Nepal‑Tibet Disaster Linked to Climate Change—a Glaciologist Explains

'Glaciers in Himalayas retreating': Nepal floods triggered by 'glacier collapse & massive landslide'

Annette Young is pleased to welcome Joseph Shea, Glaciologist and Associate Professor at the University of Northern BC. Shea argues that the catastrophe should be understood as a compound event in which a glacier failure and a massive landslide occurred together. His analysis places the disaster within the broader, well-established transformation of the Himalayas under climate change. As warming changes high-mountain environments, scientists may…

Nepal‑Tibet disaster linked to climate change—a glaciologist explains

The cause of the huge floods and debris flow on the border between Nepal and Tibet, which have caused hundreds of deaths, appears to have been an ice avalanche—the result of a huge piece of a glacier collapsing and cascading down the mountain more than 1,000 meters (3,281 feet) to the valley floor. The Conversation asked Jonathan Bamber, a professor of glaciology at the University of Bristol, about the risks of glaciers melting faster than ever.

How does a collapsing glacier turn into a lethal wall of mud and water?

A collapsing glacier in Tibet led to a devastating wall of water and debris roaring through a valley in Nepal, leaving hundreds dead and many hundreds still missing. Stuart Dunning is a professor of applied geomorphology who researches disaster risk reduction in high mountain areas and has closely studied the 2021 Chamoli disaster, a similar event. He’s part of a loose group of 50 or more international experts who come together to pool expertise…