Melt down Arctic sea ice

L. S-Eisenlohr/Still Pictures
The Earth’s cryosphere – its frozen regions – is melting Side-effects from the melting itself may now be Arctic sea ice has been
fast. According to the 2007 report of the Intergovern- accelerating the process: when permafrost thaws, for shrinking at a rate of
mental Panel on Climate Change, 30 mountain glaciers example, it releases methane, a long-lasting green- around 9 per cent per

NASA/GSFC
around the world lost more than half a metre of thick- house gas, from the soil; and melting Arctic sea ice decade over the last few
ness in 2005, resulting from a temperature rise of also means loss of its reflective qualities, as water decades. All summer sea
0.6ºC over the 20th century. This, most scientists absorbs more of the sun’s energy than ice and snow. ice could disappear this
agree, is largely due to our greenhouse gas emissions. Here are some of the world’s shrinking cold spots. century. September 1979 September 2005
Arctic permafrost
Permafrost has
Alaskan glaciers, Greenland ice sheet Norwegian glaciers Tien Shan Mountains, warmed by up to 2ºC
United States of America The largest land ice mass in the Many of Norway’s 1,627 Central Asia since the 1980s.
Many of these thinned three Northern Hemisphere is losing at glaciers are expected to Caucasus Mountains, Glaciers lost nearly a third Widespread thawing is
times faster in the last decade least 50 cubic kilometres of ice per melt away within the next Russian Federation of their area in the second predicted, which will
than in the 40 preceding years, year, enough to raise global sea century, including a third Glaciers here have half of the 20th century, up release large amounts
producing an annual sea-level levels by 0.13 millimetres annually. of its largest and all of its shrunk by half in the to 2 cubic kilometres of ice of methane and carbon
rise of about 0.14 millimetres. smallest. last century. annually. into the atmosphere.
J. Greenberg/Still Pictures

Glacier National Park, Tibetan Plateau

United States of America glaciers
Two thirds of the Park’s The largest area of
glaciers have disappeared in Breidamerkurjökull glacier, Iceland ice outside the polar
the last century; it may have The main glacier emerging from the regions, these
none left by 2030. Peruvian glaciers Vatnajökull ice cap – Europe’s largest Alps, Western Europe 46,298 glaciers are
These have lost at least 22 per – receded by 2 kilometres between Alpine glaciers are likely Mt Everest, Himalayas disappearing at the
cent of their area since 1970, 1973 and 2000. Most of Vatnajökull’s to shrink to 5 per cent of Everest’s glaciers have rate of 50 per cent per
and melting is accelerating – glaciers were receding as of 2000. their 1970s volume by Mt Kenya glaciers, Kenya shrunk by 2 to 5 kilometres decade, threatening
threatening the water and the end of this century. The glaciers at this World in the last five decades, water supplies across
power supply for the nation’s Heritage site have shrunk flooding glacial lakes and much of Asia.
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arid coast, where two thirds of rapidly, losing over 75 per nearby communities.
its population lives. cent of their area in the last
Quelccaya ice cap, century. Eight of the 18 ice Carstensz and West
Peru entities totally disappeared Meren glaciers,
The melting of the over the same period. Indonesia
Chacaltaya glacier, Bolivia world’s largest Ruwenzori glaciers, Carstensz shrank by
Home to the world’s highest tropical ice cap East Africa 80 per cent between
ski slope, Chacaltaya lost Patagonian ice fields has accelerated to These tropical glaciers Kilimanjaro, United 1942 and 2000, while
two thirds of its mass in The Southern Hemisphere’s 60 metres a year; have melted by 50 per Republic of Tanzania West Meren melted
the 1990s alone, and may largest non-Antarctic ice masses it will probably cent since 1987, and The glaciated area completely in the late

John West
disappear by 2010. are the Earth’s fastest-retreating disappear by 2020. could disappear within shrank by 80 per cent 1990s.
glaciers, contributing more than two decades. in the last century
9 per cent of global sea-level (the images show
change from mountain glaciers. the change in the New Zealand glaciers

Javed Jafferji
northern ice field Glaciers have been
between the early retreating since the mid-
1950s and 1999). 19th century, and have
Amundsen Sea, West Antarctica lost half of their area
Glaciers are losing 60 per cent more Larsen B ice shelf, Antarctic Peninsula since then. Breaking
NASA/GSFC/LaRC/JPL

ice into the sea than is accumulated A vast 3,000 square kilometres of this glaciers are posing a
through snowfall – this could raise ice shelf disintegrated in 2002 (shown Arctic sea ice hazard to climbers.
sea levels by around 0.2 millimetres right in blue). Since then, local glaciers Permafrost extent
annually. have been moving faster, releasing Glaciers and permanent land ice
Sources: GEO Snow and Ice 2007; IPCC; AAAS; Earth Policy
more ice into the sea. Antarctic snow accumulation Institute; NASA; Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Arctic boundary Map: UNEP-WCMC/National Snow and Ice Data Center.

TUNZA Collated by BANSON