Melting glaciers could form 56,659 new lakes, increasing flood risk
UPSC / SSC current affairs note · IR
Why in news
A new study published in Nature Communications warns that melting glaciers could create over 50,000 new lakes in currently frozen areas, increasing flood risks in Asia, the Andes, Alaska, and the Arctic. This highlights the cascading effects of climate change on glacial landscapes and downstream communities.
Background
Glaciers hold about 69% of the world's fresh water and are found on every continent except Australia, with heavy concentrations in the Arctic, Alaska, Antarctica, Himalayas, and Andes. As global temperatures rise, glaciers are melting at an accelerated rate, exposing previously hidden terrain.
Key facts
The study predicts Earth could gain 56,659 new lakes in areas currently covered by glaciers.
Researchers from Sweden, US, Switzerland, and Norway used a 3D ice flow model (Instructed Glacier Model) to map hidden terrain beneath glaciers.
The study analyzed glaciers outside the large ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica.
The dataset produced is called Topography of a Deglaciated Earth (TOPO-DE v1.0), with a resolution of 100-400 meters.
New lakes could increase flood risks in Asia, the Andes, Alaska, and the Arctic.
Glaciers globally number approximately 200,000 to 275,000 and hold 69% of the world's fresh water.
Prelims pointers
- Nature Communications (journal)
- Instructed Glacier Model
- TOPO-DE v1.0 dataset
- Glaciers hold 69% of world's fresh water
- Glaciers found on every continent except Australia
- Major glacial regions: Arctic, Alaska, Antarctica, Himalayas, Andes
Mains angles
- Impact of climate change on glacial melt and formation of new lakes
- Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) and disaster management in Himalayan and Andean regions
- Geopolitical implications of changing water resources in glacier-fed river systems