Aberystwyth University scientists lead glacier study

Researchers from Aberystwyth University will lead a two-year study into the dangers posed by Chilean glaciers.

The team secured a £370,000 grant to look at the causes and effects of glacial hazards, with researchers at Exeter University and in Chile.

They will look at the changing magnitude, frequency and distribution of the hazards, including floods, in the context of climate change.

In February a glacier was named after the university's Neil Glasser.

An Antarctic glacier was named after Aberystwyth University's Neil Glasser

"Ice-dammed and moraine-dammed lakes are now developing in Chile as glaciers recede," Prof Glasser said.

"They pose an ever-increasing threat to communities and infrastructure downstream."

In Peru, outburst floods from glaciers have caused about 32,000 deaths in the 20th Century.

In the Nepal Himalaya, costs could exceed 500 million US dollars if flooding destroyed a mature single hydropower installation.