Rain falls instead of snow for the first time on record at Greenland ice summit. The unique weather in Greenland drenched the ice sheet with an estimated 7 billion tons of water over three days, contributing to significant melting at the summit and along the ice sheet’s southeastern coast. The melting of the glaciers and icebergs, a phenomenon that had largely risen in the 20th century, is leaving our planet iceless. Human activities are the main reasons for the emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. The sea level and global stability depend on how these glaciers made up of great masses of snow exist and evolve.
The Earth’s glaciers have been slowly melting for more than half a century as climate change unbearably goes on. It has been reported that this phenomenon has melted more than 9.6 billion tons of glacial ice in the world since 1961. According to a satellite study by the University of Zurich (Switzerland), and threatens to evaporate over a third of all glaciers by 2100, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
What are these glaciers?
A glacier is a large, perennial accumulation of crystalline ice, snow, rock, sediment, and often liquid water that originates on land and moves downslope under the influence of its own weight and gravity. Winter precipitation produces significant accumulations of snow.
How do they form?
Glaciers begin to form when snow remains in the same area year-round, where enough snow accumulates to transform into ice. Each year, new layers of snow bury and compress the previous layers. This compression forces the snow to re-crystallize, forming grains similar in size and shape to grains of sugar.
The formation of a glacier takes millennia, and its size varies depending on the amount of ice it retains throughout its lifespan. The behaviour of these masses is reminiscent of that of the rivers they feed during thaws, and their speed depends on friction and the slope of the terrain over which they move. In total, glaciers cover 10% of the Earth’s surface and, along with the ice caps, account for nearly 70% of the world’s freshwater.
Why are glaciers so important for the stability of the climate of the earth?
Sea ice or should I say, Icebergs form and melt strictly in the ocean whereas glaciers are formed on land. Icebergs are chunks of glacial ice that break off glaciers and fall into the ocean. When glaciers melt, because that water is stored on land, the runoff significantly increases the amount of water in the ocean, contributing to global sea-level rise.
Icebergs, on the other hand, are often compared to ice cubes in a glass of water: when it melts, it does not directly change the level of water in the glass. Instead, depleting Arctic sea ice triggers a host of other devastating consequences—from depleting available ice on which walrus can haul out or polar bears hunt to changing weather systems around the world by altering the pattern of the Jet stream.
Glaciers in Antarctica Sea ice in Finland
Why do these glaciers melt?
Why are glaciers melting? Since the early 1900s, many glaciers around the world have been rapidly melting. Human activities are at the root of this phenomenon. Specifically, since the industrial revolution, carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions have raised temperatures, even higher in the poles, and as a result, glaciers are rapidly melting, calving off into the sea and retreating on land.
The rising temperature of the Earth has, without doubt, been responsible for melting glaciers throughout history. Today, the speed with which climate change is progressing might render them extinct in record time. The Climatic change has been decelerated in last year and this year as the countries have been locked down and the human activities are reduced due to the Covid-19 Pandemic.
Main causes
- CO2 emissions: the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) produced by industry, transport, deforestation and burning fossil fuels, amongst other human activities, warm the planet and cause glaciers to melt.
- Ocean warming: oceans absorb 90% of the Earth’s warmth, and this fact affects the melting of marine glaciers, which are mostly located near the poles and on the coasts of Alaska (United States).
(Source-www.iberdrola.com)
Effects
The University of Zurich revealed that glacial melting has accelerated over the last three decades by the above-mentioned satellite study. This loss of ice has already reached 335 billion tons per year, which is 30% of the current rate of ocean growth.
Consequences
Sea level rise: Glacial melting has contributed to rising sea levels by 2.7 centimetres since 1961. The world’s glaciers contain enough ice (about 170,000 cubic kilometres) to raise sea levels by nearly half a meter.
Impact on the climate: Glacial thawing at the poles is slowing the oceanic currents, a phenomenon related to altering the global climate and a succession of increasingly extreme weather events throughout the globe.
The disappearance of Terrestrial & aquatic species & Less freshwater: Glacial melting will also cause the extinction of numerous species, as glaciers are the natural habitat of a number of animals, both terrestrial and aquatic. The disappearance of glaciers also means less water for consumption by the population, a lower hydroelectric energy generation capacity, and less water available for irrigation.
(Source-www.iberdrola.com)
Being a good citizen, What can we do to help?
Strong action on climate change means preparing communities for impacts that are happening now. But it also means looking to the future, focused on reducing the heat-trapping gases in our atmosphere that will bring damaging consequences as our planet warms. The good news is that individuals can play a big part on both fronts with just a few simple changes. First, reach out to your local elected officials to find out if your city has a disaster response plan for right now. Keeping communities’ safe starts by having a strong plan in place that leverages some of the best, but underutilized tools we have to protect our communities: nature. And when it comes to reducing emissions, you can make a few simple changes to your daily routine to lower your carbon footprint.
(Source-www.worldwildlife.org)
Written by- Isira Direcksze
