VAWS: Ice, water, and people – a look into how glacial lake outburst floods impact Alaska communities

Speaker: Dina Abdel-Fattah, University of Alaska Fairbanks

Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) are a natural phenomenon that result in the release of a significant amount of water via a glacial system, which has the potential to negatively and severely impact downstream communities.

This webinar will look into two GLOF glaciers in Alaska – Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau and Snow Glacier in the Kenai Peninsula. Both glaciers have recurring GLOFs that affect the downstream areas in Juneau and the Kenai Peninsula in a variety of ways. From homeowners, to tour operators, to electric companies, to emergency responders, these are but a few of the impacted stakeholder groups impacted by GLOFs.

During the webinar, you’ll learn about how GLOFs happen, their presence in Alaska, how stakeholders have been affected by these events, what are the available resources to understand and monitor these events, and what is the potential outlook for continued GLOFs in Alaska in the years to come.