Glaciers have been in retreat for millennia. The Great Lakes exist because the massive glacier that recently used to be there was so heavy, it caused a huge depression in the Earth's crust. All gone. It was never going to stop. We're just making it happen faster.
Hold up, now you're mixing in made up stuff with a few facts. Yes there is less glaciation since the last glacial maximum when there were huge ice sheets across continents. No it was not inevitable to continue retreating indefinitely without human intervention, that is simply not true at all.
There have been cycles of maxima/minima over the last few million years, and humans have likely contributed to a warmer period since the beginning of agriculture. But the most recent period of warming due to fossil fuel burning over the last few hundred years is way off the charts from historical trends
The reason the cause is in debate is because the volume of water was unexpected.
Glaciers are frozen. Glacial collapse means the frozen glacier collapses - like a frozen landslide. Glacial dam outburst is when water that’s been trapped by the glacier suddenly bursts out. The seismic activity around the event is a confusing data point, because it was initially thought to be a rock face collapse that caused the glacier to fall.
It’s not so much a ‘duh’ as they didn’t think there was that much water under these glaciers. Now scientists are trying to figure out what they don’t know.
15 Comments
AviAdi@lemmy.world · 29 pts · 7d
https://youtu.be/ORPDEvHJZpA?is=WnRiSCQgPba9eTel
France24 did this video recreation of the collapse
PenguinVII@lemmy.zip · 15 pts · 7d
This is insightful, thanks for sharing. What happened is so devastating.
dreamkeeper@literature.cafe · 2 pts · 6d
Holy shit that is a massive glacier collapsing.
ComicalMayhem@lemmy.world · 21 pts · 7d
It's just gonna keep happening. Kill fossil fuels
anarchy79@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 7d
We are! One barrel at a time!
RedAggroBest@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 7d
jerkface@lemmy.ca · -7 pts · 7d
Glaciers have been in retreat for millennia. The Great Lakes exist because the massive glacier that recently used to be there was so heavy, it caused a huge depression in the Earth's crust. All gone. It was never going to stop. We're just making it happen faster.
KarnaSubarna@lemmy.ml · 9 pts · 7d
Word 'faster' is an understatement.
nodiratime@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 6d
It's like saying that killing a child is ethically not problemic, their death just happens earlier. No biggie!
eyesaremosaics@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 4d
Hold up, now you're mixing in made up stuff with a few facts. Yes there is less glaciation since the last glacial maximum when there were huge ice sheets across continents. No it was not inevitable to continue retreating indefinitely without human intervention, that is simply not true at all.
There have been cycles of maxima/minima over the last few million years, and humans have likely contributed to a warmer period since the beginning of agriculture. But the most recent period of warming due to fossil fuel burning over the last few hundred years is way off the charts from historical trends
Monument@piefed.world · 10 pts · 7d
The reason the cause is in debate is because the volume of water was unexpected.
Glaciers are frozen. Glacial collapse means the frozen glacier collapses - like a frozen landslide. Glacial dam outburst is when water that’s been trapped by the glacier suddenly bursts out. The seismic activity around the event is a confusing data point, because it was initially thought to be a rock face collapse that caused the glacier to fall.
It’s not so much a ‘duh’ as they didn’t think there was that much water under these glaciers. Now scientists are trying to figure out what they don’t know.
Edit: New photos are available, and drone footage during the torrent was also found.
It is now believed that a landslide under the glacier caused the collapse.
This excellent video by geologist Shawn Willsey shows the additional photos and drone footage, and includes highly plausible speculation about why there was so much more water than expected.
anarchy79@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 7d
Tonight, at nine: Scientists trying to figure out what they don't know.
Monument@piefed.world · 6 pts · 7d
I know, it’s kind of silly to say, but people are acting like it’s self-evident, but it’s sort of not.
HootinNHollerin@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 9 pts · 7d
It did. There’s video
modernangel@sh.itjust.works · -13 pts · 7d
in other news, breaking research suggests water might possibly be wet
eyeroll
ripcord@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 7d
stfu