Tiny mountain lakes pose big, overlooked flood risks, new study warns

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Add as preferred source Small alpine lakes—often smaller than an Olympic swimming pool—can trigger sudden, destructive floods affecting vulnerable communities. Credit: University of Aberdeen A new international study involving scientists from the University of Aberdeen has revealed a critical blind spot in global climate risk assessments—the growing danger posed by small alpine lakes formed by glacier retreat and permafrost thaw. Published in Nature Sustainability , the research highlights how these lakes, which are often too small to appear in conventional hazard databases, can still unleash sudden and destructive floods with little warning.