Increased Outburst Flood Hazard in Peru from Climate Warming and Glacier Retreat

Nature, February 4

Over the past 140 years, the Cordillera Blanca region of the Peruvian Andes has warmed by 1°C, with 95% of that warming attributed to human emissions. This warming has triggered a dramatic acceleration in the retreat of the Palcaraju Glacier, with its meltwater causing expansion of Lake Palcacocha at the glacier’s base. As increasing amounts of water drain into this reservoir, the probability and potential magnitude of a glacial lake outburst flood from it has risen, threatening the 120,000 people living below in the city of Huaraz. In 1941, an outburst flood destroyed one-third of the city, with at least 1,800 fatalities. Low emissions pathways will reduce the risk of catastrophic flooding in this region by slowing Palcaraju Glacier’s rate of melting.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-021-00686-4

Compiled by Amy Imdieke.