Defrost mode: what is happening to glaciers around the world

It seems that the glaciers are melting somewhere far away and the process will take another hundreds of years. But the news is already sounding the alarm and threatening a global flood. We understand what is happening, what to expect and, most importantly, when

The melting of glaciers is one of the consequences of climate change. The average temperature of the Earth has almost reached 15 ℃, and this is the highest figure in 3 million years. More than 1 million tons of ice melts every day – for comparison, the iceberg that sank the Titanic is estimated at “only” 75 thousand tons. All this is fraught with hurricanes, floods, flooding of cities and countries, a sharp decline in agriculture and other economic losses.

Glaciologists are engaged in the “glacier issue”. They study the characteristics of glaciers and the processes that lead to their melting or freezing. Let’s see what the latest research says.

Melting glaciers in real time

How many tons of ice sheet melted this year:

The Arctic may be left without an ice sheet

The Arctic region is located between the North Pole and the Arctic Circle. It extends over the territory of eight states, including our country. Countries regularly meet at the Arctic Council and develop strategies to preserve the region, but the situation with glaciers is still alarming – they are melting even faster than scientists predicted.

According to glaciologist Diana Vladimirova, even a small melting of sea ice in the Arctic changes the circulation in the ocean and atmosphere – and we literally feel the consequences. So it was in the summer of 2019, when our countrymen wrapped themselves in coats in July, and in France people suffered from abnormal heat.

Greenland glaciers will cause mass migration

Greenland is the second ice sheet on the planet after Antarctica. In terms of area (1 sq. km), it is larger than France, Spain and Germany combined. Studies show that in 710 years the melting shield will raise the level of the World Ocean by 000–200 cm. And by the end of the 48st century, not only infrastructure facilities closest to the Arctic coast (ports, airports, roads), but also entire cities may be flooded. According to scientists, this poses a threat to 160 million people.

Melting glaciers are not as far as it seems – 70% of the world’s population lives within 160 km of the coast, and therefore depend on the level of the World Ocean. If all the ice on the poles and mountain peaks melts, a significant part of Europe, including St. Petersburg, will be under water.

So far, one cannot count on a more optimistic scenario: in 2020, employees of the Center for Polar and Climate Research. Bird confirmed that the glaciers of Greenland have passed the point of no return. This means that people will no longer be able to influence the rise in the level of the World Ocean – only to mitigate the consequences and prepare for migration.

Iceland is burying its glaciers

Iceland in translation means “country of ice”, but every year the territory is less and less consistent with the name. So, in August 2019, the Okyokul glacier was officially buried here. The area of ​​neighboring glaciers is also decreasing, and in 200 years a complete “defrost” of the island is expected.

According to the Minister of the Environment and Natural Resources of Iceland, Gudmundur Inga Gudbrandsson, the melting of glaciers will lead to serious environmental and economic problems: changes in flora and fauna, damage to communications and infrastructure, a decline in tourism, fishing and agriculture, as well as an increase in the risk of volcanic eruptions, which “slumber” in the glaciers. In addition, this can negatively affect the emotional state of the Icelanders, because the pride of the country literally disappears before their eyes.

The documentary short “After the Ice” clearly shows how the Icelandic glaciers are shrinking over the years:

Permafrost warms the planet

Global warming has led to the fact that even the Arctic permafrost is heated and exposed – part of the upper layer of the earth’s crust, which normally should never thaw. As a result, greenhouse gases (CO) are emitted into the atmosphere.₂ and methane. They, in turn, “warm up” the planet even more and lead to greater melting of glaciers.

When the thawed soil literally leaves from under the feet, roads, gas pipelines, buildings and other objects are damaged. According to the staff of the George Washington University, by 2050, at least 25% of the infrastructure of the northern cities of our country will be destroyed. And in Alaska, damage from melting permafrost and greenhouse gas emissions by 2099 was estimated at $5,5 billion.

Fear is also caused by bacteria and viruses “waking up” after defrosting. Anthrax outbreaks have already been observed in Yamal, possibly caused by the body of an infected deer that thawed 75 years after burial. Biologists suggest that pathogens may be hiding in the bowels of the earth, which in the past caused epidemics of the Spanish flu, smallpox and bubonic plague. And researchers from the United States have already found 33 viral populations in ice samples, 28 of which were not previously known.

Antarctica is also melting

Antarctica is the southern polar region of the Earth, which includes the continent of Antarctica and the waters of the adjacent oceans with islands. The ice sheet here is even larger than in Greenland (4 m versus 500 m), which means that its melting threatens an even greater rise in the water level in the oceans. Scientific research and international cooperation in the region is encouraged by the Antarctic Treaty.

Warm water is eroding the most important glacier

“World’s most important”, “most dangerous”, “doomsday glacier” – all this is the Antarctic Thwaites Glacier, which is approximately the size of Great Britain. A 2020 study found that its melting is already responsible for 4% of the rise in global sea levels each year, and the process is only exacerbated by the warm water layer at the base.

If large icebergs break off from Thwaites Glacier, this will disrupt the entire West Antarctica ice system and lead to flooding, frequent hurricanes and typhoons – and such a collapse could occur in the coming decades. At the beginning of 2020, two uninhabited islands in Indonesia have already sunk, the same fate can befall entire countries – Tuvalu, Nauru and Kiribati. A rise in the level of the World Ocean by a meter will lead to the fact that The Maldives will be 80% under water.

Animals are also suffering from warming in Antarctica – primarily penguins. There is more rainfall, eggs drown in nests, and hatched chicks get wet, freeze and die. Some populations have declined by 90%.

Mountain glaciers behave ambiguously

Ice reserves are not only in the Arctic and Antarctic. According to glaciologist Pavel Lysenok, mountain glaciers deserve no less attention, as they directly affect people’s lives.

Let’s see what happens in the space between the North and South Poles.

In the Alps, two-thirds of the glaciers will melt by the end of the century

According to Swiss scientists, the ice reserves of the Alps will decrease by 50% by 2050, and by 2100 at least two-thirds will melt – about 2 out of 667 glaciers. Even the UNESCO-listed Aletsch Glacier, the largest and longest in Europe, may disappear.

Ski tourism will require large investments or stop completely, and for hiking tourism, new routes and safety rules will have to be developed. In the short term, the melting of glaciers can develop this sector of the economy through last-chance tours, but their implementation is hampered by the unstable situation in the region: rockfalls, avalanches, collapse of ice shelves. In addition, visiting a melting glacier is not the most environmentally friendly idea. Tourists would need a full tank of gas or air travel to get there, which would increase carbon emissions.

Glacial anomaly found in Asia

From 1975 to 2019, glaciers in the Himalayas have lost a quarter of their mass and continue to melt. The highest mountain peaks are still covered with snow and ice, but vegetation has already appeared at an altitude of 5 to 000 m – previously considered impossible due to low temperatures. Scientists predict that by the year 5, between a third and a half of all ice will have disappeared from the Himalayas.

The Himalayan glaciers feed the seven major rivers of Asia and thus provide water supply for 2 billion people. Their disappearance will cause water shortages in India, China, Bangladesh, Pakistan and several other countries. Agriculture will be significantly reduced: rice, wheat and sugar cane will be difficult to grow without melt water. And breakthroughs of glacial lakes will lead to floods and flooding of settlements.

While glaciers in the Himalayas are shrinking, glaciers in other Asian mountains – the Karakorum and Kunlun – are stable and even growing in places. Due to this anomaly, the level of the World Ocean is decreasing – however, by only 0,006 mm per year.

Perito Moreno – the glacier that survives

The Perito Moreno Glacier in Argentinean Patagonia is the third largest freshwater reservoir after Antarctica and Greenland. Unlike most of the “brothers”, he almost does not change his position. Scientists can’t say exactly why, but it may be due to the steep angle of inclination that makes the glacier stable.

Every few years there is news that Perito Moreno “exploded”, “broke”, “collapsed into the lake” – but this does not mean that it has melted. Not the entire glacier falls into the lake, but only the ice arch, and thousands of tourists hope to catch this moment.

With the result that

It cannot be argued that absolutely all glaciers on the planet are melting. But the growth of some of them is an exception, not a positive trend. The main ice reserves are in the Arctic and Antarctic and are steadily declining. Therefore, scientists put forward a variety of ideas for their salvation:

• restoring the ice of the Arctic and Antarctic using wind pumps and pumping water to the surface, where it will freeze faster;
• iceberg production submarines that will dive deep into the ocean, collect sea water, filter it from salts and freeze it into hexagonal chunks of ice. They are proposed to be docked with natural ice floes or thrown under the glacier;
• white blankets to cover the glaciers, which should reflect sunlight and slow down the melting process.

Everyone can contribute to the fight against global warming (and hence the melting of glaciers). Details – in the materials of Trends:

• Why does global warming affect everyone?
• Carbon footprint: what everyone should know about it
• Save the planet: how games help fight climate change