In the heart of Alaska’s capital, Juneau, residents are once again facing a destructive force born from ice — a “glacier burst” that unleashed the largest flood in the city’s recorded history.
The August 2024 event wasn’t just another seasonal nuisance; it was a wake-up call about how rapidly climate change is transforming glaciers and the communities living beneath them.
What is a Glacier Burst?
A glacier burst, or “glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF)”, occurs when water trapped in an ice-dammed lake suddenly escapes.
In Juneau, this phenomenon has repeated every summer for the past 15 years, caused by the Mendenhall Glacier retreating and leaving behind a vast empty valley.
Rain and meltwater collect in this valley until pressure forces the water to tunnel underneath the glacier, releasing millions of cubic meters downstream in hours.
This Year’s Flood Was Different
While past GLOFs have caused localized damage, 2024’s flood reached “60 million cubic meters of water” — the equivalent of 24,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
The Mendenhall River rose by two meters overnight, peaking at a staggering “1,400 cubic meters per second”, a flow greater than the Arkansas River’s average. Homes were eroded into dangerous overhangs, riverbanks collapsed, and entire neighborhoods were barricaded behind hastily built levees.
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Why It’s Happening More Often…
Scientists like Jason Amundson and Eran Hood from the University of Alaska Southeast warn that this isn’t a one-off disaster — it’s part of a pattern. Warming temperatures are shrinking glaciers worldwide, creating more ice-dammed lakes that eventually burst.
This trend isn’t unique to Alaska; it’s also seen in the Himalayas, Andes, and Iceland. The difference now is “how close to home these floods are hitting”.
Local Response and Global Lessons
Juneau residents aren’t waiting for long-term government projects to materialize. Many have built “personal levees” around their homes, some as high as four meters.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is studying options such as building a permanent dam or drilling a mountain tunnel to drain the lake before it bursts.
Drones, remote cameras, and laser range finders are now part of a high-tech monitoring system that forecasts potential bursts, but even with warnings, the speed and scale of these floods leave little time to react.
The Future of Glaciers in a Warming World
The Mendenhall Glacier is more than a tourist attraction — it’s a living indicator of climate instability. The events in Juneau mirror a growing reality across the globe: “as glaciers retreat, communities will face new and unpredictable water disasters”.
“This is the new normal if this is where you live,” Hood says, summing up a truth that stretches far beyond Alaska. Whether you’re in the shadow of the Himalayas or the valleys of Patagonia, a melting glacier can change your life overnight.
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