{"id":227925,"date":"2010-02-11T17:18:27","date_gmt":"2010-02-11T22:18:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/green.yahoo.com\/blog\/guest_bloggers\/21\/top-seven-disappearing-glaciers.html"},"modified":"2010-02-11T17:18:27","modified_gmt":"2010-02-11T22:18:27","slug":"top-seven-disappearing-glaciers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/227925","title":{"rendered":"Top seven disappearing glaciers"},"content":{"rendered":"

7. The Matterhorn<\/h3>\n


\n\"Matterhorn\"
\n
(Photo: c. 1960 & today, Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/center><\/p>\n

Many often wonder why Europeans get so hot and bothered about
\nclimate change. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that they
\nare in direct, daily contact with one very sobering reality \u2014 their ice
\nis vanishing.<\/p>\n

European glaciers have been some of the hardest hit by climate
\nchange.\u00a0Since the first half of the 19th century, about two-thirds of
\nthe ice cover was lost in the Pyrenees with a marked acceleration after
\n1980 (Chueca et al. 2005 via: UNEP<\/a>) and in the Alps, home to the world famous Matterhorn,\u00a0nearly half the glaciers have disappeared since record keeping began.<\/p>\n

Often called the “water tower” of Europe, the Alps contain 40
\npercent of Europe’s fresh water supply. The dramatic disappearance of
\nice on the Matterhorn last year has prompted the need for the border
\nbetween Switzerland and Italy to be redrawn<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

6. Alaska<\/a><\/h3>\n


\n\"Muir
\n
(Photo: Muir Glacier, 1941)<\/em>
\n<\/center><\/p>\n


\n\"Muir
\n
(Photo: Muir Glacier, 2004)<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/center><\/p>\n

It’s always struck me as a bit ironic that Alaska, home to several
\nof the most famous gubernatorial climate skeptics (including Sarah
\nPalin) is also home to some of the most dramatic examples of climate
\nchange. <\/p>\n

The astonishing recession of the massive Muir glacier is just
\none example among dozens, causing many scientists to
\nwarn of earthquakes<\/a> triggered by tectonic plates with suddenly lightened loads.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

5. Himalayas<\/h3>\n


\n\"Himalayas\"
\n
(Photo: NASA)<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/center><\/p>\n

Home to the planet’s largest body of ice outside the polar caps,
\nthe Himalayas feed several of the world’s largest rivers, supporting
\nclose to a billion people.\u00a0In the western region of Himachal Pradesh,
\nnew evidence tracks an annual ice loss of nearly 3 feet in thickness
\nper year, doubling in the past decade from the decade prior (Berthier et al<\/a>, 2007).<\/p>\n

Will the Himalayan glaciers disappear this century? Not likely, but Chinese government officials are growing concerned <\/a>that retreating ice may spell the end of reliable water supplies for China.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

4. Greenland<\/h3>\n


\n\"Helheim
\n
(Photo: Helheim Glacier, Spring 2001)<\/em>
\n<\/center><\/p>\n


\n\"Helheim
\n
(Photo: Helheim Glacier, Spring 2005)<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/center><\/p>\n

Satellite images of Greenland\u2019s Helheim Glacier dating back to the
\n50s shows that this massive glacier has remained in tact for decades.
\nBut In 2000 it suddenly began disappearing<\/a>. <\/p>\n

By 2005 the glacier had retreated a total of 4 1\/2 miles \u2014 at an average rate of 110 feet per day.\u00a0Ironically, retreating glaciers in
\nGreenland have enabled dozens of new oil and gas exploration<\/a> projects as vanishing ice makes room for heavy drilling equipment.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

3. Mount Kilimanjaro<\/h3>\n


\n\"Mount
\n
(Photo: Mount Kilimanjaro, February 1993 & February 2000)<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/center><\/p>\n

Last week a band of celebrities<\/a>
\nhiked up Mount Kilimanjaro to raise awareness for the African water
\ncrisis. The famous snow-cap formed 11,000 years ago but has diminished
\nmore than 85 percent since 1912, and nearby Mount Kenya has lost nearly
\nALL of its ice at an average of 1 meter per year, threatening water
\nsupplies for millions of people.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Scientists now predict <\/a>that the last great African glaciers could be gone within 20 years.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

2. The Andes<\/h3>\n


\n\"The
\n
(Photo: Dr. Edson Ramirez\/AP; Universidad Mayor de San Andres)<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/center><\/p>\n

The Chacaltaya glacier, once the highest ski resorts on earth, has
\ncompletely vanished in the relative blink of an eye.\u00a0A study on
\nBolivian glaciers in 1998 predicted the glacier\u2019s disappearance by the
\nyear 2015, a claim that at the time was dismissed as overly dramatic.
\nBut early last year, it was officially announced<\/a> that the glacier “… no longer exists,” an event which threatens both water and power supplies in the Andean region.<\/p>\n

Melting has tripled in the last decade, and it is expected that
\nseveral adjoining clusters could have less than 30 years to survive.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

1. Glacier National Monument<\/h3>\n


\n\"Glacial
\n
(Photo: Glacial National Park \u2014 1938 & 2005)<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/center><\/p>\n

Based on the latest reports<\/a>, Montana<\/a> may have to think of a new name for its famous Glacier National
\nMonument.\u00a0Of the 38 square-mile area once covered by glaciers, less
\nthan 25 percent remains. <\/p>\n

Researchers believe that by the year 2030, the
\nvast majority of ice in Glacier National Park will be gone unless
\ncurrent climate patterns are reversed.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

ADDENDUM: The GRID Report (<\/em>PDF<\/em><\/a>)
\nhas just released new data for its upcoming 2007\/2008 report which
\nshows ever-increasing rates of deglaciation. It’s filled with dozens of
\nalmost incomprehensible graphs that shows how of the 16
\nmajor glaciers studied, all 16 are rapidly melting.<\/em><\/p>\n

For a primer on basic glacier science<\/a> click on Part 1 of this post. To learn more about the IPCC Glacier Goof-up<\/a> read the oh-so-controversial post.<\/em><\/p>\n

Karl Burkart is a regular contributor to Mother Nature Network<\/a><\/em>, where a version of this post originally appeared.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

More from Mother Nature Network <\/strong>\n<\/p>\n