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March 10, 2026

A Pale View of Hills: the legacy of atomic bombings in Japan is explored in this adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s first novel

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jennifer Coates, Professor of Japanese Studies, University of Sheffield

How much do any of us really know about who we are? This question haunts director Kei Ishikawa’s adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s first novel, A Pale View of Hills (1982).

The complex story follows “unreliable narrator” Etsuko from Japan to England. A Pale View of Hills starts in 1982, as Etsuko (Yoh Yoshida) packs up her English country house, preparing to move. Her daughter Niki (Camilla Aiko) arrives, taking advantage of the domestic upheaval to ask about their family history.

Both are struggling with the suicide of older daughter Keiko. Niki cannot enter Keiko’s old room, while Etsuko tells neighbours that Keiko is living in Manchester, England. Niki expresses surprise at how easily her mother tells this lie, but as the film progresses we learn that mother and daughter are keeping a number of secrets from one another.

The family secrets are hidden in omissions and untruths. Sometimes the secrets are obscured by mixing up truths to create confusion. When Niki asks Etsuko for the story of how she came to England, she blends truths supported by the evidence of photo albums and family belongings. Stories and pictures wend together into a confusing narrative that doesn’t add up, and is missing important details.

Etsuko’s memories take the film back to Nagasaki in 1952, seven years after the “Fat Man” atomic bomb was dropped on the port city on August 9 1945, killing as many as 70,000 people.

Ongoing hardship in Nagasaki can be inferred from neighbourhood gossip about a local woman rumoured to be entertaining American servicemen for money, and a spate of violent crimes against children. Nostalgic, warm images jar with dialogue about wartime suffering, violence and discrimination against the hibakusha (被爆者, “bomb-affected people”).

Ishikawa evokes postwar Japanese history in subtle references to the cinema of the era. The cinematography bathes Nagasaki in golden light, evoking the colours of Japanese films of the 1950s and 1960s. A poster for Yasujirō Ozu’s The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice (1952), a drama about a postwar couple considering divorce, signposts the issues in Etsuko’s marriage.

Her relationship to her father-in-law, established during their shared work as schoolteachers, evokes the common trope in postwar atomic bomb film narratives of the young female teacher as heroine. Yet Etsuko emerges as a much more complicated character than the brave heroines of post-war films.

Played by Suzu Hirose, the younger Etsuko befriends her troubled neighbour Sachiko (Fumi Nikaido) and her daughter Mariko. Etsuko is in the early stages of pregnancy and the bullying suffered by Mariko prompts her to help the family. Mariko is ostracised because of the visible scarring on her arms from the atomic bombings, and Sachiko struggles to find work. Sachiko dreams of moving her small family to America, where discrimination against hibakusha will no longer hold them back.

As Etsuko’s story develops, however, the female characters seem to blend.
Sachiko’s hope that Mariko might become an actress in Hollywood echoes Etsuko’s fondness for film magazines, which she reads secretly. While the whole neighbourhood knows of Sachiko and Mariko’s hibakusha status, Etsuko is keeping secret that she was also exposed to radiation during the bombing and worries about its effects on her unborn child.

When Niki finds a family album featuring a photograph of Mariko with the caption “Keiko, 1952”, the audience questions whether Etsuko’s story contains a vital untruth: is Sachiko a version of herself? Ishikawa cites The Hours (Stephen Daldry, 2002) as inspiration for this structure, which shows “the different women at different times in the same story”.

A later photograph shows Niki’s birth in 1958, confirming that she cannot be the baby that the Etsuko in the story is carrying. This suggests that Etsuko will give birth to Keiko who will be a baby disfigured by radiation exposure. Like Sachiko, she will be abandoned by her husband and survive on the outskirts of the community until a move to the west and a new baby changes her fortunes in 1958.

Ishikawa’s desire to “update the story of Nagasaki” and connect contemporary audiences with it is achieved through the echoes that Etsuko’s omissions cast across the film. The subtle performances and beautiful cinematography of Ishikawa’s film creates an inviting and nostalgic atmosphere that allows the disturbing themes of this important book to be gently drawn out.

A rich history of the atomic bombings of Japan and the ongoing impact that continues in the silences, lies and omissions is exposed in A Pale View of Hills. What are people still carrying? For Ishikawa, “the unspoken words, the hidden gestures, the secrets passed on, the narratives that stem from objects” are all “traces of memories” that allow a generational transmission of history.

Jennifer Coates receives funding from UKRI and the Leverhulme Trust.

– ref. A Pale View of Hills: the legacy of atomic bombings in Japan is explored in this adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s first novel – https://theconversation.com/a-pale-view-of-hills-the-legacy-of-atomic-bombings-in-japan-is-explored-in-this-adaptation-of-kazuo-ishiguros-first-novel-273842

March 10, 2026

Kim Kardashian’s new caffeine-free energy drink relies on paraxanthine – here’s what the science says

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Colin Davidson, Professor of Neuropharmacology, University of Lancashire

3D model of paraxanthine’s molecular structure SergeiShimanovich/Shutterstock

Kim Kardashian has launched an energy drink. Instead of containing caffeine, Update includes paraxanthine, a compound the body naturally produces when it breaks down caffeine. According to the brand’s promotional material, using paraxanthine directly “eliminates the crash, jitters and overstimulation” often associated with traditional energy drinks.

Energy drinks are already a huge global market, and most rely on caffeine to provide their stimulant effects. This new product takes a different approach by skipping caffeine and using one of its natural breakdown products instead.

It does not rely on paraxanthine alone. The formula also contains other ingredients commonly used in energy drinks and supplements, including alpha-GPC, sometimes marketed for cognitive performance, and sucralose, an artificial sweetener found in many low or zero sugar beverages. Any assessment of its potential health effects therefore needs to consider these ingredients as well.

Paraxanthine is the main metabolite produced when the body processes caffeine. The liver converts caffeine into three compounds: paraxanthine, theobromine and theophylline. Of these, paraxanthine is the most abundant, accounting for more than 70% of caffeine metabolism, while the other two make up the remaining 20 to 30%.

Caffeine works mainly by blocking adenosine receptors in the brain. Adenosine builds up during the day and promotes tiredness. When those receptors are blocked, we feel more alert. Paraxanthine appears to act on many of the same biological pathways, which may explain its similar stimulant effects.

Some research suggests it may be less toxic than caffeine. Scientists often compare toxicity using LD50, or “lethal dose 50”, the amount required to kill 50% of animals in a study.

In rats, paraxanthine has a higher LD50 than caffeine at around 830 milligrams per kilogram of body weight, while caffeine’s is roughly 300mg per kilogram. In other words, much higher doses are required to reach lethal levels in these animals.

What do animal studies show?

In one long-term study, rats were given either paraxanthine or caffeine for 90 days. Those receiving caffeine showed several signs of overstimulation, including excessive grooming, increased activity and more frequent defecation. Animals given paraxanthine behaved much more normally.

It also appeared less likely to trigger anxiety-like behaviour in rats.

The same study examined biochemical changes after long-term treatment. Rats given caffeine showed increased cholesterol levels and reduced thyroid hormone levels, suggesting a less favourable metabolic profile.

Post-mortem examinations revealed further differences. Several organs were smaller in the caffeine-treated rats, including the spleen, heart, kidneys, liver and testes. These changes were not observed in animals given paraxanthine.

What about human studies?

Animal experiments can provide useful clues, but they do not always reflect what happens in people.

The available human evidence suggests a similar pattern. In one comparison, caffeine produced a greater increase in blood pressure than paraxanthine at comparable doses.

In another study, participants taking paraxanthine performed better in several cognitive tests designed to measure attention and memory, without significant side-effects.

In a small placebo-controlled study, around a dozen healthy adults took it daily for one week. Researchers found no clinically significant changes in standard blood chemistry markers or reports of adverse side effects. However, the study was short and involved a small number of participants, so it cannot establish long-term safety.

It has also attracted interest for potential medical uses and has been patented as a possible treatment for certain psychiatric conditions. That does not necessarily mean it will become an approved therapy.

Taken together, these findings suggest it may produce some of the stimulant effects associated with caffeine, such as improved alertness and concentration, while potentially causing fewer side-effects such as jitteriness or rapid heart rate.

However, an important limitation is that most research comes from studies examining caffeine metabolism rather than people consuming paraxanthine directly. Human trials of the compound itself remain relatively small and short.

What about the other ingredients?

Several additional compounds are included, but the only one for which the dose is clearly stated is alpha-GPC, at 315mg per can.

Alpha-GPC, short for alpha-glycerylphosphorylcholine, occurs naturally in foods such as fish, meat, milk, eggs, cereals and peanuts. After consumption, it is converted into phosphorylcholine, which helps support the production of neurotrophic factors. These proteins help nerve cells grow, survive and communicate.

It has been widely studied for safety. Animal studies using very high doses have found only minor adverse effects, suggesting it is generally considered safe when consumed within typical supplement ranges.

The formula also contains L-theanine, an amino acid found naturally in tea, which may promote a calmer form of alertness and reduce overstimulation.

Another ingredient is sucralose, used in many low or zero-sugar drinks. It is widely regarded as safe by food safety regulators. Some studies have raised questions about possible metabolic effects.

For example, one recent study found that long-term consumption was associated with insulin resistance in mice fed a high-fat diet. Animal findings do not always translate directly to humans, and the amount included in the drink has not been publicly disclosed.

Is paraxanthine better than caffeine?

Each 350ml can contains 300mg of paraxanthine and 315mg of alpha-GPC. That amount is broadly comparable to the quantity the body might generate after metabolising a large dose of caffeine, although the exact conversion varies between people.

Based on the available studies, this level would likely produce stimulant effects similar to caffeine, such as increased alertness and improved attention. Some evidence suggests it may cause fewer of the side-effects often linked to caffeine, including jitteriness or increased heart rate.

The alpha-GPC dose falls within a range generally considered safe and may support brain signalling processes.

The main uncertainty relates to sucralose. While widely approved for consumption, some research suggests that long-term intake could affect metabolic health, although the evidence remains mixed and the quantity here is unknown.

Overall, studies in animals and humans suggest paraxanthine may be less toxic than caffeine and capable of producing similar stimulant effects. However, the evidence base remains far smaller than the decades of research available for caffeine.

More research will be needed before we can determine whether paraxanthine-based energy drinks offer a meaningful advantage over traditional caffeinated options.

Colin Davidson has previously received funding from the US National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). He is a consultant with the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (UK) and a member of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. His views in this article are his own.

– ref. Kim Kardashian’s new caffeine-free energy drink relies on paraxanthine – here’s what the science says – https://theconversation.com/kim-kardashians-new-caffeine-free-energy-drink-relies-on-paraxanthine-heres-what-the-science-says-276921

March 10, 2026

From period scooping to menstrual masking: the strange science of viral period hacks

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Katie Edwards, Commissioning Editor, Health + Medicine and Host of Strange Health podcast, The Conversation

Period scooping sounds like something you would only hear in a biology lab, not while doom-scrolling TikTok. Yet earlier this year, videos claiming you can “scoop out” your period to avoid the mess and shorten the whole thing racked up millions of views. Some people were pushing in the shower using pelvic floor muscles. Others described using water, fingers, or even objects to “clean out” menstrual fluid.

In the final episode of the first season of The Conversation’s Strange Health podcast, co-host Dan Baumgardt and I watched the clips, winced a bit, laughed a bit, then did what we always do: we asked an expert what is actually going on inside the body.

I spoke to Sally King, a visiting fellow at King’s College London and founder of the evidence-based menstrual health project Menstrual Matters. Her first point was almost disappointingly simple: you cannot shorten a period by “scooping”. Menstruation is the shedding of the uterine lining, triggered by hormonal changes and helped along by uterine contractions. Once the process is underway, removing fluid from the vaginal canal does not stop the uterus shedding tissue. It might make you feel less “full” for a moment, but it does not end your period early.

Where King’s tone sharpened was on the version of “scooping” that involves washing inside the vagina with water or soap, essentially douching. This is not harmless hygiene. The vagina is self-cleaning and has an acidic environment that supports protective bacteria. Flooding it with neutral water or alkaline products disrupts that balance and is linked to infections such as bacterial vaginosis, and in some cases more serious reproductive health problems.

If the motivation is smell, discomfort or discharge, the answer is not Dettol or “feminine washes”. It is proper treatment and, crucially, a culture where people feel able to ask for help without shame.

Then there videos raving about “emergency period stop” drinks. Lime juice. Tajín. Shots of whatever is trending this week. King was blunt: there is no scientific basis for any food or drink instantly halting a period mid-cycle. Menstrual symptoms can change from month to month anyway, which makes it easy to mistake coincidence for cause, especially online where confirmation bias thrives.

And yet not all viral period content is rooted in disgust. Some of it is a backlash against stigma. The most eyebrow-raising example is “period masking”, where influencers smear menstrual blood on their faces and claim the stem cells will transform their skin.

King’s verdict was half delighted, half exasperated. Menstrual fluid does contain unusually interesting stem cells, and scientists are investigating them for regenerative medicine. During the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, researchers reported promising results using menstrual blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells as a treatment in severely ill patients, but these were processed cells delivered in a clinical setting, not a DIY face mask.

These trends flourish in the gaps left by poor menstrual health education, including in medicine. King argues that we still teach about menstruation primarily as a prelude to pregnancy, rather than a complex biological process with its own functions and health signals.

If a hack relies on shame, secrecy, or the idea that your body is dirty and must be “fixed” fast, it is probably selling you something, even if what it wants is only your attention.

Strange Health is hosted by Katie Edwards and Dan Baumgardt. The executive producer is Gemma Ware, with video and sound editing for this episode by Anouk Millet. Artwork by Alice Mason.

If you’ve got a question about a viral trend or video you’ve seen and you’d like us to delve into the science behind it in a future episode, please email us at strangehealth@theconversation.com.

Listen to Strange Health via any of the apps listed above, download it directly via our RSS feed or find out how else to listen here. A transcript is available via the Apple Podcasts or Spotify apps.

Katie Edwards is Commissioning Editor, Health and Medicine at The Conversation in the UK. Sally King is the founder of Menstrual Matters- the world’s first evidence-based info hub on menstrual health and rights.

Dan Baumgardt does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. From period scooping to menstrual masking: the strange science of viral period hacks – https://theconversation.com/from-period-scooping-to-menstrual-masking-the-strange-science-of-viral-period-hacks-276733

March 10, 2026

Iraq war’s aftermath was a disaster for the US – the Iran war is headed in the same direction

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Farah N. Jan, Senior Lecturer in International Relations, University of Pennsylvania

U.S. Marines crossing into Iraq from Kuwait on March 21, 2003. AP Photo/Laurent Rebours

The United States military achieved every objective it set when it went to war in Iraq in 2003. Decapitation: Saddam Hussein was captured, tried and hanged. Air dominance: total, within days. Regime collapse: The Iraqi government fell in 21 days.

Now, consider Iraq more than 20 years after the U.S.-Iraq war. Iraq is still an authoritarian state governed by political parties with deep institutional ties to Tehran. Iranian-backed militias operate openly on Iraqi soil – some holding official positions within the Iraqi state.

The country the U.S. spent US$2 trillion and 4,488 American lives to remake is, by any reasonable measure, within the sphere of Iran’s influence.

As an international security scholar specializing in nuclear security and alliance politics in the Middle East, I have tracked the pattern of U.S. military success across multiple cases.

But the military outcome and the political outcome are almost never the same thing, and the gap between them is where wars fail.

Two and a half millennia ago, Thucydides recorded the Athenian empire at its most confident in his “History of the Peloponnesian War”: “The strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must.” Athens then destroyed Melos and launched the Sicily Expedition with overwhelming force and no coherent theory of governance for what came next.

The lesson, then and now, is not that empires cannot destroy. It’s that destruction and governance are entirely different enterprises. And confusing them is how empires exhaust themselves.

The U.S. military can destroy the Iranian regime. The question that the Iraq precedent answers – with brutal clarity – is what fills the power vacuum when it does?

The military and political ledger

In April 2003, American L. Paul Bremer arrived in Baghdad as the head of the Coalition Provisional Authority, which served as a transitional government, and issued two orders that would define the next two decades.

Order 1 dissolved the ruling Baath Party and removed all senior party members from their government positions, purging the administrative class that ran its ministries, hospitals and schools. Order 2 disbanded the Iraqi army but did not disarm it. Approximately 400,000 soldiers went home with their weapons and without their paychecks.

Washington had just handed the insurgency – the Sunni-led armed resistance that would turn into a decade-long war – its recruiting pool. The logic behind Bremer’s de-Baathification was intuitive: You cannot build a new Iraq with the people who built the old one. The logic was also catastrophic

A man in a suit and tie walks in a desert. — L. Paul Bremer prepares to board a helicopter in Hillah, Iraq, during a farewell tour of the country on June 17, 2004.
AP Photo/Wathiq Khuzaie

Political scientists have long observed that countries are held together not by ideology but by organized coercion. That is, by the bureaucratic machinery, institutional memory and trained professionals who keep the lights on and the water running. Destroy that machinery, and you do not have a clean slate. You have a collapsed state, and collapsed states do not stay empty of leadership.

They fill, and they fill with whoever has the most organizational capacity on the ground. Iran had been building that capacity in Iraq since the 1980s, cultivating Shia political networks, exile parties and militia groups during and after the Iran-Iraq War and beyond with the explicit goal of ensuring a post-Saddam Iraq would never again threaten Iranian security.

Tehran did not need to build infrastructure in Iraq after the U.S. invasion, because it had spent the previous two decades building it. When the old order collapsed, Iran’s networks were ready.

The opposition the U.S. had cultivated in Iraq – Ahmed Chalabi and the Iraqi National Congress – had Washington’s ear but no Iraqi constituency. They had not governed the country, or built networks inside it.

The lesson is that military success created the precise conditions for political catastrophe, and that chasm is where American strategy has gone to die – in Iraq and in Libya, where the Obama administration helped bring about regime change in 2011, but where political instability has endured since. And perhaps now in Iran.

The vacuum is not neutral

The fundamental misunderstanding at the heart of American regime-change strategy is the assumption that destroying the existing order creates space for something better.

It does not.

It creates space for whoever is best organized, best armed and most willing to fill it. In Iraq, that was Iran.

The question now is who fills it in Iran itself.

In Iran, the group that meets all three criteria – organized, armed and willing – is the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Revolutionary Guard is not simply a military institution. It controls an estimated 30% to 40% of the Iranian economy and runs construction conglomerates, telecommunications companies and petrochemical firms. And it has cultivated a parallel state infrastructure for decades.

Since Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s death at the start of the U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign, the Revolutionary Guard has taken effective control of decision-making. As one Iran expert told NBC News: “Even if they replace the supreme leader, what is left of the regime is the IRGC.”

The succession confirmed it: Mojtaba Khamenei, with deep ties to the Revolutionary Guard, was named supreme leader on March 8, 2026. It’s a Revolutionary Guard-backed dynastic succession that represents maximum continuity with the old regime, not regime change.

You cannot dismantle the Revolutionary Guard without collapsing the economy, and a collapsed economy does not produce a transition government; it produces a failed state. Washington has already run that experiment in Libya.

You cannot leave the Revolutionary Guard in place without leaving the regime’s coercive core intact. There is no clean surgical option of dropping bombs, killing certain people and declaring it a new day in Iran.

The Iranian opposition in exile, the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq; the monarchists who support the return of the late-shah’s son to lead the country; and the various democratic factions all present the same problem Chalabi did in 2003: Washington access, no domestic legitimacy.

Military men holding rifles march on a street. — Revolutionary Guard troops march in a military rally in Tehran on Jan. 10, 2025.
Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images

The Mujahedeen-e-Khalq is listed as a terrorist organization by Iran and is widely despised inside the country. The monarchist movement has not governed Iran since 1979, and its corrupt, despotic leader was overthrown in the revolution. The democratic reform networks that had been building momentum inside Iran were not saved by the U.S. strikes. The regime had already crushed the movement in January, detaining and killing thousands.

Decades of research on rally-around-the-flag effects confirm what common sense suggests: External attack fuses regime and nation even when citizens despise their leaders. Iranians who were chanting against the supreme leader are now watching foreign bombs fall on their cities.

Iraq in 2003 had 25 million people, a military degraded by 12 years of sanctions, and no active nuclear program. Iran has 92 million people, proxy networks that would not disappear if Tehran fell – in fact, they would activate – and a stockpile of over 880 pounds of highly enriched uranium that the International Atomic Energy Agency has been unable to fully account for since the 2025 U.S. and Israeli strikes.

The question Washington hasn’t answered

Who governs 92 million Iranians?

President Donald Trump has said whoever governs Iran must receive Washington’s approval. But a veto is not a vision.

Approving or rejecting candidates from Washington requires a functioning political process, a legitimate transitional authority and a population willing to accept an American imprimatur on their leadership — none of which exists.

Washington has a preference; it does not have a plan. If the objective is eliminating the nuclear program, then why does Iran still hold an unverified stockpile of weapon-usable uranium eight months after the 2025 strikes? The strikes have not resolved the proliferation question. They have made it more dangerous and less tractable.

If the objective is regional stability, why has every round of strikes produced a wider regional war?

Washington has no answer to any of these questions – only a theory of destruction.

Farah N. Jan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Iraq war’s aftermath was a disaster for the US – the Iran war is headed in the same direction – https://theconversation.com/iraq-wars-aftermath-was-a-disaster-for-the-us-the-iran-war-is-headed-in-the-same-direction-277585

March 9, 2026

B.C.’s switch to permanent DST adds to the ‘perfect storm’ for poorer adolescent sleep and mental health

Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Elizabeth Keys, Assistant Professor (Nursing), University of British Columbia

The British Columbia government recently announced the province will adopt permanent daylight saving time (DST). It framed the decision as a way to improve health, reduce disruptions, simplify scheduling and provide more evening daylight.

The adoption of permanent DST raises significant concerns about social jetlag and long-term health impacts. Scientific evidence indicates that permanent DST results in a chronic mismatch between people’s daily clock-based schedules and their internal biological clock.

This mismatch is known as social jetlag, results in sleep deprivation and negatively impacts health, as detailed by the Canadian Sleep Society, Canadian Society for Chronobiology, Canadian Sleep Research Consortium and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

As nurses conducting pediatric sleep research, our focus is on promoting adequate sleep for children, adolescents and their families. We are particularly concerned about the effect of permanent DST on adolescents’ sleep because they already experience social jetlag.

Circadian rhythm

Our internal body clock uses morning light to help us “reset” our circadian rhythm. Light helps regulate our internal body functions, such as digestion, metabolism, hormone regulation and mood. This daily light reset helps people synchronize their biological clocks with the sun.

Canada’s northern latitude gives Canadians a morning dose of daylight in the summer months. The switch back to standard time in the fall provides some morning daylight as the days shorten. That will not occur with permanent DST, which — unlike maintaining standard time all year round — maintains the artificial one-hour time switch of DST permanently.

DST changes the clock time without changing sun time, so circadian rhythms are not synchronized with school and work obligations, resulting in social jetlag. Social jetlag increases the risk of smoking, higher alcohol and caffeine consumption, and a higher incidence of mental health problems. It also increases risk for obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular problems.

One in three Canadian adolescents do not get the recommended eight to 10 hours of sleep per night. Recent estimates suggest more than half of teens do not get enough sleep.

Social jetlag is already common in adolescents, who experience a “perfect storm” for sleep deprivation. This perfect storm is caused by biological (such as hormonal) and psycho-social shifts towards later bedtimes and wake times. Social jetlag occurs because they have to get up for school on weekdays. Layering permanent DST on already existing social jetlag will likely worsen the perfect storm for adolescent sleep deprivation.

The severity of adolescent’s sleep deprivation and social jetlag is shown by the difference in the amount and timing of sleep they get on weekdays (when they have to get up for school or work) compared to weekends (when many people can sleep in). On average, Canadian adolescents sleep about one hour more on weekends than weekdays, with larger differences observed for female adolescents and those who identified beyond a gender binary.

Chronic sleep loss in adolescents is linked to problems with attention, behaviour and learning, and to increased risk of depression and self-harm. A recent review reported that adolescents’ shorter sleep duration was associated with a 55 per cent increase in the likelihood of mood deficits, such as anger, depression, negative affect and anxiety. Even younger adolescents (14 years) with less than seven hours of sleep had increased risk for drug use, anti-social behaviour and sensation-seeking.

Sleep duration is a relatively modifiable factor that can protect the mental health of adolescents. When Russia adopted permanent DST in 2011 (before switching back in 2014), adolescents experienced higher rates of sleep deprivation, increased social jetlag and increased depressed mood in the winter, especially for those located in more northern communities.

Late sunrises

Canada’s wider variations in day and night lengths will exacerbate effects of permanent DST. For example, adopting permanent DST means that sunrise in cities like Victoria, Vancouver and Kamloops won’t happen until after 9 a.m. in the middle of winter. This would apply to many other cities, including Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Winnipeg and Saint John if permanent DST were adopted in those regions.

Late sunrises will especially impact more northern communities, like Fort Saint John where the sun won’t rise until after 10:30 a.m. in December. More northern communities, including many Indigenous, rural and remote communities, often already experience health inequities, including reduced access to medical services and other mental health resources. This reduced access may worsen the impact of permanent DST on sleep and mental health.

The experiment with permanent DST is likely to have significant effects over time. Evidence suggests negative effects on adolescents’ sleep and well-being. Researchers, health-care providers, policymakers and the public will need to work together to monitor the sleep duration, mood, health behaviours, and other intended and unintended consequences of the transition to permanent DST for adolescents.

Funded research examining changes at the population level is important to provide evidence about the effects of permanent DST for adolescents living in British Columbia.

Elizabeth Keys receives funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and Michael Smith Health Research BC.

Wendy Hall receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

– ref. B.C.’s switch to permanent DST adds to the ‘perfect storm’ for poorer adolescent sleep and mental health – https://theconversation.com/b-c-s-switch-to-permanent-dst-adds-to-the-perfect-storm-for-poorer-adolescent-sleep-and-mental-health-277587

March 9, 2026

La religion et les allégeances politiques ont-elles un impact sur l’appui à l’enseignement de certaines matières à l’école ?

Source: The Conversation – in French – By Frédérick Guillaume Dufour, Professeur en sociologie politique, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)

Deux rapports récents ont fait état d’une montée de l’homophobie et de la misogynie dans les écoles québécoises. Tant celui du GRIS-Montréal que celui de la Fédératon autonome de l’enseignement (FAE) pointe du doigt l’influence des masculinistes comme Andrew Tate.

Depuis près de deux semaines, ce rapport de la FAE s’est retrouvé au cœur des polarisations sociales en ligne, tout comme celui du GRIS-Montréal un an plus tôt. Plusieurs leur reprochent de ne pas explorer suffisamment la dimension religieuse des répondants et l’’intensité de leur pratique religieuse.

En contexte de polarisations, la présentation de telles études sur les réseaux sociaux reçoit régulièrement une réception partisane.

Ainsi, une partie de la gauche de la gauche a tendance à voir l’opposition à une éducation libérale sur les enjeux de sexualité et de droits des homosexuels dans les écoles comme étant le fait exclusif de la montée de l’extrême droite. Une partie de la droite conservatrice a quant à elle tendance à identifier le rejet de ces matières comme étant le fait exclusif des minorités musulmanes.

Le prisme des polarisations sociales

Mes recherches s’inscrivent en sociologie politique. Depuis une dizaine d’années, je m’intéresse aux polarisations sociales entourant la montée du populisme de droite. Dans le cadre d’une subvention du Gouvernement du Canada obtenue par le Musée de l’Holocauste de Montréal, j’ai été mandaté pour réaliser un sondage avec la firme Léger Marketing sur un ensemble d’enjeux de société au cœur des polarisations sociales, allant de l’intolérance à l’antisémitisme, en passant par le populisme, le conspirationnisme, et la perception de l’immigration.

Dans une première enquête sur le vivre-ensemble et les polarisations sociales, nous avons sondé 1402 adultes québécois. Afin d’avoir un portrait des clivages sur les enjeux sociaux en fonction des données sociodémographiques, des intentions de vote au provincial et au fédéral, mais aussi des confessions religieuses, nous avons sondé un sur-échantillon de répondants musulmans (138) et de répondants juifs (78). Nous avions suffisamment de répondants chrétiens (774) pour ne pas avoir besoin de les sur-échantillonner.

L’enquête a été menée en juillet 2025 sur une plate-forme électronique en fonction de l’ensemble des régions administratives du Québec et des indicateurs sociodémographiques permettant d’établir un échantillon représentatif. Il faut cependant être prudent, car plus les sous-groupes ont de petits échantillons, plus la marge d’erreur augmente.

L’avantage des enquêtes sur plates-formes électroniques est qu’elles diminuent les biais de désirabilité des enquêtes où les répondants peuvent chercher à fournir la réponse la plus appropriée en fonction du contexte.

Un volet de l’enquête portait sur les thèmes que les répondants souhaitent voir enseigner par le système d’éducation publique au Québec.

La présentation succincte des données, qui portent cependant sur des adultes et non des adolescents, met en relief le caractère partial des postures militantes, de gauche comme de droite, sur ces enjeux.

Deux questions, trois dimensions

En matière d’éducation, nous nous sommes intéressés aux enjeux plus souvent au cœur des controverses publiques, soit le niveau d’appui des répondants à l’enseignement de l’histoire du Québec, à celle des pensionnats autochtones, de l’Holocauste, des droits des gais et lesbiennes et à l’éducation à la sexualité.

Ce sont sur ces deux dernières questions que nous présentons ici les résultats. Ils sont présentés sous la forme simple d’une analyse bivariée, c’est-à-dire qui met en relation deux variables sous forme de pourcentage. La variable dépendante est le niveau d’appui à l’enseignement de la matière. Une telle analyse ne permet pas de conclure à des relations de causalité, mais seulement d’identifier des tendances.

Les indicateurs sociodémographiques

88 % des répondants étaient favorables à l’enseignement de l’éducation à la sexualité et 58 % à l’enseignement de l’histoire des droits des gais et lesbiennes (DGL).

Le sexe ne permet pas de mesurer une variation significative à l’égard de l’appui à l’éducation à la sexualité, mais les femmes sont plus favorables (64 %) que les hommes (52 %) à l’enseignement de l’histoire des DGL. L’appui à l’éducation à la sexualité est plus élevé chez les 55 et + et l’appui à l’enseignement de l’histoire des DGL ne varie pas significativement en fonction de l’âge. La région ou le niveau de scolarité n’entraîne pas de variation très importante non plus.

La religion

Parmi les répondants chrétiens, 90 % se disent favorables à l’éducation à la sexualité. C’est le cas de 85 % des répondants juifs et de 53 % des répondants musulmans.

Quant à l’enseignement de l’histoire des droits des gays et lesbiennes, 24 % des répondants musulmans, 54 % des répondants chrétiens et 65 % des répondants juifs y sont favorables. Le tableau suivant présente les résultats auxquels nous ajoutons celui des athées et où les chrétiens sont séparés entre catholiques et protestants.

Dans ce premier tableau, la proximité entre les résultats des athées, des juifs et des catholiques est frappante.

Dans ce second tableau, la répartition des données est plus importante.

Voici nos résultats en fonction de l’intensité autodéclarée de la pratique religieuse. Les répondants croyants pouvaient indiquer l’intensité de leur pratique religieuse sur une échelle d’un à quatre, allant de « Pas du tout pratiquant » à « Très pratiquant ». Nous présentons les résultats en regroupant les résultats « plutôt pratiquant » et « très pratiquant ».

Le taux de répondants défavorables à l’enseignement de l’éducation à la sexualité augmente avec le niveau de religiosité, sauf pour le groupe « protestant » qui constitue notre plus petit échantillon, donc celui dont la représentativité est la moins fiable.

Dans ce quatrième tableau, on constate que la variable de l’intensité de la pratique religieuse entretient une relation moins claire avec la variable dépendante en fonction des confessions religieuses. Si les « Pas du tout pratiquant » sont globalement plus favorables à l’enseignement des deux matières, la progression est moins claire par la suite.

Les intentions de vote

Nos données indiquent un appui favorable au cours d’éducation à la sexualité chez 95 % des répondants ayant l’intention de voter pour le Parti Québécois (360) ou pour Québec solidaire (102). L’appui reste très favorable chez les électeurs potentiels de la CAQ (117) et du PLQ (342) à 88 % et 89 %. L’appui reste important à 79 % chez les électeurs potentiels du Parti conservateur du Québec (141) de Éric Duhaime.

Quant à l’enseignement de l’histoire des droits des gais et lesbiennes, 69 % des électeurs du PQ, 62 % des électeurs du PLQ et 60 % des électeurs de la CAQ y sont favorables. L’appui grimpe à 79 % chez les électeurs de QS et il est à 31 % chez ceux du PCQ.

Au fédéral, les données indiquent un appui favorable au cours d’éducation à la sexualité chez 94 % des bloquistes (330), 91 % des néodémocrates (71), 90 % des libéraux (486) et 83 % des conservateurs (215). Quant à l’enseignement de l’histoire des droits des gais et lesbiennes, il a l’appui de 89 % des néodémocrates, 67 % des bloquistes, 64 % des libéraux et 32 % des conservateurs.

Quelles tendances ressortent ?

On constate globalement un appui très fort à l’enseignement de l’éducation à la sexualité. Cet appui est moins fort chez les répondants de confessions musulmanes et chez les partisans des formations conservatrices, mais il reste majoritaire.

On constate un appui un peu moins fort à l’enseignement de l’histoire des gays et lesbiennes. Cet appui reste globalement majoritaire, mais il est sous les 50 % chez les partisans des formations conservatrices et chez les répondants de confession musulmane. Il reste que même chez ces catégories de répondants environ 3 répondants sur 10 sont favorables à l’enseignement de la matière en question. Cette catégorie de répondants n’est donc pas monolithique.

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Les « athées » et les répondants croyants s’identifiant « Pas du tout pratiquant » sont globalement plus favorables à l’enseignement des deux matières.

Des bémols en conclusion

L’opposition à l’enseignement de ces matières ne permet cependant pas de conclure que les répondants sont homophobes.

Les répondants peuvent par exemple estimer que le système scolaire québécois devrait prioriser d’autres matières.

Les répondants libertariens, qui votent souvent pour des formations conservatrices, peuvent quant à eux estimer que ce n’est pas à l’État de donner des orientations sur ces enjeux qu’ils considèrent relevant de la vie privée.

Les questions ne précisaient pas non plus l’âge auquel l’enseignement de ces matières devrait être dispensé. Cette variable pourrait faire varier les réponses de façon importante.

S’agissant de données récoltées à travers un seul sondage, elles ne permettent pas d’indiquer une variation temporelle dans une direction ou dans l’autre sur ces questions.

La question intéressante qu’il faudrait maintenant poser est : est-ce que le fait d’avoir été exposé à cette matière modifie la perception des jeunes de ces enjeux une fois rendue à l’âge adulte ? Un autre type d’enquête est nécessaire pour répondre à cette question.

Frédérick Guillaume Dufour est professeur titulaire à l’Université du Québec à Montréal. Il collabore avec le Musée de l’Holocauste de Montréal à titre de chercheur dans le cadre d’une subvention du Gouvernement du Canada obtenue par le Musée.

– ref. La religion et les allégeances politiques ont-elles un impact sur l’appui à l’enseignement de certaines matières à l’école ? – https://theconversation.com/la-religion-et-les-allegeances-politiques-ont-elles-un-impact-sur-lappui-a-lenseignement-de-certaines-matieres-a-lecole-277822

March 9, 2026

Foraged mushrooms and sea beet featured in British meals in the 16th century. Why not today?

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Emmanuel Junior Zuza, Visiting Assistant Professor in Environmental Science, The Open University

Knowledge about eating wild mushrooms has been lost. Sandret/Shtterstock

Wild garlic, oyster mushrooms and sea beet were once regularly gathered and eaten as part of meals across the UK. Today, some people have concerns about eating food growing in the woods or hedgerows, but are keen to discuss why – as our research shows.

Our small study looked at current public attitudes to eating wild foods in the English county of Dorset.

In previous centuries, knowledge about what to pick and eat and even how to cook was passed down through generations.

In 16th-century Britain, rural households ate pottage (a kind of soup made from oats) and foraged for other ingredients including sorrel and leeks. Coastal communities gathered samphire and sea beet, while hazelnuts were gathered from forests and hedgerows. Wild game, such as rabbit and deer, and freshwater eels were considered ordinary foods for those who could find them.

My team’s research into public attitudes to “wild food” was based in Dorset, a strongly agricultural county. Working with an experienced forager, we selected ten foods growing wild in the county and available around the UK. We then asked a mix of farmers and people in the food industry including chefs and experienced foragers about whether they would feel comfortable eating these items.

When shown photographs of commonly available edible species including nettles, mushrooms (wood ear and oyster), blackberries, wild garlic, elder, cleavers (a native wildflower), hawthorn, hazelnut, and sea beet, many participants expressed surprise about how little they knew about the foods growing in their back gardens and nearby woods.

One farmer in the group said: “I grew up in the countryside, I was always curious about plants and what was growing outside. But I’m always surprised about how little I know and I’m someone who loves plants.” The people we spoke with were not confident about how to identify food sources on their doorsteps and add them into their cooking.

Two people out of the group of 11 correctly identified the two types of mushrooms, wood ear and oyster, that are common in Dorset and widely foraged globally. Several participants admitted they were a bit afraid of eating mushrooms. One farmer said that wild mushrooming “terrifies me a little bit”.

A foraging expert said: “A lot of people are scared because they’re told when they’re a kid, don’t touch the mushrooms, they might be poisonous.”

Urban foraging is a new trend in Germany.

One grower said that consumers have become used to buying all their food from shops, but they are less comfortable with buying, or finding, foraged food. Participants said they would be comfortable buying oyster mushrooms in a supermarket, but they would feel less secure buying them at a market, for instance.

But we found some participants were enthusiastic about trying out new wild ingredients. One said: “If you can eat something that you’ve grown, picked or foraged, it kind of has a special feeling about it.”

Another said: “I’m going to have them. It’s free! I mean, why wouldn’t you?”

It should be noted that inexperienced foragers should seek guidance on which fungi are safe to eat as not all are edible, and some are poisonous.

Participants’ perspectives shifted after discussing foraging and consumption. One participant commented: “This shows the loss of knowledge and understanding of how to find and eat wild foods, even in rural communities.”

Wild foods, such as the ones in our study, were once part of a staple diet but are not widely available in supermarkets, although a few do crop up at farmers’ markets. Examples of these include wild garlic, wood ear mushrooms, elderflower, nettle, cleavers, hawthorn, sea beet, chickweed and sea purslane.

Rebuilding knowledge about local wild foods could help reconnect people with their food environment.

Emmanuel Junior Zuza works as a Senior Lecturer at The Royal Agricultural University and is a Visiting Fellow for the Open University.

– ref. Foraged mushrooms and sea beet featured in British meals in the 16th century. Why not today? – https://theconversation.com/foraged-mushrooms-and-sea-beet-featured-in-british-meals-in-the-16th-century-why-not-today-275743

March 9, 2026

Climate change may not end skiing. But it will make it more exclusive

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Paolo Aversa, Professor of Strategy, King’s College London

The Winter Olympics just showcased alpine sport at its most spectacular and universal. But in the mountains themselves, access to winter sports is becoming increasingly unequal.

The cost of keeping slopes open in a warming climate is climbing – and so are prices for visitors. Investment will be concentrated in higher altitude resorts that are able to adapt, while smaller and lower areas fall behind. The key question for the future of skiing may not be whether it survives at all, but who it survives for.

Unlike the UK, where skiing is associated with expensive foreign holidays, in Alpine regions it has become a mainstream hobby without the same class connotations. Born as a means of transport, more affordable equipment made it increasingly accessible to people beyond the mountains. In Italy, for instance, it is not unusual for state schools to take their pupils into the mountains for a traditional “settimana bianca” – white week – skiing holiday.

Each winter, locals and tourists together support a sector that accounts for roughly €12 billion (about £10 billion) – that’s 0.5% of Italy’s national GDP, and a far higher percentage of the economy in mountain regions. Winter sports have become a major employer, as communities that once depended on seasonal farming and agriculture have progressively shifted to tourism.

Yet the climate conditions that made this possible are changing.

Peak prices

With snow falling less and melting faster, resorts invest heavily in artificial snowmaking to maintain reliable winter seasons. These investments have worked – most ski runs in the Alps are now lined by modern snowmaking machines – but they also reshape the economics of skiing.

That’s because the cost is being passed on to skiers themselves.

snow cannon beside a piste — A ‘snow cannon’ pumps out tiny droplets of water which turn to snow before they land. It uses lots of water and energy – but is very effective.
krovsmolokom13 / shutterstock

For instance in the Dolomiti Superski network, Italy’s largest, a high-season daily pass has surged from €67 (£59) in 2021 to around €86 (£75) this year, a rise of 28% in three years. The cost of skiing in Europe has risen by 34.8% above inflation since 2015, with Swiss, Austrian, and Italian resorts mostly responsible for the price increase.

In the US, prices are increasing even faster and American skiers are increasingly heading to relatively cheaper resorts in the Alps. Together with skiers from Russia and Eastern Europe who are wealthy enough to ignore the prices, they’ve helped keep Alpine tourism fully booked.

But skiing is less and less accessible for many less-affluent families, including many locals. Former Italian World Cup skier and TV commentator Paolo De Chiesa recently warned that skiing in Italy is becoming a sport for the elite.

As climate adaptation demands more and more investment, skiing will be increasingly concentrated in fewer higher altitude resorts. These resorts tend to be further into the mountains and already attract most of the wealthy tourists, which means they can also afford more snow-making.

small private jet on runway in snowy mountains — A small airport in the ski resort of Courchevel, France, caters to the jet set.
Maria Studio / shutterstock

Smaller and lower-altitude resorts with mostly local visitors are far more likely to struggle – many are already seeing their winter seasons shorten, and some have already closed entirely.

When adaptation reshapes communities

These changes are felt most strongly in mountain communities themselves. One of us (Paolo) grew up a short drive from where the recent Winter Olympics were held. During his childhood most of his friends knew how to ski, but today only a handful of them can afford to take their children.

This is one side of a growing divide within ski tourism between places that can afford to adapt and those that cannot. Artificial snowmaking increases dependence on capital investment, energy and water. This favours large resorts which, over time, pass costs on to deep-pocketed visitors and local communities.

Meanwhile, seasonal workers now often struggle to find accommodation as housing is prioritised for visitors. Narrow mountain roads are congested, parking is difficult, and public services are under pressure.

Beyond winter-only tourism

If climate change is concentrating skiing in fewer, higher-altitude resorts, the change needs to be gradual and managed rather than sudden and brutal. Much of the industry still profits from the status quo and won’t be keen to transition to other arrangements. That’s why policymakers have a responsibility to guide the transition, starting with lower-altitude resorts.

There, diversification into year-round tourism, gastronomy, wellness, or other nature experiences is one way to build a more resilient future. Protecting the local community and more fairly distributing the revenues of the tourism is becoming as important as maintaining visitor numbers.

Investment and opportunity – and even snow itself – is being further concentrated in fewer spots. Technology may save skiing, but the question is for whom. A global affluent elite may be able to handle the price rises, while local people are increasingly excluded from the system they helped to build.

Paolo Aversa receives funding from the Center for Sustainable Business at King’s College London, the Center for Sports and Business at the Stockholm School of Economics, and the Fondazione CARITRO.

Juliane Reinecke receives funding from the Center for Sports and Business at the Stockholm School of Economics.

– ref. Climate change may not end skiing. But it will make it more exclusive – https://theconversation.com/climate-change-may-not-end-skiing-but-it-will-make-it-more-exclusive-276703

March 9, 2026

US is less prone to oil price shocks than in past decades

Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Amy Myers Jaffe, Director, Energy, Climate Justice, and Sustainability Lab, and Research Professor, New York University; Tufts University

Gas prices are up, but other forces may limit the economic harm to the U.S. Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

Oil is a global market, so when prices rise in one place, they rise everywhere. The current war against Iran has already raised oil prices significantly.

Mideast oil production has been slowed by efforts to close the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for oil tankers from the Middle East to the rest of the world, as well as by attacks – and fears of attacks – on oil production, storage and shipment installations.

And this war has also disrupted the flow of liquefied natural gas from Qatar, which controls almost 20% of the global market. That also affects the world economy and supply chains. And shortages of natural gas affect production of fertilizer and aluminium, as well as other key materials.

As a professor who has been studying oil price shocks for two decades, I’m often asked about the effects of rising oil prices on the U.S. economy. The answer to that question has changed over the past two decades.

The global economic picture

Countries that import much of their oil have to pay other countries for that imported oil.

That was a problem for the U.S. back in the 1970s through the early 2000s. The U.S. sent billions of dollars a year abroad to oil-producing countries in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. That money built up other countries’ economies or sloshed around as financial surpluses that fueled financial market exuberance and asset bubbles that could suddenly pop.

Oil imports increased the U.S. trade deficit in the 1970s and beyond. And as a result, U.S. industries suffered from high energy costs, which forced closures of major U.S. steel plants and iron and copper mines. Falling purchases of cars and other durable goods also stimulated worker layoffs.

A shift in US production

Now, however, the United States is a major producer and exporter of oil and refined petroleum products. Every day, on average, the U.S. exports over 6 million barrels of refined products and over 4 million barrels of crude oil.

The U.S. does still import some crude oil, most of which is heavy oil from Canada handled at certain American refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast. Factoring in those imports, net U.S. oil trade balance is a positive 2.8 million barrels per day, as contrasted with the mid-2000s, when the balance was a deficit of 12 million barrels per day.

U.S. production comes from 32 states – though mainly from the biggest producers: Texas, New Mexico, North Dakota, Alaska, Oklahoma and Colorado. Because that revenue comes to companies in the U.S., the nation’s gross domestic product is less vulnerable to oil price increases than in the past, when high prices meant more U.S. dollars flowing overseas.

A changed economy

In addition to being less dependent on imports, the U.S. economy is much less oil-intensive than it used to be, producing more economic value with far less oil use today than in the past.

And researchers at the U.S. Federal Reserve report that gasoline prices haven’t been a major contributor to U.S. inflation in recent years. That’s because there are lots of ways Americans use less gasoline, including telecommuting and remote work, online shopping and using electric vehicles and delivery trucks that run on batteries or other fuels.

Still, other economists disagree and say current oil prices, which are above $100 a barrel, could increase current U.S. inflation rates by as much as 1 percentage point.

The mental toll

Though the U.S. is economically less vulnerable to oil-price shocks, there is also a psychological factor. It’s hard not to feel pessimistic when gasoline prices at the local pump are already rising: Bulk market prices are already soaring amid hedging trades and speculative fervor among traders and wholesalers and on U.S. commodity futures markets.

Americans feel pessimistic about consumer spending when gasoline prices are rising. And a study found that high gas prices even make people feel unhappy.

Research also shows that people tend to put off major durable goods purchases, such as automobiles, when oil prices rise sharply. That could mean bad news for the U.S. auto industry.

But it is also possible that high gasoline prices might encourage more Americans to consider buying electric cars. That could help the car companies that were having difficulty moving their electric-vehicle inventories. And for people who own electric vehicles, the war and its resulting price increases can be a reminder of the benefits of living gasoline-free.

More broadly, the war might be yet another reminder of the benefits of diversifying energy sources away from fossil fuels. As my research shows, oil price shocks generally lead to greater investment in clean technologies.

Amy Myers Jaffe does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. US is less prone to oil price shocks than in past decades – https://theconversation.com/us-is-less-prone-to-oil-price-shocks-than-in-past-decades-277709

March 9, 2026

Alaska’s glacial lakes are expanding, increasing the risk of destructive outburst floods

Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Dan McGrath, Associate Professor of Cryospheric Sciences, Colorado State University

A study explored the evolution of several glacial lakes near Bering Glacier, Alaska. Google Earth, AirbusMaxar Technologies, CNES/Airbus

Every summer, people living near the Mendenhall River in Juneau, Alaska, keep a close eye on the water level. When the river level begins to rise rapidly, it’s a sign that Suicide Basin, a small glacier-dammed lake 5 miles up the mountains, has broken through the glacier again and a glacial lake outburst flood is underway.

After nearly 15 straight years of ever-larger and more damaging floods in Alaska’s capital city, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is discussing an ambitious and expensive solution: create a permanent drain from the lake that would prevent it from reaching outburst stage.

The initial cost estimates for the project range from US$613 million to $1 billion.

Scientists discuss the glacial outburst floods from Suicide Basin on Mendenhall Glacier above Juneau.

Suicide Basin is just one example of a growing problem from glacial lakes that threaten communities around the world, particularly in the Himalayas and Andes, and is transforming Alaska’s landscape as global temperatures rise.

In a new study, colleagues and I documented the evolution of 140 of the largest glacial lakes in Alaska between 2018 and 2024. We found they are expanding about 120% faster on average today than they were from 1986 to 1999 – more than twice as fast.

Using ice thickness data to reconstruct the shape of the land beneath these glaciers, we found that these glacial lakes could become more than four times larger than they are today as the glaciers melt, increasing the potential for damage to downstream ecosystems and infrastructure from glacial lake outburst floods.

A large glacier terminates in a lake. — Spencer Glacier in the Kenai Mountains: This lake, and the icebergs in the lake, have become a significant tourist attraction along the Alaska Railroad.
Louis Sass

The hazards of glacial lakes

Glacial lakes, often the color of aquamarine gems and sparkling with icebergs, are common around the margins of glaciers around the world. Years of satellite images have documented a dramatic increase in their number, area and volume – a direct response to glaciers retreating as global temperatures rise.

Tenuously held back by moraines – the jumble of rock and sediment deposited by glaciers at their edges – or dammed by glacier ice, these lakes are anything but stable.

A glacial lake with a large cut in the side of its moraine. — Tam Pokhari glacial lake in Nepal had an outburst flood in 1998 after the basin filled with water and broke through its moraine, leaving a deep gash. The resulting flood was estimated at more than 350,000 cubic feet per second, equivalent to approximately 60% of the Mississippi River’s flow.
Jonathan Jacquet/Scott McCoy

Between 1985 and 2020, ice-dammed lakes in Alaska alone broke through their barriers and drained more than 1,150 times. Alaska’s vast landscape and low population density means that the impact of these drainages on human infrastructure was fairly minimal, with a few notable exceptions, including Suicide Basin and Snow Lake, on the Kenai Peninsula.

However, the enormous amount of icy water rushing down rivers with each outburst can transform ecosystems, altering river channels through erosion and sediment deposition, tearing out trees and other vegetation, and damaging fish habitat.

Video shot from a helicopter shows several glacial lakes in Nepal and the aftermath of a glacial lake outburst flood. Nepal Investigative Multimedia Journalism Network

A recent study found that glacial lake outburst floods from moraine-dammed lakes are occurring at an accelerating rate. In the steep, narrow valleys of the Himalayan Mountains, the impact of these events are acute: destroyed hydropower stations, roads and entire villages wiped away, taking hundreds of lives over the years.

More than 15 million people globally live in areas at risk of glacial lake outburst floods. Mapping where these lakes might form and expand can help people living downstream prepare. That’s what we did in Alaska.

Mapping Alaska’s expanding lakes

Glacial lakes can form in a variety of settings: on the surface of glaciers, in side valleys, and at the terminus, or toe, of the glacier. We found that the fastest-growing lakes are those at the toe, and in our work, we showed that many of these lakes reside in deep depressions carved by glacial flow.

We mapped these depressions – known as glacial-bed overdeepenings – by subtracting ice thickness estimates from surface elevations measured by satellites.

We found that more than 80% of the lake growth has occurred in the mapped basins, illustrating how this approach can help locate glacial lakes that are likely to form and expand in the future.

With this information, we found that existing glacial lakes in the region may ultimately expand fourfold, growing by as much as 1,640 square miles (4,250 square kilometers). A glacial lake at the terminus of Malaspina Glacier, the largest glacier by area in southeast Alaska, could expand to cover an additional 570 square miles (1,475 square kilometers) alone. That would create what would be the second-largest lake in Alaska.

As glaciers continue to retreat, new basins will be exposed, many of which could fill with water. In total, more than 5,500 square miles (about 14,200 square kilometers) of overdeepened basins exist in Alaska, pointing to a landscape that is going to look very different in the coming decades to centuries.

When a glacier terminates in a lake, the warmth of the water can speed up the ice’s melting, making the glacier flow faster, thin and retreat, thereby expanding the size of the lake. We found that glaciers that terminate in lakes are shrinking 23% to 56% faster than land-terminating glaciers.

The future as glaciers retreat

Future climate projections combined with sophisticated glacier models indicate that glaciers will cumulatively retreat by 26% to 41% by 2100, spelling the loss of 49% to 83% of all glaciers globally.

This is concerning for numerous reasons. Glacier mass loss is currently the largest contributor to sea-level rise. Melting glaciers also change the water quantity and timing of ice melt that feed major rivers, particularly Asian rivers such as the Indus and Ganges. And they create hazards, such as the outburst floods that originate from glacial lakes.

The landscapes that we know and love are transforming before our eyes, and with these changes come growing concerns about hazards.

Dan McGrath receives funding from the U.S. Geological Survey.

– ref. Alaska’s glacial lakes are expanding, increasing the risk of destructive outburst floods – https://theconversation.com/alaskas-glacial-lakes-are-expanding-increasing-the-risk-of-destructive-outburst-floods-275799