"'They save up ice like a savings account and then spend it all very quickly like a Black Friday event.'"
"'But while they only represent one per cent of all glaciers worldwide, they affect just under one-fifth of global glacier area, and their behaviour can result in serious and sometimes catastrophic natural disasters that affect thousands of people.'"
"'When glaciers surge, they very quickly spend all the ice they have built up over a long period of time. This ice then melts away in warmer temperatures at lower elevations, leaving the glacier very vulnerable.'"
About 3,100 glaciers worldwide undergo surges, characterized by short multi-year bursts of rapid downhill movement after decades of slow accumulation. Surge events deliver large stores of ice to lower, warmer elevations where rapid melting accelerates ice loss and can render the glacier vulnerable or collapse it entirely. Triggers remain uncertain but are likely linked to subglacial conditions: water buildup from heavy rainfall or warming reduces basal friction and allows abrupt sliding. Surge-prone glaciers constitute about 1% of glaciers by count but nearly one-fifth of global glacier area and can drive major ice loss and catastrophic local hazards.
Read at Mail Online
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]