#valisa

[alexander1301]

At the rock

I made mermay drawing that refers to the Littler Mermaid song part of your world, but instead of Ariel, it's Valisa, since yeah, she was sitting on that rock after saving a boy from drowning.

Tags/Mentions: @shadowredfeline @bryan360 @murumokirby360 @rafacaz4lisam2k4 @asteriskdatboi

#valisa

[lehdenlaulu]

My heart. 😳🥹🥺😭

#him 💜 #Gale of Waterdeep #PC x Gale #Valisa x Gale #BG3 #BG3 spoilers #Baldur's Gate #Baldur's Gate 3 #Darna liveblogs stuff #Darna plays video games #also there's a candidate for the otp tag huh? #'I can't imagine anywhere that could turn my heart from you' #Darna plays BG3

[grandpersonbailiffbiscuit]

Mağazamızda 1+1 kampaniyası yenidən başladı!Bir çamadan alın,ikincisi hədiyyə olsun!Mağaza hər gün səhər saat 10:00dan gecə saat 01:00 qədər işləyir.Çatdırılma var.Qiymətlər 45azndən başlayir.Assortiment böyükdür.Bayramınız mübarək!Yasamal Akim Abbasov 16 📞0515166666 #camadan #cemodan #chemodan #cemadan #valiz #cimadan #cemedan #chimadan #chamadan #suitcasebaku #luggagebaku #valisa (at Baqaj.az .Продажа чемоданов и дорожных принадлежностей в Баку) https://www.instagram.com/p/CbQkQPFsTNC/?utm_medium=tumblr

#camadan #cemodan #chemodan #cemadan #valiz #cimadan #cemedan #chimadan #chamadan #suitcasebaku #luggagebaku #valisa

[momcave]

Introducing STUNT Mom! | Valisa on 'Nurse Jackie'

Introducing STUNT Mom! | Valisa on ‘Nurse Jackie’

Of the three moms here at MomCave, we’re already determined that Valisa is the “cool mom.” (See our live show here where kinda sorta  ‘decided’ that behind her back.) Did you know Valisa is a stunt woman? For reals! This stunt mom has done daring (read crazy) things like jump into the East River in the winter, roll down hills, and sit still with scorpions on her abdomen. All the in name of…

View On WordPress

#careers #stunt mom #Valisa #Valisa Tate #working mom #working mother

[miladaydreams]

Masterlist

*previous* ~ *next*

The Romanos did not establish Valisa, for that was done long before their birth. They are just a chain. A link to mortal gods who once came down and built something out of dirt. But the earth remembers who stood upon her flesh. She tastes golden blood and feels their bodies fall upon her embrace. The mortal gods built Valisa with their blood and the Romanos are the ones they left behind.

A Romano leads Valisa. 

Half-human. 

Half-god. 

They bleed red instead of gold now. 

They rise and fall like the men they rule now. 

There shouldn’t be anything special about the Romanos now. 

Their ancestors are long gone. Their gods even farther away. They sleep and eat like mortal men. They bleed the same red of mortal men. The people say the Romanos aren’t half anything anymore. They swear they’re just men.

Valisa knows the truth. 

Romanos bleed upon her soil and she can taste the gold inside their blood. 

They sleep in her embrace and she feels the breath of mortal gods.

There’s nothing whole, in the Romanos that walk her earth.

Half-human. 

Half-god.

Valisa is dirt built with golden blood and a once immortal heart. She holds the bones of War and Strategy and every Romano that came before. 

These are her children. 

The ones she claimed.

They built their stories from her earth and she takes them home when they give their last breath. These are the children who claimed her. The ones who built palaces out of stone and sacrificed armies of men. The ones who break her and fix her. Who revere her plains the same way they revere her mountains in the south. 

She is their birthright.

Valisa is not gentle. She was born of destruction and death. Her earth cradled rotting flesh before it held the smooth skin of Emperors and babes. Her rivers churned deep blood red before they settled to their clear past. 

Valisa is not gentle and neither are these half-gods.

They were both created by mortal gods. Created under the duress of time. A time that tightened upon the mortal god’s neck and a forever slipping from their grasp.

Half-human. 

Half-god.

Yes, Valisa knows exactly what they are.

She holds their bodies. She sees their lives. 

Blood that bleeds red but tastes just like gold.

Hands that wither with the passing of time and yet hold stronger than those who are whole.

These are her children.

These are whom she claims.

The Romanos are her children and she is the mother that welcomes them home, and let it be known that Valisa will not tolerate the ruling of someone who is not a Romano, stepping upon her soil.

#wip #poem? #writing #nanowrimo2020 #nano #whispers child tales and letters to the gods #wip: J&C #Justia&Caligula #oc #Valisa

[vegabuenaventura-blog]

En el @festivaldecannes las @actrices.argentinas llevaron su pedido de la cual #PedroAlmodovar acompaña pedido #QueSeaLey #ProyectoIve2019 #QueSeaLey @campabortolegal @quesealeypelicula #aborto #lgbt #abortolegal #feminismo #abortolegalya #niunamenos💜 #machismo #patriarcado #feminista #salvana #glesia #valisa #vistecesa #abortolegalseguroygratuito #abortolegalparanomorir https://www.instagram.com/p/BxpD_5SAAQK/?igshid=1eggv8hvcjmjs

#pedroalmodovar #quesealey #proyectoive2019 #aborto #lgbt #abortolegal #feminismo #abortolegalya #niunamenos💜 #machismo #patriarcado #feminista #salvana #glesia #valisa #vistecesa #abortolegalseguroygratuito #abortolegalparanomorir

[fashion-boots]

Ilie Valisa for Reserved  

#Ilie Valisa #Reserved #white boots #knee high boots #2021

[readingabookmostofthetimes]

After one year and a half I finally finished Vampire Academy and Bloodlines The serie and it feels weird.

Never going on an adventure with Dimitri and Rose anymore.

Never a dreamwalk with Adrian and Sydney anymore.

Never get safed bij Eddie or Neil anymore.

Never hearing the wisdom of Queen Lisa and King Christian anymore.

Never hear Jill and Angelina laugh anymore.

It's a goodbye and see you in the next book in the future.

#vampire academy #bloodlines #richelle mead #rose hathaway #dimitri belikov #adrian ivashkov #sydney sage #valisa dragomir #neil raymond #eddie castile #christian ozera #jill dragomir #romitri

[kenshi-vakarian7]

Study: Fears

I was tagged months and months ago by @starsandskies

I tag anyone who wants to do this.

---

This post will officially cover all my Shepards & Ryders.  Here are the previous posts;

Adam Shepard & Kira Ryder Marc Shepard & Luke Ryder Amy Shepard & Aleera Ryder Zena Shepard & Rick Ryder Ty Shepard & Rose Ryder Eliza Shepard & Erron Ryder

---

Val Shepard

the dark ~ fire ~ open water ~ deep water ~ being alone ~ crowded spaces ~ confined spaces ~ change ~ failure ~ war ~ loss of control ~ powerlessness ~ prison ~ blood ~ drowning ~ suffocation ~ public speaking ~ natural animals ~ the supernatural ~ heights ~ death ~ dying ~ intimacy ~ rejection ~ abandonment ~ loss ~ the unknown ~ the future ~ not being good enough ~ scary stories ~ speaking to new people ~ poverty ~ loud noises ~ being touched ~ forgetting ~ being forgotten ~ hospitals

Jason Shepard

the dark ~ fire ~ open water ~ deep water ~ being alone ~ crowded spaces ~ confined spaces ~ change ~ failure ~ war ~ loss of control ~ powerlessness ~ prison ~ blood ~ drowning ~ suffocation ~ public speaking ~ natural animals ~ the supernatural ~ heights ~ death ~ dying ~ intimacy ~ rejection ~ abandonment ~ loss ~ the unknown ~ the future ~ not being good enough ~ scary stories ~ speaking to new people ~ poverty ~ loud noises ~ being touched ~ forgetting ~ being forgotten ~ hospitals

#kv7 ocs #valisa shepard #jason shepard

[mothfly-cluster]

i think vanessa ii and elizant ii should be shipped

elessa? elizanessa? valisa? vanessant? vantnessa?

they are definitely setting up a date

#bug fables #queen elizant ii #queen vanessa

[alexander1301]

Here's a Birthday gift for @carmenramcat, my mermaid OC Valisa is giving Shadow a B-Day clam for him, wishing him a happy birthday for him, hope you had an undersea sea-tastic birthday buddy. ^^

IMPORTANT NOTE: I did make him birthday gift last year of Baco surprising Shadow with a Jack-in-a-box esquite. ⬇

Tags/Mentions: @bryan360 @murumokirby360 @lordromulus90 @lovelytekki @opal-planet @aarongervacio143

#valisa #shadow r #25th birthday #baco #suprise

[lehdenlaulu]

Absolutely self-indulgent insomnia thoughts:

I feel like Valisa and Gale would be one of those obnoxious PDA couples now that they're Together™️. Not in like... actually gross way or anything because they're more considerate than that, but like...

- Him slipping his fingers between hers and holding on fast for a while just for the simple pleasure of being able to do so, even while walking through the cursed darkness.

- Her walking up to him while he's cooking dinner at camp, wrapping her arms around his waist from behind and just breathing him in: lavender and libraries, ozone and ink.

- Sitting together, shoulder to shoulder, while Volo plays his lute and Karlach and Shadowheart take turns in singing – half-forgotten hymns or popular tavern songs – exchanging small touches like caressing a palm with a thumb, brushing a lock of hair behind an ear, pressing a light kiss on a cheek, on a temple, on a shoulder, on the back of a hand.

- Because for her, affection comes easy: she's tactile by nature. And him, he's starved for touch. And there's nothing like Shar's shadows to remind one of the ever-looming Loss. My next breath could be my last, your next heartbeat could be yours. Death – and undeath – makes you want to live.

#BG3 #Valisa x Gale #Baldur's Gate #Baldur's Gate 3 #OC: Valisa Falconswoop #Gale of Waterdeep

[grandpersonbailiffbiscuit]

Неубиваемые чемоданы из полипропилена. S-190azn. M-290azn. L-390azn Yasamal Akim Abbasov68d 📞051 516 66 66 #ppluggagebaku #ppsuitcasebaku #polipropilencamadanlar #chemodanisuperkacestva #chemodaniizmosnogoplastika #kacestvenniyeplastikoviyecemodani #baku #valisa #valizabaku #valizbaku #ppcamadan # ppcemodan #polipropilencamadanlar #gelcamadan #qirilmayancamadan #sinmayancamadan #qirilmayancemodan #sinmayancemodan #neubivaemiychemodanvbaku #sinmayanchemodan #qirilmayanchemodan #ppchemodan #geleviychemodan #silikoncemodan (at Baqaj.az .Продажа чемоданов и дорожных принадлежностей в Баку) https://www.instagram.com/p/CTsBLNXssDg/?utm_medium=tumblr

#ppluggagebaku #ppsuitcasebaku #polipropilencamadanlar #chemodanisuperkacestva #chemodaniizmosnogoplastika #kacestvenniyeplastikoviyecemodani #baku #valisa #valizabaku #valizbaku #ppcamadan #gelcamadan #qirilmayancamadan #sinmayancamadan #qirilmayancemodan #sinmayancemodan #neubivaemiychemodanvbaku #sinmayanchemodan #qirilmayanchemodan #ppchemodan #geleviychemodan #silikoncemodan

[bundlesofwords]

Sun of My Heart

A/N: This is after the death of Ashanrian the Three Month Emperor at the Battle of Talis Noralis in 1753 AAS, during the First Mahgari Invasion. (1752-1754) Saliasya is known in Ashayrayian history as the Steeled Gryphon, for her hardness, unwavering strength, and brilliant tacticians. She had but a few friends during her lifetime, and was known as one of the greatest Warrior-Monachs in Ashayrayian history, second, at the time, to the Twin Conquerors.

There was doubt plaguing the Voice’s eyes, worry and terror and doubt. Saliasya kept the recoil deep within her heart, the agitation off her features, though the effort was there, and it was strong, like carrying the mountains upon ones back. Khalandis Nahmalasan Shaya’Amaya stared up with his large black eyes, and there were doubt. A Shaya should never be in doubt, especially Ira-Shaya’Amaya. “My Majestic Empress, you must not leave the Palace. It will be improper for you to do so before your coronation and enthronement. There are rites to be preform, prayers to be spoken, before you are proclaimed. This is the laws.”

Allowing a flash of a grimace to twerk at her lips, Saliasya narrowed her eyes at her Voice. Her father and grandfather’s Voice, not her own. She would have to deal with that at a later date. But for now, the Nahmalasan was invaluable, and yet the nuisance would cause her a headache before the day was done. Kahalandias was the long robes of his office, with the emblazoned sun of the Amaya upon his chest, the gem flaring a molten gold-bronze hue. Golden flames twined over the long black cloth, up his arms and down the chest. The tightly-coiled turban made of black-golden silk hid the gray-black hair, but it displayed will in his short-cropped beard, like moonlight in night. She allowed Nahmalasan to wait. Unflexing fingers from the fist behind her back, Saliasya said, “Who made such laws?“

“Your ancestors, May Heaven Be Blessed with Them, My Majestic Empress,” said Nahmalasan, calmly. He smiled, in that smug way he always had done when he was her teacher. “Emperor Esmyial the Note of Heaven. You should have remembered that from your studies.”

Ignoring the poorly hidden insult, Saliasya began to pace. “And who has more sway of the law? Esmyial or I? The dead or the living? Who is the Exalted Word of Heaven Upon Earth? Who is Ira-Nashir’Alhma Ilshasala Syasala?”

“You, Your Blessed Holiness,” replied Nahmalasan. Confusion filled his eyes, banishing the pride from before. Saliasya kept her pleasure off her voice and her face, but it filled her like a fire in winter. “Only after the rites, when the Priests confer the crown and sword and scepter to you.”

“Did priest hand the Scrolls to the Prophets, May Heaven Adore Them, or was it the Heavens that did so directly? Were the Twins crowned divine, or was it merely given to them by birth? You are wrong here, my Voice. I am the law, as was proscribed by my ancestors long before my first breath. I need not the blessing of priests or by my own Voice to decide. ‘The Voice speaks, but the Emperor thinks’ is not the saying? I have thought, and you will listen, and I will say when you may speak.” She waited for an answer, and saw the anger burning with her Voice’s eyes, but fear as well. It was strange to raise her voice and to be heard, and for her words to be followed. He at least knows his place. She did not despise her voice. He was kind to her when she was a child and a princess, but she was Empress now. She must be hard. Her empire needs her. Her people need her.

Nahmalasan bowed once more, hands, nose, and forehead, touching the floor. For a brief moment, she smiled. “There will be time for rites and enthronements, my old friend. But first, the empire needs their empress.” She was once a child, but now she must be older, stronger, than what she once was. There was no time for hiding. The moment the blade of the barbarian had pierced her father’s heart, she knew the game had ceased. Yet, she wished time was given longer for her. Her father could had been a good emperor, she knew. It was cruel for Heaven to strip the world that, to take away him when she needed him the most. But she only had Nahmalasan and Valisa to trust...and even then she could only give half her arm. Trust is the greatest blessing and greatest potion if not watched carefully, her grandfather had once said. “Here me now, my Voice, and listen well.”

Nahmalasan departed with three bows, eyes always trained upon her back, before the heavy golden doors shut with a great pound. At the noise, Saliaysa ceased the clench of her jaw and the tightness at her shoulder, relief shivering throughout her body. “Valisa, Sun of My Heart, I need you.”

Drawing away from the shadows, Valisa appeared, in her gown of white silk, laced with pearls and mirrors over her chest, flaring down over the light blue of the baggy pants. The long silver belt pooling into a sweeping hoop down to her left side displayed hints of the curves beneath shimmering dress, like clouds obscuring the moon at night. Saliasya felt her mouth parched a little as her eyes dipped, and warmth tingled her cheeks when she realized so. Valisa was tiny and delicate compared to the tall and muscular-corded Saliasya. She had preferred the strategies and weaponry of a warrrior-empress than her father. Perhaps if she had been there with him...No, she must not think of that.

Valisa smiled that smile of hers that could thaw mountains of ice, and rose on the tip of her toes and pressed a kiss to her cheek. She still had to drag Saliasya a little down to kiss her. Warmth pooled there and lingered even after she pulled away. Her silver-blue eyes, pale enough to be white with splashes of blue in some lights and as blue as the morning sky, glimmered with a faint teasing glow. “You handled Khalandis well, I think, though you had looked ready to sheer his soul from his body.” Valisa chuckled, the gold of her long hair, which fall in thick curls down to her waist, flamed with a soft, rippling sheen. Her fingers itch to run them through the locks. She want to draw her close and pepper those pale cheeks in kiss until they were as red as the Gem of Life. She wanted to do that, and more.

Instead, Saliasya wrapped and arm around Valisa’s narrow waist, and drew her close, nuzzling her face into the apple-scented gold-flaming locks. “I was close to the idea, trust me, my Sun.”

Valisa hummed and began to draw circles and follow the lines of her back muscles. She shivered beneath the contact, and savored it as long as she could. Soon, these touches would become fleeting. No mortal was allowed to touch the Child of Heaven, unless they were married...and the hope of marrying Valisa was as certain as restoring her family’s old gryphons - non-existent. I could build her a palace off the Balisah Lake... After the war, of course. There was so much to do, and Saliasya felt like she was already losing time.

“Enough of that, Sali,” whispered Valisa. “You have only be Empress for three days, and you already think you lost time.” She laughed, and it sound like the peal of bells and the whispers of summer. Valisa drew her back, hands upon her cheeks, thumb following the lines of her sharp cheekbones. “Defeat the barbarians. Take everything one step at a time. But I will get that palace. Hmm. Perhaps made of sunmarble...”

Saliasya laughed. It felt good to laugh. “Sunmarble and fireglass, I think. Or moonsilver. It fits you far better.” 

Valisa’s brows knitted together, her full lip drawn into a nibble, the way Saliasya adored. “I must think on this. You have made it complicated, my heart. Sunmarble or moonsilver...Both? No, no, that would be tacky and gortequse! Hmm...”

Saliasya allowed her to ramble on, before capturing her lips mid-word. “You will have all the time in the world. But for now...I need you. Take my mind away from war for a little while? Please.”

Valisa’s eyes were darken, like shadowwaters. “You make quite an argument. Carry me.”

Saliasya laughed as she lifted her love into her arms, kissing her once more. The worry that etched her muscles and drawn them tight began to fade away with the softness of love’s lips against hers. Valisa was right; there would be time for war in the future. For now, they each other. That what mattered the most to Saliasya. She had Valisa, until the sun died and the shadows were dispelled and the Traitor rose, she would have Valisa.

#My Writing #My Fantasy World #writblr #story #stories #saliasya the steeled gryphon #writing #original story #original character #gay #lgbtq+

[miladaydreams]

WIP

UNAMED WIP

Whispers, child tales and letters to the gods

GENRE: High Fantasy

POV: Third Person Limited

STATUS: First Draft/Nanowrimo 2020

SYNOPSIS:

When Empress Calpurnia dies, the people whisper. She leaves behind twins Justia and Caligula with newborn baby Max. The people can’t blame their Emperor when grief consumes him, but soon the rumors start. The people say, baby Max is gone and the twins are off in foreign lands. They say the Emperor has disappeared and his children are off at war. The senate denies it but the people wonder, and when years pass without a glimpse of the royal family, rumors become more than rumors and the people wonder: Who sits on the Valisan throne? 

CHARACTER LIST:

Justia Romano- Justia is used to being ignored. Daughter of the emperor of Valisa she’s not even the spare for the throne. All her life she has struggle to find her place and when she thinks she’s finally done it she’s forced back home. Back to a palace that never wanted her in the first place. A palace she wishes she could call home. Justia thought she found her place in the army but she will have to give it up if she wants to achieve her dreams.

Caligula Romano- Chosen heir of the kingdom Valisa, all Caligula wants to do is run away. He doesn’t want the crown or Valisa. All his life people have been telling him he is just like his father but Caligula is nothing like him. Caligula is caring and gentle but Valisa is a war country and when the kingdom he has sworn to hate, falls in trouble, Caligula will have to choose between his duty and dreams.

Maximilian “Max” Romano- Max never met his mother but everything seems to come back to her. All his life, Max has been told he is important, but how important can he be when his whole family has abandoned him? He wants to be someone worth something and when Valisa is in trouble it’s his chance. Max is willing to put away his differences to help, but as someone who has always put duty before himself, when does it end?

Silas L.- Unwanted. Unclaimed. Silas knows what it’s like to be raised in the streets. No one tells him why he’s different. No one tells him why his eyes are golden. Half-breed, they say. Monster, they whisper. Yes, Silas has seen the monsters in the night. He has felt their touch in cold torn streets. Silas might not be worth much but he doesn’t care. Life had taken everything from him and now it’s time he takes it back.

Caius Lax- Youngest senator of Valisa, Caius is ready to prove his worth. His country has been in turmoil for far too long and he’s ready to fix the mistakes. His only goal is political but in matters of the senate, sometimes the heart can get involved. This is not part of his plan. This is not what he wanted, but Caius finds himself falling for the heir of the throne and soon realizes things are not as easy as they seem.

EXCERPT:

The sound stops her more than the burning sensation. Her cheek burns and she struggles to comprehend what has happened beneath the film of water in her eyes. 

“Don’t touch her!” a voice shrieks from behind her, before two hands are pulling her backwards and a body stands between her and her father. Her mind reels as she gaps mouthfuls of air and still the blood doesn’t disappear. 

“Caligula,” her father warns, “this is between me and your sister.”

“Don’t touch her.” There is a threat in Caligula’s voice but also a fear only a child can carry.

Caligula is golden crowns with laughing swords, and a throne to sit upon and a burden to hold. He is the favorite and beloved. The one the crowds whisper about and no one can ignore.

“If you don’t move you’ll get your sister’s punishment.” But Caligula stays firm. The turning of his face is the only evidence her father’s palm had made contact with Caligula’s cheek. 

Unlike her, Caligula doesn’t stumble and instead glares back. So alike. So different. Brown hair with brown eyes and murder in their hands. Romano against Romano. Emperor against heir.

Is this what it means to be a Romano? 

Is this what it means to be half-god? 

Anger burns in her father’s eyes and the blows don’t stop. 

Oh.

Blood.

The blood. 

The one Justia had been laying in and the one she carries across her skin. It’s the blood that drips from her hands and she leaves footprints with. The red sticky substance that stems from her brother’s wounds and floods the floor until it laps at her toes. 

Is this what it means to be a god? 

“Stop,” she whispers, body trembling. 

Her father’s blows are harsh and unjust.”Stop! Stop hitting him!” She launches herself at him, nails digging into his wrist as she tries pulling him away.

She doesn’t want this. This is not what she wants. This is not the blood she wants to wear. Her fingers scratch at the rough fabric of his sleeve fighting to find purchase with his erratic movements. Fear slithers through her veins. Her brother isn’t moving anymore and the puddle of blood he lays in gets bigger and bigger every second.

“Stop!”

#wip intro #nanowrimo2020 #writing wip #writerblr #nano #NaNoWriMo #first draft #Justia&Caligula #wip: J&C #my own work #personal work #novel writing #novel #fantasy #fantasy writer #dark fantasy #fantasy writing #high fantasy

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

The Specter of a Mega-Tsunami in Alaska While kayaking in Barry Arm fjord in June 2019, Valisa Higman, an artist-in-residence at Alaska’s Chugach National Forest, noticed some odd fractures on a cliff overlooking the fjord. Curious if the slope might be in the process of collapsing, she emailed photos (see one of them below) to her brother, Bretwood Higman. “Hig” is a geologist with Ground Truth Alaska, and he has studied landslides and tsunami deposits for decades. He was soon inspecting the area using Google Maps, zooming in to the maximum extent possible and searching for signs of slippage. He saw the cracks as well, but nothing about them struck him as strong evidence of a big landslide. “But it turns out I had made a geology 101 error,” he said. “I hadn’t zoomed out enough, and I missed the big picture.” Still, he kept Barry Arm on a list of possible landslides to investigate more someday. A few months later, Chunli Dai offered that chance. The Ohio State researcher was working on a NASA-funded project to develop new ways to automatically detect landslides in the Arctic, and she was looking for test sites to check how well the tool was working. Her project makes use of a high-resolution dataset called ArcticDEM and machine learning to automatically search for and flag landslides. When Dai used her tools to survey the Barry Arm area, she got some eye-popping results—an entire mountainside near Barry Glacier was slowly and subtly shifting. If the giant, slow-moving landslide were to suddenly collapse into the narrow fjord below, it would generate an extremely large tsunami because of the way the fjord's shape would amplify the wave. “It was hard to believe the numbers at first,” said Dai. “Based on the elevation of the deposit above the water, the volume of land that was slipping, and the angle of the slope, we calculated that a collapse would release sixteen times more debris and eleven times more energy than Alaska’s 1958 Lituya Bay landslide and mega-tsunami.” That event, which was triggered by a 7.8 earthquake, dropped millions of cubic yards of rock about 2,000 feet (600 meters) into a fjord. It produced what is thought to be the tallest wave (1,700 feet) in modern history. In an event that eyewitnesses compared to an atomic bomb explosion, the huge wave washed away soil in a wide ring around the bay and obliterated millions of trees. Yet Higman and several of Dai’s colleagues were initially skeptical that there actually was a slide in Barry Arm. The size of the landslide Dai was reporting was enormous—far bigger than any other known landslides in Alaska. Her detection technique was new and untested. And in some other areas, the presence of snow cover, shadows, or clouds caused the tool to erroneously label features in satellite images as landslides when they clearly were not. But Dai kept looking and checking other types of satellite data, including a decades-long series of Landsat images of Barry Arm via Google Timelapse. When she scrutinized 2013 and 2016 satellite images of the area, it became abundantly clear that her ArcticDEM results were real. “With the wider perspective from Landsat, the movement of the slope was impossible to miss,” she said. “You can see a whole section of the mountain between Cascade Glacier and Barry Glacier slumping toward the water.” (In the Landsat images at the top of this page, use the slider to see the movement for yourself.) The slope moved forward by about 400 feet (120 meters) between 2010 and 2017. Since 2017, it has moved very little. Immediately after seeing the Landsat images, Higman was also convinced something serious was happening and alarmed about what it could mean. Since then, he has been reaching out to colleagues and coordinating with state and federal partners to evaluate the risk. In May 2020, a group of 14 scientists published an open letter warning that a landslide-generated tsunami is likely within 20 years and could happen at any time. If a landslide occurs, the resulting tsunami in Barry Arm could produce waves that are hundreds of feet high. Other, more distant bays—such as the more heavily populated Passage Canal (about 30 miles/50 kilometers away)—could see 30-foot (9-meter) waves. By looking back at older satellite images and aerial photographs, the team of scientists has determined that slippage in this area is nothing new. They think the slope began to shift at least 50 years ago, but it appears to have sped up between 2009 and 2015, just as the front of Barry Arm glacier was retreating. “The slope probably sped up because the glacier that had been supporting the bottom of the slope retreated,” explained Higman. “When warming temperatures caused that ice to retreat, the slope was free to move.” The open letter prompted new monitoring projects at the U.S. Geological Survey, the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, and the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration. Researchers are now working to track the slope’s motion with synthetic aperture radar on satellites, aerial lidar, and aerial photography. Other scientists are setting up gauges to detect tsunami waves in advance. And others are working to make better maps of the bathymetry (shape of the seafloor) of the fjord to more accurately model how a tsunami might move through it. “We have learned a tremendous amount about this hazard, and I think we have done a good job of getting the word out about it,” said Higman. “But there are still a lot of really interesting and important scientific questions that we are only barely starting to investigate.” For instance, why did the landslide stop slipping in 2017 and does that mean it is less likely to collapse in the short term? Also: can we expect to see a sharp increase in this type of hazard as more and more glaciers retreat? “These are fairly unusual events, and scientists have only started studying the connections between glacial retreat and landslide tsunamis in the past few decades,” he said. “We don’t have a very long or deep record to look at yet.” NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Story by Adam Voiland.

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