Report on global warming and its

effect on Glaciers
BY,
Aparna
arun
Glaciers are the visible indicator of climate change. Glacier mass balance, length and snow-melt
runoff are some of the glacier parameters directly related to the climate. Glacier length changes
in response to climate change with a time delay. The climate and glaciers are interrelated. Glacier
mass balance, or the change in thickness or volume, is the direct and undelayed response to
annual atmospheric conditions. It is the climate that is the driving force controlling the mass
balance of a glacier in space and time, and resulting in the recession and advancement of a
glacier. Climatic ice fluctuations cause variation in the amount of snow and ice lost by melting.
Such changes in the mass balance initiate a complex series of changes in the flow of a glacier
that ultimately results in a change of the position of terminus.
Investigations carried out by the intergovernmental panel on climate change have concluded that
the earths average temperature has increased by 0.4-0.8 Celsius in the 20th century. At the end of
the 21st century, the average temperature is supposed to increase by 1.4-5.8 Celsius.

Some consequences of melting glaciers worldwide:

Glaciers are the worlds largest reservoirs of water on our planet. Hence, melting glaciers can
create severe environmental havoc like rising sea levels, floods and water shortages in years to
come. According to NASA, the average global sea level has risen 4 to 8 inches over the last
century this means about 3.27mm per year.
Arctic and Antarctica's ice also help cool the planet by reflecting the sun's radiation back into
space. With melting glaciers and less ice, most of the heat that was previously reflected back into
space would be absorbed by the open water, leading to a warmer environment. The warmer
environment causes more glaciers to melt and sea levels to rise. The water frozen in ice caps is
actually fresh water. In fact, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, glaciers contain around
70% of the earths freshwater. So when these ice caps melt, the water that reaches the oceans will
mix with the saline ocean water, causing the desalination the ocean (i.e. make it less salty). The
desalinization of the oceanic water can upset ecosystems in the oceans because the marine
animals and plants cannot adjust to the changes in the water salinity fast enough. In addition,
ocean currents which regulate temperatures may also be affected.
Melting glaciers can also release energy constrained in the earths crust and trigger massive
earthquakes. According to the IPCC, the widespread melting glaciers and snow cover loss in the
mountain ranges (e.g. Himalaya) can lead to freshwater availability problems and reduction in
hydroelectricity outputs for communities (about 1/6 of the worlds population) living around the
region.
Statistics

Global temperature rise in recent years is melting glaciers at a faster rate today than a few
decades ago. The rate of melting is so great that many glaciers have completely vanished from
the earth over the past few decades. Many glaciers that remain are today facing the same fate
they are fast reducing in size year after year.
According to National Geographic, at the Arctic, glaciers are melting at such extremely rapid rate
that some studies suggest that Arctic could become ice-free in summer by 2030 if the current
trend of global warming continues.
According to NASA, Greenland is losing about 100 billion tons of land ice every year.
Antarctica glaciers are also melting but not as fast as the Arctic ones. Gravity data obtained from
space using NASA's Grace Satellite showed that at the Antarctica, glaciers are melting at a rate
of more than 100 km3 (or 24 cubic miles) yearly since 2002.
The Himalayan glaciers are also melting at a very fast rate. For example, according to the U.S.
Geological Survey (USGS), glacier Chhota Shigri has retreated by 12% in the last 13 years,
while glacier Gangotri (where the Ganga River starts) has retreated by 12% in the last 16 years.
The situation will only become worse.

Case Study:

1. Himalayan melting:
The scientists studied 30 years of data from the field, and satellite and weather records to
examine the retreat of 82 glaciers, the area reduction of 7,090 glaciers, and mass-balance change
- the difference between the accumulation and loss of ice of 15 glaciers in the seven larger
regions of the Himalayas, the Tibetan Plateau and the Pamir Mountains. Glaciers in this region
give birth to major rivers across Southeast Asia and the Far East, from the Ganges to the
Mekong, the Yellow and the Yangtze, which provide water to 20 percent of the world's
population.
For the glaciers studied, approximately nine percent of the area of ice that was present in the
early 1970s had disappeared by the early 2000s. Potential consequences of glacier changes
would be unsustainable water supplies from major rivers, and geohazards (glacier-lake
expansion, glacier-lake outbursts and flooding), which might threaten the livelihoods and
wellbeing of those in the downstream regions," the study warned. A sustained glacier retreat
would increase the volume of water in rivers and also sediments, which could choke water
supply, affecting agriculture.
It is confirmed that the northwest Himalaya region has warmed significantly at a higher rate than
the global average. A significant rise of 1.6 degrees Celsius from 1901-2002 has been reported in
the northwestern Himalayas [7]. The seasonal mean and maximum, and minimum winter
temperatures from 1985 to 2008 also have increased over the Himalayas [8]. The study also
reported change in the pattern of seasonal snowfall during the winter in the western Himalayas
from 1989-2007. There is a decreasing trend in the winter snowfall from 1989-2008.
Due to the rising temperature in the Himalayas, Himalayan glaciers are melting faster than in
other areas of the world. There is a feedback relationship between the glacier and climate. Less
snow in the winter and warmer temperatures in the summer will cause a higher equilibrium line
and consequently, a negative mass balance causing the glacier to retreat in response.
Chhota Shigri was selected as the benchmark glacier in the HKH region by the International
Commission of Snow and Ice in 2002. The glacier has been monitored and studied by many
glaciologists. Continuous field mass balance measurement was carried out on the glacier by a
joint team of Indian and French researchers from 2002-2007. The glacier has shown negative
mass balance for last 20 years. The cumulative specific mass balance of Chhota Shigri glacier
from 1986-1989 was -0.21 m.w.e.. A study on the ELA variation of the glacier has shown that the
ELA has an average rate of upward shifting by 31 meters per year from 1987- 2004.

Field investigations at the Chhota Shigri glacier done in 1988 and 2003 suggest a retreat of 800
meters from 1988- 2003. In their study, they reported that the glacier had been retreating for
every year between 1962 and 1989, except in 1987 when it advanced about 17.5 meters. The
total recession of the glacier was 195 meters with an average rate of 7.5 meters a year over 26
years.

2. The Arctic glaciers:

The Arctic, Earths northern polar region, is an ocean surrounded by land. Snow and ice cover
much of the Arctic land and sea surfaces, particularly at the far north. The southernmost part of
the Arctic, which includes the northern part of North America and Eurasia, is covered by boreal
forests, separated from the icy North by a wide expanse of tundra. Today the Arctic region is
home to almost 4 million people, a majority of which are non-indigenous settlers. They live in
cities, work as hunters or animal herders in rural areas, or are involved in the exploitation of
other natural resources.
Global temperatures are expected to increase further during the 21 stcentury. In the Arctic, this
warming is expected to be substantially greater than the global average, and the following
changes are expected over the current century:
o
The average annual temperatures are projected to rise by 3 to 7 C (5 to 13F), with the
greatest warming occurring in the winter months
o
Precipitation is projected to increase by roughly 20%.
o
Sea ice is expected to continue to decline significantly, reflecting less solar radiation and
thereby increasing regional and global warming.
o
The area of Arctic land covered by snow is expected to decrease by 10 to 20%.
These projections assume a gradual warming. However, abrupt and unexpected changes cannot
be ruled out.
Impact of arctic melting on the rest of the world:
1. The amount of the suns energy reflected back to space decreases as snow and ice melt,
leading to a more intense surface warming.
2. The melting of Arctic ice and increased regional precipitation can add freshwater to the oceans,
and potentially affect ocean currents in the North Atlantic.
3. As warming progresses, more greenhouse gases could be released into the atmosphere by the
thawing of the permafrost. However, warming can increase biological growth, and thus absorption
of CO2.
4. By 2100, melting of Arctic glaciers alone will have contributed to a sea level rise of roughly 5 cm
out of the projected 10-90cm total rise for this century. Melting of the Greenland ice sheet may
increase this number significantly.

5. Access to Arctic resources is likely to be affected by climate change, including: wildlife, such as
whales, seals, birds, and fish sold on world markets; and oil, gas and mineral reserves.
6. Arctic ecosystem changes will have an impact on a global scale, notably by affecting migratory
species summer breeding and feeding grounds.

Conclusion:
Effects of changing atmosphere in the Arctic are as of now being broadly watched and felt. They
give an early sign to whatever is left of the universe of the importance of environmental change.
The progressions will likewise reach a long ways past the Arctic, influencing worldwide
atmosphere, ocean level, biodiversity, and numerous parts of social and monetary frameworks.
Environmental change in the Arctic hence deserves and requires critical consideration by leaders
and the general population around the world.
A glacier will progress in a sound atmosphere and retreat in light of a hotter atmosphere. We
have seen from the change in the length of the Chhota Shigri glacier for a long time, from 19622008, that the glacier has retreated altogether. This change in the length is because of the change
in temperature and the snowfall design in the Himalayas. The glacier length change study also is
important for the melt and runoff modelling purpose.

References:
http://www.greenfacts.org/en/arctic-climate-change/index.htm#1
https://earthzine.org/
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/
https://www3.epa.gov/