Vue lecture

A Melting Glacier in Nepal Was a Time Bomb. There Are More to Come.

A geologist reflects on the disaster and explains why rapid warming will make deadly glacial floods far more common.

© Jason Gulley for The New York Times

A researcher paddled an inflatable kayak equipped with sonar to measure the depths of a meltwater lake on the Ngozumpa Glacier in Nepal last year.
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Disaster Experts Say Nepal Glacier Collapse Was Difficult to Predict

Given the challenges in forecasting and detecting such calamities, researchers advised banning construction on floodplains and marking out clear evacuation routes.

© Atul Loke for The New York Times

The widened channel of the Bhote Koshi River in Nepal on Thursday after the flash flooding. Most monitoring and early-warning systems for glacial hazards focus on a specific area of risk.
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Disaster Experts Say Nepal Glacier Collapse Was Difficult to Predict

Given the challenges in forecasting and detecting such calamities, researchers advised banning construction on floodplains and marking out clear evacuation routes.

© Atul Loke for The New York Times

The widened channel of the Bhote Koshi River in Nepal on Thursday after the flash flooding. Most monitoring and early-warning systems for glacial hazards focus on a specific area of risk.
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