blog #19
Glaciers are Retreating
by Matt Ruby and Claire O'Neill
date: n/a
As a result of shrinking glaciers, fresh water will become less available and crops will be at risk. Communities living near the glaciers will suffer more than others. The Tuyuksu glaciers, some of the most long studied in the world, are being tracked to help gauge the impact of climate change on global ice. Despite the melting season being three months from its end, the glacier's ice has already melted several feet. Glaciers are the result of compacted snowfall, compressed into slowly flowing rivers of ice for thousands of years. While melting and freezing seasons ensure that their growth is never static. However with increased melting, there is a net loss of ice. In six decades, the glacier has lost more than half a mile of ice. over the last four decades, all of the earth's glaciers have lost more than 70 feet of ice combined. Even if emissions were to halt immediately, the amount of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere would result in continued melting. When glaciers melt, they cause sea levels to rise. This in turn affects the production of hydroelectricity, leads to disasters such as floods, and alters ecosystems (making them uninhabitable). The rivers that flow from glaciers are used as sources of fresh water and agricultural supply for people all around the world, but if glaciers are not able to grow or maintain their size, these rivers will stop flowing.
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