AP: Global warming magnified the problem, glacier expert says
Story Transcript
VOICE OF ZAA NKWETA, PRESENTER: Melting ice in southern Chile has caused a glacial lake to swell and empty suddenly, sending a tsunami-like wave through a nearby river. Glacier scientist Gino Casassa said the melting of the Colonia Glacier filled the Cachet Lake and increased pressure on the ice sheet. The water bored a five-mile tunnel through the glacier and finally emptied into the Baker River on April 6. This is a phenomenon that appears periodically during Chile’s summer season. Temperatures were unusually high this year and could be blamed on global warming.
GINO CASASSA, GLACIER SCIENTIST (SUBTITLED TRANSLATION): This is undoubtedly magnified by the recent warming that has been observed not only in this zone, but all over the planet.
NKWETA: Casassa reports that the lake has nearly filled again.
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