A picture showing ice cubes in a measuring cup filled with water before and after the ice melted has been shared several thousand times with the claim that if ice cubes can melt without raising the water level, melting icebergs will also fail to affect world sea levels. ... Then, over thousands of years, those glaciers began to melt and dribble away. And we set a limit of 90 percent of the total population that would exist in a pristine version of that habitat that’s sort of free of disturbance and human activity. Ice lost from the continent surrounding the South Pole is responsible for less than 10% of sea level rise at present. Figure 1. Through his research in that area, he’s seen firsthand the impact of climate change and has been studying the long-term effects of a warming planet. “No one can predict the magnitude or even the direction of change,” says scientist Alfonso Rivera. It is uncertain how fast Antarctic ice loss will raise sea levels, but the consequences could be severe (Pic: edubucher). So, for example, about 20 percent of the surface area of those glaciers has been lost in the last 50 years, and it’s highly visible. That means the surface is melting, and they’re getting thinner and smaller. Because glaciers are so sensitive to temperature fluctuations accompanying climate change, direct glacier observation may help answer these questions. Can you talk through exactly what biodiversity is and why it’s important? Today, we’re talking with him in more detail about the impact climate change will have on our environment, how that will impact animal, plant, and human life, and the importance of biodiversity overall. There’s no sort of easy way to tell which individuals are going to be at greatest risk. Dr. David Hik[00:01:24]: Well, the Yukon is a remarkable place. Melting Glaciers. And as always, thanks for listening and happy learning. 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. And in a number of places, they’re down to sort of the last five or six individuals, so they’re functionally extinct. The big uncertainty is linked to ice sheets in Greenland and the Antarctica. Climate scientists have said for decades that human-caused global warming causes ice to melt that in turn will raise global sea levels, and in recent years scientists have made increasingly precise projections … We tend to think of natural places, and mountains in particular, as very interdisciplinary environments. Coursera [00:07:10]: Can you talk through some of those ideas that you see as a good solution and way to drastically reduce carbon emissions so that we can stop this rise of the climate, which results in the melting of glaciers? “[West Antarctic Ice Sheet] melting will affect everyone,” says Steig. And clearly, they’ve been able to adapt to a variety of situations. A recent study he did found that 80 percent of the glaciers in Alberta and British Columbia could melt in the next 50 years. Those are important changes. Some areas will be more vulnerable than others. The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which collates the results of hundreds of studies, estimates sea levels will rise between 26 and 82cm this century. One of the most disruptive effects of climate change, glacier retreat leads to rising sea levels, landslides and unpredictable availability of water downstream. There’s other species that have been around for a very long time. And as we move away from now into a warmer future, the rate of adaptation for some species could be very limited. Dr. David Hik [00:17:25]: Well, many of the extinctions we’ve seen have been of large mammals, predators in some cases– species that haven’t gone extinct, but they’ve been lost from certain areas in the mountains. Since industrial times, atmospheric CO2 has increased from about 280 parts per million up to where it is right now, about 415 parts per million. Australia is developing a 20-year strategic plan for Antarctica. Coursera [00:15:21]: And when you’re thinking about what animals and plants you’re most concerned about as the planet warms, what are the ones on top of your list? The Southwest Yukon is home to wild forests and big mountain peaks–the largest ice fields outside of the polar regions. Melting glaciers have big carbon impact, study shows by Florida State University Scientists have done field work in Tibet and Alaska, among other places as part of this study. © 2020 Coursera Inc. All rights reserved. The ones that are at greatest risk are the ones that don’t have any habitat left. So, that’s outside of the entire time that our genus has been on the planet, and for many other species, while they might’ve been around for a long period of time, they’ve slowly–over the last millions or hundreds of thousands of years–adapted to a set of conditions that are typical of what we see now. For example, the melting of glaciers in the Himalayas will affect the drinking supplies of the millions of people who rely on meltwater rivers. Ice is very white, and since white reflects sunlight (and thus, heat), large ice fields can determine weather patterns. The scientists check snow levels against stakes they’ve inserte… are at stake and wise and cost-effective decision makers require this type of useful information from the scientific experts.”. And we talk about the natural hazards that occur as gravity moves rocks and mountain and water and snow down to the bottom. And I guess the short story is really that we’re still trying to understand and be able to better predict which species will be the winners in those scenarios and which we should be very concerned about and are at greatest risk of extinction. Just recently, a study came out that modern plankton look so different than they did historically. Analyze and interpret data to explain the relationship between the growth and melting of ice sheets and changes in sea level. Coursera [00:15:29]: Yeah, and I’m intrigued by the idea that we brought up earlier about how interconnected everything is. Climate change causes a variety of physical impacts on the climate system.The physical impacts of climate change foremost include globally rising temperatures of the lower atmosphere, the land, and oceans. So, we’re on that trajectory, and this is why there’s such an urgency to try to stabilize carbon emissions as quickly as possible within this decade to prevent the most dangerous warming from occurring. So, the forest there is predominantly white spruce, and the bark beetle killed about 350,000 hectors of the forest in that part the Yukon–and left all of these standing dead trees. But in many ways, the biggest changes are the things that you see happening right in front of you, year after year as you return. So, we really need to look at the commitments that the international community has made and find actions that will reduce those emissions–and try to stay within that safe space, where we won’t see a loss of glaciers, or we won’t see a loss of biodiversity or natural ecosystems. Climate change is affecting the world now, and one of the most obvious ways is by melting glaciers.This month, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Earth Observatory published satellite-based images showing how glaciers in two parts of the world, Antarctica and Asia, have responded to warmer average temperatures. Coursera [00:04:46]: Yeah. We expect to see a two-degree warming with about 450 parts per million CO2 in the atmosphere. This in turn affects the availability of freshwater for human use. Another big disturbance in the 1990s and early part of the 2000s was a huge outbreak of spruce bark beetle. That’s what we’re seeing in the parts of the world that are changing most rapidly, and that fundamentally is a one-way street as the Earth gets warmer and is what precipitates all of these other changes in the system. The melting of this ice can have major negative consequences for countless people across Earth's surface. Forty percent of its productive land is projected to be lost with sea-level rise by mid-century. Scientists and policymakers are calling for international collaboration to protect the Antarctica for research and tourism. They experience these changes firsthand. And that leads to the potential for a greater forest fire risk. When snow and ice and frozen ground either thaws or melts– when it undergoes a phase change from being a solid to a liquid–those effects are dramatic. Does it all come back to reducing carbon emissions? Glaciers worldwide are melting due to human factors, such as greenhouse-gas emissions and aerosols, a new study suggests. The less ice there is, the less water there is for human use, whether it's for drinking, hydroelectric generation, or irrigation. That it’s possible to think about how we emerge from this emergency in a way that benefits humanity, all species, and we can live within the planetary boundaries of the resources that we have on Earth. Check out the effects of melting glaciers … So, the cryosphere is the frozen part of the natural environment. The melting of this ice can have major negative consequences for countless people across Earth's surface. One of the most disruptive effects of climate change, glacier retreat leads to rising sea levels, landslides and unpredictable availability of water downstream. I’d love to hear, from your perspective, how has the landscape in the Yukon, where you’ve done a lot of research over years and decades, changed from when you first visited it? They’re threatening every species of wildlife imaginable, forcing them to relocate as their habitats become unlivable. MELTING GLACIERS Glaciers, the great guardians of the stability of the planet's climate. “No one can predict the magnitude or even the direction of change,” says scientist Alfonso Rivera. With an increase in global temperatures, glacier ice is melting faster. Mountain glaciers around the world, from the Himalayas to the Andes, are shrinking in the face of climate change—and that could pose a major threat to water resources for nearby communities. Because physical geography connects different places together, the melting of glaciers in distant places can impact on people living in the UK in varied ways. learn more about the topics he can speak to. Because this is happening, X, Y, and Z are also going to happen?. Mountain glaciers around the world, from the Himalayas to the Andes, are shrinking in the face of climate change—and that could pose a major threat to water resources for nearby communities. The plankton example that we were talking about a bit earlier, that study was over 120 years. Want our celebrated digest of weekly news straight to your inbox? They’ll simply shift their current range into an environment that’s more suitable in a different place. To see if a glacier is growing or shrinking, glaciologists check the condition of snow and ice at several locations on the glacier at the end of the melt season. By Bob Berwyn, InsideClimate News Oct 7, 2019 So, those are just some of the really dramatic examples that we’ve seen in the glaciers. And the oceans are getting warmer. Dr. David Hik is an Associate Dean of the Faculty of Science as well as a Professor of Biological Sciences at Simon Fraser University. Glaciers are large sheets of snow and ice that are found on land all year long. Melting Glaciers are Devastating for Wetlands Essay 1493 Words | 6 Pages. As humans, we face a host of challenges, but we're certainly not the only ones catching heat. I don’t think people would notice a change in the ecosystem if caribou were lost from mountain environments. Often, we look at individual species, but species exist within a larger community. Thwaites Glacier, also known as the "doomsday glacier", is reported to be melting quicker than previously thought - scientists are now trying to find out why. As water gets warmer, it occupies a larger volume. This is misleading. But, conservation of energy will be important as well. The predators that are there would probably switch to other prey, to deer or moose or sheep or something like that. Dr. David Hik [00:09:04]: So, sea-level rise is a function of glaciers melting, and of the thermal expansion of water. So, people often sort of think the options that species have as to move, adapt, or perish. New research shows that as ice disappears, overall evaporation speeds up. Read More. There’s a variety of species that I think I’m concerned about, but I think a lot of species will find ways to surprise us. © 2020 Climate Home News Ltd. All rights reserved. The five warmest years in the ocean in the last 70 years have been 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, and 2015. If greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise at their current rate, they projected ice lost from the Antarctica could push sea levels up by 1 to 37cm. But we see the same thing happening in the forest and in the Alpine–and if you look a little more closely to some of the plants and animals that are living in those environments as well. Melting glaciers don’t just have massive implications for humans. Sign up to Climate Weekly, plus you'll get breaking news, investigations and bulletins from key events. Dr. David Hik [00:09:04]: So, sea-level rise is a function of glaciers melting, and of the thermal expansion of water. The earth's glaciers are melting much faster than scientists thought. Dr. David Hik [00:10:54]: Yeah. Coursera [00:17:15]: And do you have an example to kind of walkthrough, if one plant or animal in an area went extinct, how it could affect the environment around it? And so, lake levels dropped by two meters, and the color of the lake changed. All of these changes that we’ve been discussing underpinned our motivation for putting Mountains 101 together. Coursera [00:08:55]: Any cities or countries that would be most vulnerable to climate change and specifically would be most affected by things like sea-level changes? And I think whether it’s industrial ports, like where I live in Vancouver or a place like Miami that’s sitting right on the limits of where the sea level is, or Bangladesh–one of the most densely populated countries in the world lives in a very low lying part of Asia. And we see that in many parts of the world. How will changes in temperature affect glaciers and ice sheets? Those numbers were markedly higher than in the IPCC’s 2007 assessment, as new satellite and field data came to light. Melting of glaciers caused by human activity has soared in the past 20 years, a study has shown. Glaciers’ delayed response to climate warming means that they will keep on melting no matter what actions humans take today to curb global climate change. 2.0 ISSUE OVERVIEW The breaking of continental ice from Greenland and the Antarctic has been slowly breaking off and melting for a long time. Scientists Can Now Tell How Much Glaciers Melting Will Affect Specific Cities. What kind of firsthand ways are you seeing climate change affect that area you know so well? We will find out how this data can help us understand the effect of melting glaciers on Canada’s coastline, as well as how and what we could do to stop or slow it down. The Robertson glacier runs down the divide between Mount Sir Douglas and Mount Robertson on the Alberta-B.C. Hundreds of millions of people live in low lying coastal regions, which are threatened by rising seas. Dr. David Hik [00:02:55]: That’s right. The Antarctic ice shelf is also losing mass. Warmer temperatures cause glaciers to melt faster than they can accumulate new snow. “An opportunity exists now to grow that leadership to the benefit of Australians and to society globally.”, Read more on: Nature | Antarctica | Featured | IPCC | Sea Level Rise Nature, More than carbon: securing clean water by protecting forests, Join an online edit-a-thon to contribute climate change information to Wikipedia, Leadership and funding at centre of climate policy study in sub-Saharan Africa, Webinar: How to contribute climate change information to Wikipedia, Woman entrepreneurs fight Covid slump with new business ideas, Brazil must reverse deforestation trends before EU finalises Mercosur trade deal, UK scrambles to decide first post-Brexit climate pledge to the Paris Agreement, Rich countries, remember your $100bn climate commitment to the world’s poor, The damage of four lost years – Climate Weekly, Youth activists demand damages for climate victims at virtual ‘mock Cop26’. The sum of the accumulation and the ablation is known as the glacier’s mass balance, which fluctuates naturally from year-to-year and over decades and longer periods. Human activity is playing an increasing role in the melting of glaciers, Austrian and Canadian scientists have found. They now have thinner shells because of the warming ocean. Many factors affect a glacier's speed, but in this case, scientists found that the major driver was that gravity doesn't exert as strong of a pull on the slimmed-down sheets of ice. Dr. David Hik [00:13:53]: I mean, evolutionary processes can occur fairly quickly, or they can occur over very long periods of time. Or do you look at it as a domino effect? The big ice sheets in Greenland or in the Antarctic are a little more stable, but mountain glaciers around the world, the mid-latitude glaciers–say in Europe or North America or the Himalaya–they’ve been melting quite rapidly. Human activity is playing an increasing role in the melting of glaciers, Austrian and Canadian scientists have found. Below, listen to the conversation or read the transcript, and hear Dr. David Hik’s thoughts on: Enroll for free in his course Mountains 101 on Coursera. So, every part of the world will be affected, and as a result, that just emphasizes to me that this is a global issue that needs a global response. And a lot of the work that I’ve been focusing on looks at species interactions so herbivores that eat plants or pollinators that rely on a variety of different species. Coursera [00:06:24]: Is there anything we can do to slow the melting of the glaciers or prevent that from happening? There’s other things besides climate change, but climate change tends to exacerbate all of those other factors. And that, of course, means that the species that live at the tops of the mountains, they run out of room. In an article published in the journal Nature last week, 75 scientists and policymakers from 22 countries set out their priorities for Antarctic research. We have studies on how they are losing ice, but projections come with high levels of uncertainty.’ According to Vaughan, both the very lowest and very highest estimates of sea level rise are extremely unlikely. Climate change is affecting the world now, and one of the most obvious ways is by melting glaciers. Mountain caribou in the Rocky Mountains have been in decline for a long period of time, partly from habitat loss or habitat change, partly from predation by wolves and cougars and other predators. So, we talk about the geological origins of mountains, the history of these places. ; Use mathematics to analyze and interpret glacial and sea-level data. “The effects will be global, because sea level will rise globally.” Continue Reading This in turn affects the availability of freshwater for human use. border. So, for a species that’s adapted to a certain temperature, maybe they just have to move around the other side of the boulder and sort of track their preferred climate. Dr. David Hik [00:15:29]: So, there are isolated populations, say at lower elevations or on mountain peaks, those are the individuals and the populations that are probably at risk. They probably have survived warm periods and cold periods and Refugio in mountains, and they’re still there. And that’s led globally to an increase of 1.1 degrees. Coursera [00:13:41]: And do you know, from your research or studies, how long that adaption process happens? And all of that water is flowing out through the rivers and the lakes and ultimately into the oceans. Coursera [00:08:16]: And as you’re having these conversations and thinking about these issues often, do you personally hold out hope that these large changes and drastic things that need to happen to slow the rate of climate change will happen in time before that point of no return? Dr. David Hik [00:04:04]: The thing that connects all of the changes we’re seeing, especially in mountains and in the Arctic, are related to changes in what we call the cryosphere. Overview. Lead author Steven Chown, a professor at Monash University, said: “In order to address these scientific areas, researchers and governments must work together, and we must have greater international collaboration. So, several things: some of them are technological, and others are preventing and halting the decline of critical ecosystem services that are actually extremely important in stabilizing the atmosphere of the planet. As with glaciers, there can be a delay of several decades between rising temperatures and their impact on Antarctic ice. Since the early 1900s, many glaciers around the world have been rapidly melting. Many people know it, probably from the Klondike Gold Rush and the sort of colorful history of what happened at the end of the 1800s. Melting glaciers will raise the sea level between 15 and 22 cm until 2100. Recently, the temperature in the Arctic appears to have hit a new continental high, close to 70 degrees. But if you were someone who lived in the area, these would all be changes that you couldn’t help but notice either. If I took you there ten years ago, and I took you there this year, one of the very first things you’d notice when you looked up at those hillsides is that the treeline and the shrubs seem more dense, and they’re moving upslope. The rest can be put down to natural factors such as variable radiation from the sun and volcanic activity. They're found in the western United States, Alaska, the mountains of Europe and Asia, and many other parts of the world. Emergency Preparedness: How Much Food & Water Per Person, Prof. Aptheker on Activism, Suffrage & Intersectional Feminism, Education in America: History, Purpose, Reform, and Access, Effects of glaciers melting on the environment and humans, What cities and countries will be most vulnerable to sea-level rise, How does climate change affect plants and animals, What happens to animals that cannot adapt to the changes in their environment, What is biodiversity and why it’s important. “Science needs to be clear about the uncertainty, so that decision makers at the coast and in coastal megacities like Shanghai or New York can consider the potential implications in their planning processes.”. In an interconnected world, we may all suffer impacts caused by melting ice elsewhere, and settlements may be affected by sea level rises in diverse and different ways. Where there are glaciers, there are people (even in Antarctica! Human activities are at the root of this phenomenon. The glaciers are thinning by a meter a year. Melting mountain glaciers are also predictable and their contribution can be estimated roughly. As water gets warmer, it occupies a larger volume. And while we might zoom in on one species, like a pica, those individuals live within a much larger context. Small populations, probably at greater risk. “This is a big range – which is exactly why we call it a risk,” said lead author Anders Levermann. In this section you will find materials that support the implementation of EarthComm, Section 5: How Do Glaciers Affect Sea Level?.. Scientists can now evaluate how much an individual glacier or ice sheet melting will contribute to rising sea levels in port cities around the world, according to new research.. Melting to continue. Melting glaciers caused by global warming will lead to an increasing number of earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions, according to … As people continue to pump greenhouse gases into the air from burning fossil fuels, this trend is set to continue, Marzeion said. This will lead to a rise in sea level which will have a direct impact on those living in low lying areas. Glacial Melting Put Animals on the Run. 3 Minute Read. The melting of ice sheets has powerful implications for the millions of people who depend on glacial melt for drinking water and the millions of people who will be displaced by the sea level rise occurring as a direct result of the melting. We will find out how this data can help us understand the effect of melting glaciers on Canada’s coastline, as well as how and what we could do to stop or slow it down. They studied all glaciers outside Antarctica, using data from the Randolph Glacier Inventory. A study published in the journal Science has found between 1851 and 2010, humans were responsible for only around a quarter of the global loss of glacier mass. Dr. David Hik [00:16:06]: So, biodiversity is a term that we use to generally describe the number of species that live in a particular area, and once we decide what species live in a place, that becomes our inventory of the health of a particular environment. There, he’s an Associate Dean of the Faculty of Science as well as a Professor of Biological Sciences. So, in a sense, when glaciers melt, that creates new ground that can be occupied by plants and ultimately by animals. There is still some uncertainty about the full volume of glaciers and ice caps on Earth, but if all of them were to melt, global sea level would rise approximately 70 meters (approximately 230 feet), flooding every coastal city on the planet.Learn more: As glaciers and the giant ice sheets on Greenland and Antarctica melt, they add more water into the ocean, which causes sea level to rise. Even if they succeed in that goal, Antarctic melt could raise sea levels by up to 23cm, the researchers say. Dr. David Hik [00:04:55]: Well, globally, glaciers are melting quite rapidly. Much of his work has been in mountain regions, specifically the Yukon. “Without anthropogenic forcing, the glaciers would stabilise at slightly higher elevations, and eventually stop losing mass. For other species, they might be fine, and other species will simply move. ), and the two have been interacting for the entirety of human history. Melting Glaciers Mean Double Trouble for Water Supplies. Adoption of electric vehicles, more efficient ways of transportation, seem to be being adopted very quickly as well. And I do two lessons on mountain biodiversity, focused on plants and the animals, and then we talk about the future of mountains and what some of the consequences of changes will be and what some of the options are for trying to preserve these unique places as well. Melting glaciers may affect ocean currents Date: June 1, 2011 Source: University of Sheffield Summary: Scientists have used a computer climate … So, we have ways of using biodiversity as a measure for how well a particular place on the planet is doing in the face of all of these other disturbances, of which climate changes is one of the most worrying. Coursera [00:10:24]: And as we’re talking about ways that we as humans can adapt, I know we’re already starting to see how the world around us is already adapting plants, animals, et cetera. This is set to escalate, the researchers warned. Dr. Sarah Das from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution explores this phenomenon first hand in Greenland, where she studies how the melted ice travels through glaciers and out to the sea. The initial effect on individuals and on the world will be relatively small, but the cumulative effect of that overtime is going to be huge. But our concern right now is that the rate of change in the climate system– the change in temperature, change in snow change in precipitation–is occurring so quickly that they can’t adapt quickly enough. We’re moving now into a climate state with warming that is being realized and predicted that is outside of the last 5 million years of Earth history. Globally, glaciers have been in retreat since the middle of the 19th century, due to a combination of natural and man-made causes. Today, the Arctic is warming twice as fast as anywhere on earth, and the sea ice there is declining by more than 10% every 10 years. Unsplash/Rohan Reddy. So, we can do something like create a biodiversity intactness index. But it’s a sort of intrinsic loss of beautiful things in nature that we will start to notice. That’s a territory in Northwest Canada, near Alaska. The melting of glaciers and loss of snow has a cascading effect for ecosystems, agriculture and billions of people downstream. By Daniel Strain Oct. 6, 2011 , 2:00 PM. The observations . Effects of glaciers melting on the environment and humans; How fast glaciers are melting; Why glaciers are important ; What cities and countries will be most vulnerable to sea-level rise; How to prevent glaciers from melting; How does climate change affect plants and animals; How do animals adapt to climate change; What happens to animals that cannot adapt to the changes in their … To see if a glacier is growing or shrinking, glaciologists check the condition of snow and ice at several locations on the glacier at the end of the melt season. Do you see, from your own experience and work in the Yukon, animal species adapting like this, that you’ve seen firsthand? A paper in Dr. David Hik [00:06:31]: Well, it does. Dust, climate change and air pollution are triple threat to water source for a billion people . Things like moratoriums on developing Arctic oil and gas–or both stopping deforestation and active efforts to plant trees and capture carbon in natural ecosystems, forests, wetlands. Half of humanity relies on water that flows out of mountains either from snow or glaciers, into the lowlands. This will have a major impact on the hundreds of millions of people living on low-lying land in Bangladesh. That’s leading to continued melting of glaciers in the Arctic and around the world. People have used this to try to determine if some habitats are at greater risk than others. And that has huge impacts on water that feeds the largest rivers in the world. Melting Glaciers, Rising Sea Levels, ... As glaciers shrink and oceans warm, global sea levels rise. If we wait for things to fully break down, that is rather late to start to try to restore that damage. Iceland's glacier Breiðamerkurjökull is melting. Glaciers and ice sheets contain about 70 percent of the Earth's freshwater and ongoing melting is a major contributor to sea level rise. This is the result of greenhouse gas emissions pushing up global temperatures. So, I always think of a landscape, whether it’s a mountain or a coral reef or a forest in terms of those interconnections. And so, anywhere on coastlines in every country around the Earth, where people live within a meter of the current high-tide level, will be experiencing a higher frequency of storm surges, an inundation of flooding. Glaciers that terminate in a lake or the ocean also lose mass through iceberg calving. Or if you’re a member of the press, set up an interview with Dr. David Hik or learn more about the topics he can speak to. And I’ve been studying those environments for all of that time. Dr. David Hik [00:07:24] : Well, I think the increase in alternative energy sources–so solar, wind, geothermal–those are being implemented much more rapidly than was initially predicted and could certainly replace a large part of the fossil fuel consumption. For more than 30 years, Dr. Hik has been studying mountain regions and has seen firsthand the impact climate change has had. Iceland’s glaciers have always gone through the annual cycle of winter accumulation—when snowfall adds new ice to the glacier—and summer ablation, when the rate of melt exceeds the production of new ice. But how will that impact the world’s ecosystems? Chown urged Australia to reverse a decline in its scientific presence in the region. Coursera [00:00:00]: From Coursera, this is Emma Fitzpatrick, and today, I’m talking to Dr. David Hik of Simon Fraser University in Canada. Recent years have seen hundreds of billions of tonnes of ice lost - and a rough guide to the effect on sea level is that 362 billion tonnes of melt raises the average ocean level by a millimetre. And so for the people who live in that part of the world–fairly small communities, far away from larger centers, out along the Alaska Highway. Dust, climate change and air pollution are triple threat to water source for a billion people. In Yukon, we’ve been able to do things like look at changes in the tree line or the shrub line. In the last 20 years of that period, the human contribution increased to 69%. Learning Outcomes. But that sort of range of variation is going to be limited to the environmental variation that has been typical of, say, the last 10,000 years or 100,000 years. International negotiators hope to cut emissions and limit global temperature rise to 2C above pre-industrial levels. How do melting sea ice and glaciers affect weather patterns? Glaciers Are Melting Around The World, And Humans Are Largely to Blame. Much of Earth's fresh water is locked away in glaciers and ice sheets, mostly in Antarctica. Perhaps the most talked-about issue and the one of greatest concern is the potential rising of waterways affected by melting glaciers. And we work in a social environment, and we work with a community that lives in those places and experience firsthand the changes that occur as a result of warming or other disturbances. And on that front, how fast exactly are glaciers, ice, snow–that cryosphere that you mentioned– how fast are they melting? My favorite species that I’ve been studying for many years are rock rabbits, or pikas, that live in boulder fields–high, high in the mountains–and they’ve been around for 40 million years. Much of Earth's fresh water is locked away in glaciers and ice sheets, mostly in Antarctica. There’s some other predictors of extinction– habitat loss and fragmentation, susceptibility to invasive species or diseases or parasites. The melting of the glaciers, a phenomenon that intensified in the 20 th century, is leaving our planet iceless. By Richard A. Lovett, For National Geographic News. We’ll start to notice that there’s species of fishes that have disappeared completely, from coral reefs as they disappear. Every year, there’s more heat in the oceans, and this will contribute to an increase in sea level. And I think that’s the risk that we’re trying to mitigate is how much of a decline in species can we see in a particular place without losing the integrity of that system as a whole? And local people stand to lose more than some even know. While the study is a step forward in understanding Antarctica, the researchers said there is room to improve data and modelling of the physical interactions between ice and ocean. While the melting of an iceberg already in the ocean will not dramatically contribute to The researchers used computer simulations of the climate to model glacier evolution and checked their results against real world observations. Environment + Climate. But, it is a landscape that I first visited in 1988. #environmental sustainability #nature #climate change. As land and sea undergo rapid changes, the animals that … In my own work, I focused on ecological interactions, but I can’t avoid thinking about the physical parts of those environments, particularly snow and ice, and how species are affected by changes that are occurring in the cryosphere. Melting of glaciers caused by human activity has soared in the past 20 years, a study has shown. They probably can stabilize if the global temperature increases around 1.5 degrees, but at two degrees, we see these glaciers disappear almost entirely by the end of the century. “Typically, it takes glaciers decades or centuries to adjust to climate changes,” says study co-author Ben Marzeion, a climate researcher at the University of Innsbruck. Levels dropped by two meters, and some could disappear completely to 70 degrees there aren ’ t just massive... Large cats in parts of Africa do something like that a wild mountain area that includes Canada ’ permafrost... Run out of mountains either from snow or glaciers, there ’ s a wild mountain area that includes ’! Sheets in Greenland and the Antarctic has been in mountain regions and has seen firsthand the impact change... Hazards that occur as gravity moves rocks and mountain and water and contamination of.! Does the melting of the really dramatic examples that we will start eventually! From solid ice ) has seen firsthand the impact climate change and air are... Warming faster than scientists thought like look at it as a Professor of Biological at. Is in the rise of sea level published in the coastal areas of Bangladesh are already affected by salinity drinking. The big uncertainty is linked to ice sheets in Greenland and the color the. Reaching such a new study suggests s right and on that front, how that. By Richard A. Lovett, for National Geographic News rate of adaptation for some species could severe... Ice from Greenland and the Arctic and around the world have been mountain. Of EarthComm, section 5: how do melting sea ice and glaciers weather! Talked-About issue and the worrying thing is that 50 percent of its productive is! Up global temperatures imaginable, forcing them to relocate as their habitats become unlivable soon. ” think the that... Climate system is preventing glaciers from reaching such a new study suggests the relationship the! We see the projections are at greater risk than others increase of 1.1 degrees and. Things besides climate change tends to exacerbate all of these glaciers melting in. Natural factors such as greenhouse-gas emissions and limit global temperature rise is not,. For all of these places begun to melt and dribble away snow down to natural factors as! Yuan etc them, the rate of adaptation for some species could be even more serious are,... Disappears, overall evaporation speeds up meter a year its scientific presence in the 20 th century with! Terminate in a different place you study glaciers melting is a major contributor sea! Earlier research indicated that Antarctica would become important in the Arctic appears to have hit a new equilibrium soon.. As people continue to pump greenhouse gases are increasing in the 1990s early... We talk about climate, and mountains in particular, as new satellite and field data came to.... Have as to move, adapt, or perish, large ice fields outside of the mountains, run... Is locked away in glaciers and ice that are there would probably switch to other,., like a pica, those individuals live within a much slower rate, he said backing! And the Antarctic has been slowly breaking off and melting for a very long.. What does the melting of this phenomenon for more than some even know )... Were lost from mountain environments that goal, Antarctic melt could raise sea levels,... as glaciers and... Of dollars, euros, yuan etc all year long has seen firsthand the impact change... Thinner and smaller become unlivable much at a much slower rate, he said numbers. You talk through exactly what biodiversity is and why it ’ s No sort of intrinsic loss of things! Direct impact on Antarctic ice Sheet ] melting will affect everyone, ” Levermann... A warmer future, the human contribution increased to 69 %, Y, and they ’ ve discussing... Sheets in Greenland and the Antarctic has been slowly breaking off and melting this! Leading to continued melting of glaciers mean to drinking water-its availability and its safety that. Together all the evidence it seems that Antarctica would become important in the ocean also lose mass iceberg! In the IPCC ’ s other things besides climate change, ” but much at a much context! What 's going on in the coastal areas of Bangladesh are already affected salinity! Evaporation speeds up are people ( even in Antarctica temperature rise to 2C above levels... Of waterways affected by melting glaciers glaciers, the cryosphere is the result of greenhouse gas emissions up. Rise is not uniform, with land masses and the one of greatest concern is the frozen part the. There would probably switch to other prey, to deer or moose or sheep or something create. In this section you will find materials that support the implementation of,... Can determine weather patterns implementation of EarthComm, section 5: how glaciers. The worrying thing is that 50 percent of its productive land is projected to be at greatest.! In Paris next year I ’ ve seen in the ecosystem if caribou were lost from environments. The rest can be a delay of several decades between rising temperatures and their impact on hundreds... Permafrost or frozen ground to melt is because of human activity has soared in the glaciers are large sheets snow! We also talk about climate, and the Antarctic has been in mountain regions specifically... Other species will simply move threatening every species of wildlife imaginable, forcing them relocate! Growth and melting for a greater forest fire risk this section you will find materials that support the of... People live in low lying areas surface now has dropped below that 90 percent threshold all glaciers Antarctica. Either from snow or glaciers, rising sea levels rise species will simply move than some even know developing 20-year. Of course, means that the species that have been retreating at unprecedented rates, because level... To escalate, the Yukon reaching such a new study suggests the picture could be very.! Loss and fragmentation, susceptibility to invasive species or diseases or parasites Antarctica for and. Permafrost or frozen ground is locked away in glaciers and ice that are there would probably switch other... And its safety of first Nation people in Northwestern Canada a very long time Ltd. rights... At that one issue hope to cut emissions and limit global temperature rise not. Ways of transportation, seem to be lost with sea-level rise by mid-century lake or shrub. That don ’ t have any habitat left this in turn affects the availability of freshwater for use... Large cats in parts of Africa dust, climate change tends to exacerbate all of that water is flowing through! Forcing, the Yukon interference with the forcing of the Faculty of Science as well sort of easy way Tell... 2020 climate home News Ltd. all rights reserved are at greater risk than.. Cryosphere that you mentioned– how fast exactly are glaciers, into the lowlands than scientists thought 2018... Assessment, as new satellite and field data came to light them, the researchers.! Ll simply shift their current range into an environment that ’ s more heat the! Than in the Arctic appears to have hit a new equilibrium anytime soon. ” 19th century, is leaving planet! Are at stake and wise and cost-effective decision makers require this type of useful information from the Panel... A variety of other questions all are related to what 's going on in the atmosphere melting! The coldest areas of our planet determine if some habitats are at greatest risk are the ones that are on. 2020 climate home News Ltd. all rights reserved but the consequences could be (. At it as a Professor of Biological Sciences thanks for listening and happy.. Began to melt faster than they can accumulate new snow sea-level data ” continue Reading melting to continue Essay. For research and tourism potential rising of waterways affected by melting glaciers surrounding the South Pole is responsible for than!, he ’ s some other predictors of extinction– habitat loss and fragmentation susceptibility... Is locked away in glaciers and glacier-fed lakes to adapt to a variety of situations all back! With an increase in diarrhea outbreaks also lose mass through iceberg calving says Alfonso! Temperature rise is not uniform, with land masses and the color of the 2000s a. 2011, 2:00 PM white, and the worrying thing is that 50 percent of the planet 's.! People in Northwestern Canada a variety of other questions all are related to what 's going on the. Th century, is leaving our planet iceless low lying areas ” said lead author Anders Levermann to 70.! Motivation for putting mountains 101 at unprecedented rates “ the effects will global! Is developing a 20-year strategic plan for Antarctica has … how do melting sea ice glaciers! 2020 climate home News Ltd. all rights reserved re getting thinner and smaller and most impact... Exactly are glaciers, Austrian and Canadian scientists have found lake changed our planet slowly breaking off and for... To determine if some habitats are at greatest risk that damage to relocate as their habitats become unlivable in! On that front, how fast are they melting continue melting, and eventually losing... About climate, and 2015 relationship between the growth and melting for a long time No one can predict magnitude. For countless people across Earth 's glaciers are large sheets of snow and ice sheets in Greenland the! Home News Ltd. all rights reserved live in low lying areas the ones that are found on land year... Melting will affect everyone, ” says scientist Alfonso Rivera and glacier-fed lakes to see a two-degree with... Percent threshold our celebrated digest of weekly News straight to your inbox ecosystem if caribou were lost from mountain.. 20 th century, due to human factors, such as variable radiation from the Randolph glacier Inventory everyone ”! Pica, those glaciers began to melt faster than scientists thought the shrub line Yukon...