MELTING GLACIERS AND GLOBAL WARMING




  (Image Courtesy of the Glacial Geology at UC website, 2004.)



Table Of Contents:

1.) Home and glaciers in the news
2.) General glacier information
3.) Where glaciers are found and the different types
4.) Global warming
5.) What global warming means for glaciers
6.) Effect of melting glaciers on the environment
7.) References

Famous Ice..Glaciers in the news.

            On February 12th of 2004, an article in The Australian online read, “glaciers and icefields, which cover more than 17,000 square kilometers across Chile and Argentina, are disappearing at a rate of 42 cubic kilometers a year – the fastest glacial recession in the world.”  They further stated that, “Scientists believe climate change – caused by greenhouse gases trapped in the Earth's atmosphere, leading to higher sea and land temperatures, – is behind the Patagonian glacial melt" (Hodge, 2004).


             An article from the Earth Policy Institute online from January 27th 2004 stated, “By 2020, the snows of Kilimanjaro may exist only in old photographs. The glaciers in Montana's Glacier National Park could disappear by 2030. And by mid-century, the Arctic Sea may be completely ice-free during summertime. As the earth's temperature has risen in recent decades, the earth's ice cover has begun to melt. And that melting is accelerating” (Larson, 2004).


              In 2004 an article on ABC News online discussed the devastating effects of melting glaciers for one town.  The author states, "Mountain glaciers, especially in the tropics, are more sensitive to temperature change than the ice at the poles, he says, and the fact that they are melting now, after being stable for the last 10,000 years, is a sign that the earth really is getting warmer.”  The problem lies in the fact that, "The glaciers are a precious resource in parts of the world. In Pakistan and the surrounding regions, hundreds of millions of people depend on glaciers for fresh water. The real problem with global warming is what will happen to water, already under pressure due to population growth.  Water is an irreplaceable resource. If you don't have it you can't substitute anything else." (Kongshaug, 2004)


We know that melting glaciers are making a splash…Put on your water wings and let’s explore!!

 NEXT