Glacial lake flood hits Juneau, Alaska, again, reflecting a growing global risk as mountain glaciers melt

Suicide Basin, an ice-dammed lake on an arm of Mendenhall Glacier, has filled up with meltwater and sent destructive surges of water into Juneau for 3 straight summers.

By: Alton C. Byers, University of Colorado Boulder and Suzanne OConnell, Wesleyan University, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: August 14, 2026

Words: 1,469

Last Updated: 4 days, 11 hours ago

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By Alton C. Byers, University of Colorado Boulder and Suzanne OConnell, Wesleyan University

Each summer in the mountains above Juneau, Alaska, meltwater from the massive Mendenhall Glacier flows into mountain lakes and into the Mendenhall River, which runs through town.

Since 2011, scientists and local officials have kept a close eye on one lake in particular: Suicide Basin, an ice-dammed bowl on an arm of the glacier. Glacier ice once covered this area, but as …

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