Why Aren’t We Speaking Extra About Flooding in Alaska?

Cease me when you’ve heard this one earlier than: a state on the western coast of the U.S. is experiencing damaging flooding on account of local weather change — and it’s each alarming in its personal proper and regarding by way of what it means for the longer term. Solely this time, the state in query isn’t California; as a substitute, Alaska is experiencing stunning situations on account of glaciers melting. And it’s price trying into each why this destruction is happening and what it’d imply within the years and a long time to return.

A current Smithsonian Journal article has overview of the problems at hand, full with jaw-dropping footage of a home collapsing into the flooded Mendenhall River. The flooding — which emanated from the ominously-named Suicide Basin — prompted the Nationwide Climate Service to advise Juneau residents to keep away from the river, per a New York Occasions report.

Fortunately, in response to the Occasions, nobody was killed or harm, however a pair of buildings did collapse on account of the flooding, with one other eight condemned on account of flooding-related injury.

As an Related Press report (through KULR8) factors out, that is removed from the primary time in current reminiscence that Juneau has needed to cope with flooding and its aftereffects. It additionally factors to a wrongdoer, stating unambiguously that “[c]limate change is melting glaciers” — but additionally cites scientists saying that the flooding itself is much less straight associated to local weather change.

“As a glacier is thinning and retreating and altering, you’ll be able to see some floods are going to cease occurring and new ones are going to begin occurring,” Celeste Labedz of the College of Calgary advised the AP.

This concern isn’t restricted to Alaska, both. Because the College of Southern Alaska’s Eran Hood advised NPR, related flooding has affected areas within the Himalayas and Andes, in addition to Iceland. And with local weather change persevering with, it looks like we’re going to be listening to extra stories like this from wherever that glaciers have begun to soften.