Make your own…Gooey glacier

Duncan Quincey is a glaciologist (that means he studies glaciers!). He works in high mountain places like the Himalayas and the Andes. These glaciers are really important because when they melt, the water (called meltwater) flows down to help people grow food and make electricity.

But like many glaciers around the world, they’re melting too fast—faster than they have in hundreds of years! When glaciers melt, they often leave behind big lakes filled with meltwater. If the sides of the lake break, or if an avalanche crashes into the lake and makes it overflow, all the water can suddenly rush out and cause a big flood in the valley below.

Duncan uses satellite pictures and goes up mountains to check on these lakes. He’s often in Nepal, measuring the lake water and studying the rocks and dirt that hold the water in place.

His big goal is to warn people before a flood happens. It’s one way scientists are helping keep people safe from the changes happening in our climate.