Alaska was lucky to avoid disaster after a landslide and tsunami. What about next time?

The close call in Tracy Arm 50 miles south of Juneau on 10 August is the latest sign that as glaciers melt, risks may rise

T

he landslide that triggered a powerful tsunami in Alaska’s Inside Passage early on 10 August was a close call, say scientists, tour operators and agency officials, with the risk of such events apparently increasing as glaciers retreat because of climate change.

“It’s a historic event,” said scientist Dennis Staley from the US Geological Survey of the slide, which occurred in the Tracy Arm fjord 50 miles (80km) south of Juneau.

“I feel like we dodged a bullet,” he continued, of reports that no one had been hurt, at a destination that can see more than 500,000 annual visitors.