Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) Threaten Millions: Science Behind the Nepal-China Catastrophe

I chat about the science and climate warming behind the recent catastrophe on the Nepal-China border with a GLOF (Glacial Lake Outburst Flood). When all is said and done, casualties will likely be at least 4,500...

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References and Links:

AP News article: Hundreds feared stuck in hydropower tunnels as flood deaths surpass 950 in Nepal and China
apnews.com/article/nepal-tibet-china-flash-floods-744fe6e15ae7751e15efcd6dff70170c

AP News Article: Climate: Satellite images show bedrock and glacier collapsed on Nepal-China border, then rivers flooded
apnews.com/article/climate-change-nepal-tibet-glacier-collapse-floods-b3eda9410f9941f69add384944047bc3

AP News article: Climate: Nepal floods highlight growing glacier risks in warming Himalayas
apnews.com/article/nepal-flash-floods-glaciers-climate-change-d8c11c2215ea0792e3612bf791e4299f

CBC News article: Climate: Scientists fear Nepal's disaster is just a glimpse of the carnage climate change could cause
cbc.ca/news/climate/nepal-tibet-glacier-flood-climate-disaster-9.7323295

NPR News article: Climate: A melting glacier contributed to the deadly Nepal floods. We can expect more like this
npr.org/2026/08/28/nx-s1-5945799/nepal-floods-climate-change-himalayas

AP News article: Climate: Nepal warns of possible fresh flooding as communities grapple with devastation
apnews.com/article/nepal-china-flood-galchhi-warning-afec20e612514ca3598c65b29f485303

CNN News article: Death toll rises, thousands missing in Nepal-China floods
cnn.com/2026/08/29/world/live-news/nepal-china-flood

Wikipedia Page: Glacial lake outburst flood
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glacial_lake_outburst_flood

Nature Communications: Peer-reviewed scientific paper:
Glacial lake outburst floods threaten millions globally

Abstract
Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) represent a major hazard and can result in significant loss of life. Globally, since 1990, the number and size of glacial lakes has grown rapidly along with downstream population, while socio-economic vulnerability has decreased. Nevertheless, contemporary exposure and vulnerability to GLOFs at the global scale has never been quantified. Here we show that 15 million people globally are exposed to impacts from potential GLOFs. Populations in High Mountains Asia (HMA) are the most exposed and on average live closest to glacial lakes with ~1 million people living within 10 km of a glacial lake. More than half of the globally exposed population are found in just four countries: India, Pakistan, Peru, and China. While HMA has the highest potential for GLOF impacts, we highlight the Andes as a region of concern, with similar potential for GLOF impacts to HMA but comparatively few published research studies.

Link: open source (free paper):
nature.com/articles/s41467-023-36033-x

Google images: Glacier Lake Outburst Flood
google.com/search?sca_esv=9a37396c6da3c816&sxsrf=APpeQnskF2jJAd8tTxkPfGEcqRieit1aOQ:1788209723274&udm=2&fbs=ABfTbFVyMZGZf1hfvX9uKjN_-G8c4u0nXx4bEIpwm1lnNH832QGGMdFXpDyzkQgEdtB8w9y513h_dJNevWM0LJgfK9j1onbTVpWwrFHwdU22tNLLVwekrKN_fCT2zr1xjLUpzUocFJ8UcnarXWPO9YyyF0hupjenCkUP6oN6UzeQHbqNa5GOH0fQmhAd5eldkytk3AdqKdLiOODSfoulJNnpqhBtyE-Gnw&q=glacial+lake+outburst+floods&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiqs9uq4MuWAxUMv4kEHfqGELgQtKgLegQIFRAB&biw=1097&bih=540&dpr=1.75

Science article: Increasing risk of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs)
antarcticglaciers.org/glaciers-and-climate/glacier-hazards/increasing-risk-of-glacial-lake-outburst-floods

Royal Geographical Society: Mapping glacial lake outburst flood exposure
rgs.org/about-us/what-is-geography/geovisualisation/mapping-glacial-lake-outburst-flood-exposure

High Mountain Asia Near-Global Multi-Decadal Glacial Lake Inventory, Version 1
nsidc.org/data/hma_gli/versions/1

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