerland-funded research is the first large-scale, systematic analysis of the occurrence in Himalayan glaciers and could help foresee significant water shortages and severe flood waves. 

All 319 glaciers in the eastern and central Himalayas with a surface area of more than three square kilometers (1.2 square miles) were looked into in this study. These ice reserve supplies water to Ganges and Brahmaputra, providing water for half a billion people, according to Science Alert. 

When a glacier's leading edge, or tongue, melts due to rising temperatures, rock debris is left behind as the glacier retreats. 

There is a natural barrier formed by these "terminal moraines." A fresh lake could arise if glacier meltwater collects in the depression behind the dam. 

According to a study funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation, the ice melts twice as fast if the glacier's tongue reaches into the lake. 

A team of scientists used European Sentinel-2 satellites to observe how fast debris trapped on the glacier's surface travelled down the valley over the course of three years, from 2017 to 2019. 

Also Read: Greenland's Glacial Lakes are Mysteriously Vanishing, and Here's Why

Research Findings 

Researchers said: "The findings were clear: glaciers that flowed into a lake moved on average almost 20 meters per year; in other words, more than twice as fast as those that terminated on land," as per Science Alert.

To explain this acceleration, one theory is that the glacier's tongue is propped up in the water, which reduces the amount of resistance it must overcome. 

This study is the first time the phenomena has been explored in detail and on a wide scale in mountain glaciers, even though scientists already knew that glaciers travel quicker when they flow into the sea or a lake. 

In 20% of the Himalayan glaciers studied, lakes were discovered to have formed, which has a significant impact on both human and natural populations in the area.

(Photo : Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Accelerating Effect of Glacial Lakes

According to the study, glaciers flow faster, which means that the water held in the ice will be depleted more quickly, which means that rivers would receive less water. 

According to The Straits Times, Tobias Bolch, lead researcher from University of Saint Andrews in Scotland said: "Until now, the accelerating effect of glacial lakes has not been taken into account in predictions."

This means water shortages in the impacted regions in Asia are more likely to take place sooner than previously thought. 

As a result of this research, glacial lakes may be predicted more correctly, allowing for more accurate predictions of when the terminal moraine dam is likely to breach, causing serious flood wave.

Related Aricle: Scientists Use Drones to Reduce Disastrous Flooding From Glacial Lakes

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