Alaskan Capital Flooded By Water From Melted Glacier

By: Stephanie Bontorin | Last updated: Aug 29, 2024

Residents of the capital city of Alaska, Juneau, are currently facing an alarming climate change-related disaster. Thousands of people were forced to seek shelter after the Mendenhall glacier melted this week.

The event has already caused significant property damage. Thankfully, no injuries or deaths have been reported due to the flooding. However, the glacier melt raises alarm bells for coastal cities around the globe.

Emergency Response

After the flood waters began to rise, emergency personnel jumped into action.

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An aerial shot of a large house falling into a rushing river

Source: @mattalltradesb/X

A local shelter for residents was constructed overnight to house thousands of residents who were forcibly removed from hundreds of homes damaged in the flood.

Melt Water From the Glacier

City officials explain: “Water flowing over the dam created by the glacier has to go somewhere—in this case, Mendenhall Lake and Mendenhall River.”

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An aerial shot of a neighborhood of houses flooded with water with several cars almost completely submerged

Source: @GovDunleavy/X

The flood was likened to water overflowing from a bathtub.

Too Much Water in the Lake

The ‘unprecedented’ water levels have caused the Mendenhall River to flood, either damaging or severely impacting nearly 100 homes in the valley.

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A photograph showcasing the water of a lake

Source: Freepik

This disaster struck nearly a year after the capital city experienced a similar catastrophe that saw at least two homes collapse into the river. Mass evacuations followed shortly after.

How the Flooding Happened

After a smaller glacier near the Mendenhall Glacier retreated, rainwater and snowmelt filled the basin it left behind, causing flooding in Juneau.

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An aerial satellite image of the Thwaites Glacier.

Source: Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2021/Wikimedia Commons

City officials reported that an unusually wet July caused the lake at the basin to form, fill to the brim, and overflow.

The Pressure in the Lake

When the water in Suicide Basin created enough pressure, it forced it to be under or around the ice dam formed by the Mendenhall Glacier.

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Water Droplets In Flowing Water

Source: Chris F/Pexels

Eventually, the water did this, flowing into Mendenhall Lake and eventually into the Mendenhall River.

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Overflow Was Inevitable 

According to the National Weather Service, all that release of water caused the Mendenhall River to skyrocket to a record-breaking 15.99 feet on Tuesday morning, a foot higher than what it was during last year’s deluge.

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Mount Wrather and Mendenhall Glacier on the Tongass National Forest in Juneau. USDA Forest Service photo by Juliet Harrison.

Source: Forest Service Alaska Region/Wikimedia Commons

However, the city’s Deputy City Manager Robert Barr said that there was “a lot more water in the valley, on the streets, in people’s homes.”

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Sharing Photos of the Devastation

Alaska’s emergency management agency shared photos on Facebook of the home engulfed by murky water that rose high enough to submerge vehicle hoods.

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Aerial View of Flooded House

Source: Pok Rie/Pexels

In some neighborhoods, cars were seen floating as residents attempted to evacuate. According to Barr, some streets were overwhelmed by 3 to 4 feet of water, possibly even more.

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A Dark Anniversary

This isn’t the first major flood that has occurred in the city of Juneau.

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A man and a woman stand in their drive way next to a truck next to rising flood waters on the street meeting their driveway

Source: @adndotcom/X

Almost exactly a year ago, flood waters caused a large amount of damage to homes as a result of a very similar glacial outburst. Juneau’s deputy City Manager, Robert Barr, remarked that the flood wasn’t as bad as last year’s waters.

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Heightened Waters Are Raising Concerns

This year’s extreme flooding led to “a lot more water in the valley, on the streets, in people’s homes,” compared to the 2023 event.

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A white and blue ice glacier seen in water in the daytime in Antarctica.

Source: Cassie Matias/Unsplash

Although the region has experienced periodic flooding for more than a decade as global temperatures have risen, Alaskan officials say that this year’s flood isn’t the worst that it’s ever been.

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Global Warming Hits the Arctic Hard

Climate change has been drastically altering the ecosystems in Alaska. Climate change officials in the state say that, along with the rest of the Arctic, Alaska will experience the effects of global warming at twice the rate of the rest of the world.

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Glaciers on the water with penguins lining up at the shore

Source: James Eaders/Unsplash

The massive change in sea level hit residents in coastal communities hard. In the future, there climate-change-related refugees in flooding cities will become more common.

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The Impact on the Icefield

Glacier melt in a major Alaskan icefield has accelerated and could reach a tipping point faster than anticipated, according to a scientific study published in the peer-reviewed British journal Nature Communications.

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Mendenhall Glacier near Juneau, Alaska

Source: Ted McGrath/Flickr

The state is home to the largest ice fields in the world. Their melting is a major contributor to sea-level rise, slowly putting some of the world’s coastal areas underwater.

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Worrying Research

“It’s incredibly worrying that our research found a rapid acceleration since the early 21st century in the rate of glacier loss across the Juneau icefield,” study lead author Bethan Davies, a glaciologist in the United Kingdom’s Newcastle University, said in a statement.

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A photograph of a researcher seated at her desk

Source: Freepik

Officials noted that the glacier outburst last year and the flooding was quicker than previous years.

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The Risk of a Warming World

A 2021 report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change indicates that the continuing increase in global temperatures is heightening the risk of glacier lake outburst floods.

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A photograph of a forest fire

Source: Wikimedia

This underscores the significant effects of climate change on glacial systems and the growing occurrence of extreme weather events.

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Destabilizing Glacier Lakes

Since 2011, glacier outbursts have surged. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Arctic, including Alaska, is experiencing warming at twice the global average rate due to fossil fuel emissions.

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Lake Louise in Canada

Source: Nunzio Guerrera/Pexels

The warming temperatures are causing glaciers to thin and melt more rapidly, destabilizing glacier lakes.

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Rising Sea Levels

Melting glaciers contribute to rising sea levels, which leads to increased coastal erosion and higher storm surges, as warming air and ocean temperatures result in more frequent and intense coastal storms, such as hurricanes and typhoons.

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A photograph taken of waves crashing in the Atlantic Ocean

Source: Wikimedia

The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets are the primary contributors to global sea level rise. Currently, the Greenland ice sheet is melting four times faster than it was in 2003 and accounts for 20% of the present sea level rise.

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The Rapid Glacial Melting

According to the World Wildlife Foundation, rapid glacial melting in Antarctica and Greenland is also influencing ocean currents.

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Mountain Covered White Snow

Source: Pixabay/Pexels

Massive amounts of very cold glacial melt water entering warmer ocean waters is slowing ocean currents.

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Fossil Fuels Are To Blame

Pollution caused by fossil fuels are one of the biggest causes of warming in the atmosphere.

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oil pumps against backdrop of dusky sky

Source: rorozoa, Freepik

The additional smoke, smog, and pollution have slowly increased the global temperature over the years. However, in the past decade, the rise has become rapid and exponential. Although experts have attempted to come up with ways to cool the climate, humans continuously use more energy year after year; the only real way to reduce climate change is to reduce the amount of fossil fuels being burned.

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Locals Describe the Event

Locals in the area say that the flooding has caused vehicles began to float as the water created waist-deep standing water in some neighborhoods.

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A house on the side of a riverbed half destroyed and fallen in

Source: @RepSaraHannan/X

The excess water from the Mendenhall River reached nearly sixteen feet, a new record for the area.

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First Responders Praised by the Governor

Gov. Mike Dunleavy of Alaska said that he was incredibly happy with the response from emergency workers.

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A team of rescue personnel in red vests drive a boat down a flooded river

Source: @RepSaraHannan/X

Dunleavy posted a series of photos showing the damage done by the floods as he spent some time with the victims. “Today I surveyed the aftermath of the Juneau glacier flood,” Dunleavy wrote. “The damage is significant and affecting hundreds of Alaskans. I’m grateful that there were no deaths or severe injuries reported.”

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Billions of Gallons of Water Released

Scientists in the area say that more than 14 billion gallons of water were released from the water basin.

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Some abandoned cars in the Dubai floods. The water is going halfway up the cars.

Source: @chude__/X

In the past year, the amount of water in the basin has risen significantly compared to when the glacial outbursts first began in 2011.

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How to Stop Future Flooding

Experts are working on a way to predict the flooding events in the future. Technology and historical data can be used to forecast the rise in basin water levels.

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Man stands on a footbridge during a flood

Source: Freepik

Climate change has had a constant effect on glacial systems, making it hard to estimate the changes from year to year.

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State of Emergency in Alaska

Due to the flooding and the number of people displaced from their homes, the Governor of Alaska called for a state of emergency following the devastation.

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A man in a grey suit sitting at a table signs a document with two people behind him as well as the Alaska state flag and the American flag and the official Steal of the State of Alaska sign

Source: @GovDunleavy/X

Gov. Dunleavy noted that he wanted to ensure needed resources were sent immediately so that recovery could begin right away.

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A Disaster Declaration

“I am grateful no one has been injured or killed by this morning’s outburst flood. Emergency responders and managers have done an outstanding job keeping their residents safe,” Dunleavy said.

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A photograph of a reporter standing on the street taking notes

Source: Wikimedia

“In addition to the Disaster Declaration, I have directed all state agencies to support the community as they deal with this major flooding.”

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