Featuring: Earth’s Glaciers

Article
By Ollie Nicholas
25/04/19

Subtitle

What is the true cost of our melting Glaciers?

Contents

1. The Earth's Glaciers

2. Climate Change and Glaciers

3. Shrinking Glaciers

4. Cities At Threat

5. More Than Rising Sea-Levels

6. Conclusion

Peru's Pastoruri glacier. Reuben Wu/Courtesy Coors Light

The Earth’s biosphere has evolved to be an intricate balancing act in which each form of life is dependent on another. Glaciers are a crucial part of this natural world. They give life to all kinds of living organisms, both on land and below the surface, and their existence is vital in preventing miles of land mass from being plunged below water.

Subtitle

What is the true cost of our melting Glaciers?

Contents

1. The Earth's Glaciers

2. Climate Change and Glaciers

3. Shrinking Glaciers

4. Cities At Threat

5. More Than Rising Sea-Levels

6. Conclusion

The Earth’s biosphere has evolved to be an intricate balancing act in which each form of life is dependent on another. Glaciers are a crucial part of this natural world. They give life to all kinds of living organisms, both on land and below the surface, and their existence is vital in preventing miles of land mass from being plunged below water.
1. The Earth’s Glaciers

Presently, 10 percent of land area on Earth is covered with glacial ice. This includes glaciers, ice caps, and the ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica. These glaciered areas cover over 15 million square kilometres and hold approximately 75% of the worlds’s fresh water. Other than acting as a beautiful landscape feature, they exist as highly important reservoirs of water. If all land ice melted, sea levels would rise by approximately 70 meters (230 feet) worldwide, tragically submerging civilisation and wildlife habitats under water.

In an ideal scenario, glaciers would freeze and thaw gradually over winter and summer seasons. Whilst they freeze and hold water predominantly in the winter, they partially melt in the summer and contribute water to the ecosystem throughout dry months. This process creates perennial stream habitats and a water source for plants and animals.

Many aquatic species in mountainous environments rely on cold water temperatures to survive. Some aquatic insects, who are fundamental components to food chains, are especially sensitive to stream temperature and cannot survive without the cooling effects of glacial meltwater. Any changes in the stream habitat could also have an adverse impact on other animals like native trout and other keystone salmon species, which would further effect various food chains.

Whilst glaciers are essential in preserving sea-levels, they also contribute hugely to the balance of life within their ecosystems. If these glaciers were to melt away, the impact would be felt by all living species on the planet in one way or another.

2. Climate Change and Glaciers

It comes as no surprise that climate change provides the greatest threat to the existence of glaciers. Changes in climate have always happened on earth and there are many factors, both natural and anthropocentric, that have contributed towards such changes. However, the shear rate at which temperature is increasing for this current period, is of great concern.

Since the industrial revolution, human activity has emitted greenhouse gases into the atmosphere at an alarming rate. When these new greenhouse gases are released in to the atmosphere a greater amount of heat radiation from the Earth becomes trapped in the atmosphere. This increase in heat retention causes an increase in the overall surface temperature of the Earth. Glacier sizes, similarly to our climate, have fluctuated over the past 35 million years. However this rapid rise in temperature has initiated a rapid decrease in the size of glaciers all over the world. Something that could be a potentially severe problem.

Over the past 100 years, bodies like the United States Geological Survey (USGS) have used methods like repeat photography and aerial photograph analysis to track the extent of glacial retreat. These methods have been instrumental in analysing the impacts of large scale climate patterns on glaciers in a range of different mountain environments. The USGS repeat photographs highlight the shocking magnitude of the problem.

Glacier National Park, Montana. Boulder Glacier. August 5, 1913. USGS Photographic Library

Glacier National Park, Montana. Boulder Glacier. September 6, 2012. USGS Photographic Library

3. Shrinking Glaciers

One area that has shown significant glacial retreat is Glacier National Park in Montana, USA. Between 1966 and 2015, more than a third of glacial ice in the park has shrunk. These glacial retreats prompted researchers to look a bit further and after using aerial and satellite imagery, USGS and Portland State University researchers traced 39 named glaciers in the park and discovered that 10 of the glaciers had lost more than half their area over 50 years.

The earliest ice formations in Glacier National Park have existed for more 7,000 years and have survived periods of warming and cooling. However, they have been shrinking rapidly since the late 1800s, when North America and Europe emerged from the “Little Ice Age”, a period of regionally colder, snowier weather that lasted for roughly 400 years. After this cold period, glaciers across the Western United States, Canada and Europe shrunk as temperatures rebounded, which many scientists attribute towards human-caused global warming as the west entered the industrial revolution.

Dr Daniel Fagre of USGS has said; “with each decade that we go, more of what we see can be attributed to humans, and less to natural variation”. Fagre notes, that under natural conditions, these small, vulnerable mountain glaciers would have still retreated over the past 50 years, but they would have eventually stabilised at a reduced size. Instead, what is happening is that the park is on track to lose its glaciers completely.

Two researchers traverse Grinnell Glacier in Glacier National Park. USGS Photographic Library

Glacier National Park is not alone in showing such a rapid retreat of glacial ice. While the shrinkage in Montana is more severe than others, shrinking glaciers are now a common feature all around the world. If you look at virtually any location with glaciers, you will witness some form of glacial retreat. From glaciers in the Garhwal Himalaya in India to the snows of Kilimanjaro, scientists are struggling to keep up with the rate at which glaciers are melting, with many suggesting that certain glaciers, particularly those in India, could disappear within the next 20 years.

Furthermore, with artic temperatures rising faster than anywhere on earth, it is estimated that Greenland is losing around 200 billions tonnes of ice per year, which could mean that surrounding sea levels will rise by up to 30cm by the end of the century. We have only touched upon a few locations that are being affected, but this is happening all over the world. From Peru to Alaska to Indonesia, glaciers, ice fields and sea ice, is disappearing at an alarming rate.

Greenland is losing 200 billion tonnes of ice every year

4. Cities At Threat

As mentioned, one of the most serious impacts of glacial melting is sea level rise, which poses an enormous threat to cities and costal areas across the globe. When the UN climate negotiators met for summit talks in November 2017, they set new ambitions to keep global temperature increase within 3°C. The original aim, as part of the Paris Agreement, had been to limit global warming to 2°C above pre-industrial levels. However, with projections pointing to an increase of 3.2°C by 2100, the UN have adjusted their ambition. Scientists at non-profit organisation Climate Central, estimate that 275 million people worldwide live in areas that will eventually be flooded by the time climate change has increased by 3°C.

Osaka, Japan: Japan has experienced numerous natural disasters and severe weather conditions throughout history. The country is already beginning to feel the effects of climate change, with the onset of out-of-season typhoons and torrential rainfall. Osaka is particularly at threat, as the entire city and its 19 million residents would disappear beneath sea-level if temperatures were to increase by 3°C.

Toshikazu Nakaaki of the Osaka municipal government’s environment bureau, has said that Osaka has reached a point where they can no longer just think about reducing the causes of global warming. Instead, they must begin discussions on how they can address the already evident sea-level rises:

“We anticipate that Osaka will be affected by natural disasters caused by climate change, but we have yet to establish exactly what might happen or how much financial damage they would cause. — It’s not that we expect sea levels to rise at some point in the future – they are already rising.”

Kennedy Space Centre in Florida is at risk from sea-level rise. NASA

Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia is at risk of sea-level rise. NASA

Alexandria, Egypt: The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) has reported that the city of Alexandria in Egypt would be submerged if sea-levels were to rise by just half a metre. It is estimated that 8 million people would be displaced by flooding if no protective measures were to be taken against this increase. If temperatures were to rise by 3°C, as predicted, the city and its inhabitants could face even greater damage than already imagined.

Concerns have been raised that public information on climate change and the increasingly chaotic weather conditions is severely lacking. Measures to protect Alexandria and education for its people need to be implemented, so that the city can understand and prepare for sea-level rise.

Miami, US: Miami is one of the cities most at risk from sea-level rise, as even a 2°C climate increase would see approximately a third of Florida lost to the ocean. If the temperature increases by 3°C as expected, Florida’s largest metropolitan area would simply cease to exist. More than 7 million people will lose their homes and it is expected that within the next 15 years, almost $15bn of coastal property will be at risk to flood damage.

In Miami, there is a sense of urgency and a real recognition of the problem. This is exemplified by the introduction of the ‘Miami Forever’ bond, a 400 million dollar general obligation bond that commits investment to the upgrade of Miami’s current flooding defences. Visit the Miami Forever website to learn more about the bond.

This list only covers a select few cities that are vulnerable to sea-level rise, but there are many, many more, including Rio De Janeiro, Shanghai, Bangkok and Lagos. Placing the upmost importance on the preservation of glaciers will protect many cities around the world. And whilst it is true that many of these cities will still have to invest heavily in flooding defences, there is still time to manage this problem.

“Irrespective of whether we manage to curb greenhouse gases in line with the Paris agreement, we will lose a third of these glaciers. — If not, we could lose up to two-thirds of them.” - Sergiu Jiduc

Simulated Sea Level Rise in Miami. Data Source: Climate Central. Map Source: Matthew Toro. 2013.

5. More Than Rising Sea-Levels

Aside from causing sea-level rise and damaging the balance of the Earth’s ecosystems, there are further dangers that come with the melting of glaciers. Some glaciers have existed for millions of years, and during this period microbes will have been trapped within the ice. Researchers suggest that some microbes will have been isolated from the world since the ice closed in on them around 35 million years ago. These microbes will have been digesting organic matter and producing methane, which is roughly 30 times more potent as a heat-trapping gas. If global warming causes the glaciers to retreat, researchers warn that the trapped methane could released into the atmosphere, amplifying the warming hugely.

"You've got bugs, you've got organic carbon in sediments, and there's no oxygen because it's so far from the atmosphere, — When you put all those things together, it's perfect for the production of methane. It's like a huge wetland.” - Jemma Wadham, University of Bristol.

Another threat is the possibility of flash floods when glacial lakes overflow or when their banks break. Glacial lakes form when glaciers thaw and their waters are left hemmed in by ice or by rock barriers produced by ancient glaciers that carved out the landscape. If something causes the water level to suddenly rise, such as an avalanche or earthquake, those barriers can break creating an outburst flood. These type of floods have occurred in various places around the world and since 1935, there have been 40 outburst flood disasters across the Tibetan Plateau.

Due to the high volume of flash floods, researchers investigated the area to examine possible future threats. They found that 210 glacial lakes in the region could potentially threaten human settlements. A glacial lake in the Himalayas called Cirenmaco came out as the most dangerous lake. This glacial lake has already caused three major documented flash floods in the recent past, including one in July 1981 that killed 200 people. Just one of these floods can devastate multiple communities at once, and with more glaciers melting and more glacial lakes being created, these events will only become more common.

Bear Glacier Lagoon, Kenai Fjords. NASA

6. Conclusion

Glaciers only play one part in the hugely complex issue that is climate change. However, it is evident that the survival of our glaciers will play a huge role in how life progresses on Earth. Their existence is paramount on every scale, and the extent of their loss is already being felt across the globe. Unfortunately, the answer isn’t as simple as making one small change in your lifestyle, but every change does count. As we have seen, the effects of rising sea-levels due to glacial retreat are no longer just predictions, they are happening right now. Therefore, education and preparation is just as important as the need for re-evaluation and change.

  • Featuring: Earth’s Glaciers

Bibliography

U.S. Geological Survey (www.usgs.gov)
Mapping 50 Years of Melting Ice in Glacier National Park (www.nytimes.com)
National Geographic: Glaciers 101 (www.youtube.com)
Forgotten Photos of Greenland’s Glaciers (www.nature.com)
The Big Thaw (www.nationalgeographic.com)
Antarctic Methane Could Escape and Worsen Warming (www.nationalgeographic.com)
Flash floods threaten more people than thought… (www.nationalgeographic.com)
Facts about Glaciers (www.nsidc.org)
Water Rising On NASA Shores (www.earthobservatory.nasa.gov)
Dr Daniel Fagre (www.usgs.gov)
The three-degree world (www.theguardian.com)
Reuben Wu (www.reubenwu.com)
Miami Forever (www.miamiforever.org)

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National Geographic (@natgeo)

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