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Climate Change Impacts on Glaciers

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Title: Climate Change Impacts on Glaciers


1
Climate Change Impacts on Glaciers
b
December 4, 2008 Presented by Megan Kerns,
Chris Vasco, Peter Moorhouse and Beverly Coon
2
We will address
c
  • What is a glacier
  • Why are they melting
  • The effect that glacial melting is having at
    present
  • What could happen if nothing is done
  • What steps are being taken to prevent the loss of
    glaciers

3
What is a Glacier?
m
  • It is an Ice Mass where
  • Snow or ice accumulation exceeds the rate of
    melting
  • Regions where glaciers can be found
  • High Precipitation
  • Low Mean Temperature
  • Low Summer Temperature
  • Low Insulation
  • High Altitude
  • High Latitude
  • Area of Large Accumulation

4
b
  • 10 percent of the Earth is covered by glacial
    ice.
  • Glaciers account for 33 million km3 of freshwater

http//neogeo.kent.edu/munro/glacial/mass_balance.
pdf
5
Types of Glaciers
m
  • Ice Sheets
  • Ice Caps
  • Ice Streams/ Outlet Glaciers
  • Ice Fields
  • Mountain Glaciers
  • Valley Glaciers
  • Piedmont Glaciers
  • Cirque Glaciers
  • Hanging Glaciers
  • Tidewater Glaciers

6
b
  • In our presentation we will Focus specifically on
    two types of glaciers, ice sheets and mountain
    glaciers.

7
First Major Focus Ice Sheets
c
  • Permanent layer of ice, that covers a continental
    shelf.
  • Extends over 50,000 km2
  • There are only two Ice Sheets of this size,
    located in Greenland and Antarctica.

8
Antarctic Ice Sheet and Greenland Ice Sheet
b
East Antarctic
West Antarctic
9
INFO ABOUT ANTARCTIC
p
  • The Antarctic ice mass is the largest glacier on
    Earth.
  • The Antarctic contains an estimated 61 of the
    worlds fresh water.
  • Ice is typically built up via precipitation and
    typically breaks away as icebergs.
  • While coastlines are melting, the interior
    ice-mass is likely growing.

10
Antarctic Glaciers
b
11
INFO ABOUT GREENLAND
b
  • Second largest after the Antarctic ice sheet.
  • Covers roughly 80 of the landmass of Greenland.
  • Greenland is experiencing melting due largely to
    overall increased Arctic temperatures.

12
Greenland Ice Sheets
b
  • The image to the left is from Environment Canada,
    a Canadian governmental publication.

13
How Ice Sheets can effectWORLD CLIMATE CHANGE
c
  • Average surface temperatures have increased 0.3C
    to 0.6C over the past 100 years.
  • Overall climate change has lead to glacial
    retreat, especially in the Arctic.
  • rising sea level loss of coast.
  • Changing ocean currents Changing weather
    patterns/ more severe weather.

14
Second Major Type Mountain Glaciers
15
What are Mountain Glaciers?
M
  • Masses of ice collected throughout thousands of
    years at higher altitudes via precipitation.
  • Mountain Glaciers contain significantly less
    water than the aforementioned ice sheets, however
    due to their location they have been the focus of
    much media attention and conservation efforts.

16
Mountain Glaciers Melting
b
  • Less snow in the winter and faster warming in the
    summer.
  • Two major areas of concern
  • Alaska
  • Europes Alpine Glaciers

17
ALASKA
p
  • The melting of mountain glaciers in Alaska is
    effecting both human and wildlife.
  • Human
  • Loss of hunting/fishing grounds.
  • Loss of living space (especially for Native
    Americans)
  • Wildlife
  • loss of habitat
  • Can not as easily adjust to changes in
    temperature.
  • The reduction (or multiplication) of a single
    species can ripple through the entire food chain

18
Effects on Tourism
p
  • Tourisms total economic contribution to
    Alaskas economy exceeds 1.6 billion
  • http//www.alaskatia.org/govtrelations/Tourism_EC
    ON101.asp
  • Alaskan Glaciers 150 in the mid-19th century
    to 37 named glaciers in 1968, on down to 27
    today.
  • http//www.viamagazine.com/top_stories/articles/v
    anishing_glaciers06.asp

19
EUROPEAN ALPINE
b
  • Map taken from, http//www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/i
    nfopage/alps.gif

20
European Alpine
b
  • In the Past
  • According to Live Science, the glaciers cover
    about 50 of the area they did in 1850.
  • And the Future..?
  • A rise in temperature of only 5 degrees
    Fahrenheit would reduce the glaciers by 80 of
    their current mass and a rise of 9 degrees could
    eradicate Alpine Glaciers by 2100.

21
Future
m
  • What happens if the glaciers melt?
  • East Antarctic Ice Sheet
  • The sea level would rise approximately 200 feet.
  • West Antarctic Ice Sheet
  • The Sea level would rise approximately 20 feet.
  • Cause an influx of cold fresh water, devastating
    the ocean circulation pattern
  • Greenland
  • Flooding of Northeast USA and Western Europe.
    Possibly Drastic Changes in Ocean current.
  • Mountain Ice
  • Loss of habitat and biodiversity.
  • Loss of living space.
  • Changes in European agriculture (ex alpine
    dairy).
  • Changes in Tourism.

22
Tourism
p
  • Alps
  • 600 ski resorts in eight nations. Half of these
    resorts could close by 2050 as a result of an
    rising snow line.
  • http//news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/01/0
    70123-alps-glaciers.html
  • According to The Guardian
  • In 20 years
  • At 1,050 metres ski resorts - such as Schladming
    and Kitzbuhel in Austria and Garmisch-Partenkirche
    n in Germany - will no longer be viable.
  • In 100 years
  • Only the highest resorts, such as Val Thorens
    (2,300m) or Tignes (2,100m), will be able to
    offer reasonable guarantees of snow.

23
m
  • http//neogeo.kent.edu/munro/glacial/mass_balance.
    pdf

24
c
North Eastern United States
Western Antarctic Melted
Eastern Antarctic Melted
http//www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/warnings/waterworld/
25
Florida
c
http//www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/warnings/waterworld/
26
Europe
c
http//www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/warnings/waterworld/
27
What are people doing to prevent this?
pm
  • Germany- Students tested a placement of a large
    screen at 2,300 meters high in the Swiss Alps
  • Trap cold air over icy mass
  • Global effort to curb greenhouse gasses.
  • The atmosphere mixes
  • If some areas cut back and others dont, curbing
    will be counteracted.

28
Sources
  • http//www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/warnings/waterworld/
  • http//nsidc.org/glaciers/question/types.html
  • http//www.wisegeek.com/what-is-an-ice-shett.html
  • http//neogeo.kent.edu/munro/glacial/mass_balance.
    pdf
  • http//www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/226
    /4681/1418
  • http//www.bbc.co.uk/climate/impact/glaciers.shtml
  • http//www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/infopage/alps.gif
  • http//www.livescience.com/environment/060710_euro
    pe_alps.html
  • http//www.alaskatia.org/govtrelations/Tourism_ECO
    N101.asp
  • http//www.viamagazine.com/top_stories/articles/va
    nishing_glaciers06.asp
  • http//www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/jan/14/
    glaciers.travelandtransport
  • http//news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/01/07
    0123-alps-glaciers.html
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