Scientists tracked Sít’ Kusá, also known as Turner Glacier, using GPS instruments logging data every 15 seconds alongside nearby airport weather station reports. The team discovered that over half of the documented rainfall events induced sudden surges in movement. During an active phase between 2020 and 2021, at least 20 millimeters of rain pushed speeds up to 7.5 meters per day for roughly 66 hours. In a later, slower phase, heavier rainfall generated the peak 251 percent speed increase over baseline motion.
Key points
Trapped rainwater pools beneath glaciers, reducing bedrock friction and significantly inc…: Trapped rainwater pools beneath glaciers, reducing bedrock friction and significantly increasing movement speeds.
More than half of documented rain events triggered sudden surges in the monitored Alaskan…: More than half of documented rain events triggered sudden surges in the monitored Alaskan glacier.
Climate-driven rainfall increases could produce more frequent ice surges that worsen sea…: Climate-driven rainfall increases could produce more frequent ice surges that worsen sea level rise and flooding.
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Heavy rainfall can push a glacier in Alaska to more than double its speed for a short time, according to new research. Rainfall can accelerate the glacier's movement by as much as 251%, the study found. Scientists from Boise State University studied Sít’ Kusá, also known as Turner Glacier, and found that rainfall often triggers sudden surges in its movement. The research is published in the journal
The Cryosphere.
Glacier movements
Most people think of glaciers as slow, heavy masses of ice that shape valleys over thousands of years. While that is usually true, occasionally, a glacier surges and moves many times faster than normal. Such surges can cause significant damage. They can gouge out valleys, split the surface into deep cracks and block side valleys. The blocked water can form temporary lakes, and when those ice dams break, the result can be flooding.
Understanding the mechanisms behind these surges is therefore vital for scientists monitoring instabilities in glaciers around the world and their wider implications for climate change.
Parker Wilkerson of Boise State University and his colleagues decided to…
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