As far as visible signs of the reported climate change that is affecting almost every area of the world are concerned, the fall of a small lake over a cliff may be a major one for the media. A small, unnamed lake in the Northwest Territory now sits at the very edge of a cliff that has been slowly receding over the last decade. This now threatens the very existence of the lake, which sits above the Mackenzie Valley.
Geologist Steve Kokelj has been monitoring the lake and the climate of the Northwest Territories. He has seen a sharp increase in the temperature and moisture in the area in the last decade. The headwall that holds the lake in place is slowly crumbling, and the rising temperatures have caused the permafrost, which kept the ground around the lake hard throughout the year, to melt. Rising temperatures and rainfall have been blamed for the melting of the permafrost, which has exposed more previously unseen areas of earth and permafrost.
Kokelj states that a number of cameras have been installed in the area to capture the moment the lake falls into the Mackenzie Valley. No homes are thought to stand in the way of the expected flood zone, but local people have been warned to remain clear of the area as the edge of the cliff draws closer to the shores of the lake.
References: http://www.nationalobserver.com/2015/07/23/news/northern-lake-fall-cliff-due-climate-change-melt-scientist
