Alaska glacier speed-up tied to internal plumbing issues

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Alaskas Kennicott Glacier recently has been observed by scientists to be lurching a result of meltwater and floodwater overwhelming its interior plumbing. Credit: Robert. S. AndersonUniversity of Colorado at Boulder
Alaska's Kennicott Glacier recently has been observed by scientists to be lurching, a result of meltwater and floodwater overwhelming its interior plumbing. Credit: Robert. S. Anderson/University of Colorado at Boulder

A University of Colorado at Boulder study indicates meltwater periodically overwhelms the interior drainpipes of Alaska's Kennicott Glacier and causes it to lurch forward, similar to processes that may help explain the acceleration of glaciers observed recently on the Greenland ice sheet that are contributing to global sea rise.


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