The Glaciers are Melting
We can help the Earth heal!
A Glacier is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight.
A
glacier forms where
the
accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. Glaciers around the world can
range
from ice that is several hundred to several thousand years old and provide a
scientific record of how climate has changed over time. Through their study, we gain valuable information
about
the
extent to which the planet is rapidly warming. They provide scientists a record of how climate has changed
over
time.
Rapid glacial melt in Antarctica and Greenland also influences ocean currents, as massive amounts of very
cold
glacial-melt water entering warmer ocean waters is slowing ocean currents. And as ice on land melts, sea
levels
will
continue to rise.
Why is this happening?
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. Even if we significantly curb emissions in the coming decades, more than a third of the world’s remaining glaciers will melt before the year 2100. When it comes to sea ice, 95% of the oldest and thickest ice in the Arctic is already gone. Scientists project that if emissions continue to rise unchecked, the Arctic could be ice free in the summer as soon as the year 2040 as ocean and air temperatures continue to rise rapidly.
Learn more here!