Title: Climate Change Impacts on Glaciers
1Climate Change Impacts on Glaciers
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December 4, 2008 Presented by Megan Kerns,
Chris Vasco, Peter Moorhouse and Beverly Coon
2We will address
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- 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
3What is a Glacier?
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- 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
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- 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
5Types of Glaciers
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- Ice Sheets
- Ice Caps
- Ice Streams/ Outlet Glaciers
- Ice Fields
- Mountain Glaciers
- Valley Glaciers
- Piedmont Glaciers
- Cirque Glaciers
- Hanging Glaciers
- Tidewater Glaciers
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- In our presentation we will Focus specifically on
two types of glaciers, ice sheets and mountain
glaciers.
7First Major Focus Ice Sheets
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- 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.
8Antarctic Ice Sheet and Greenland Ice Sheet
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East Antarctic
West Antarctic
9INFO ABOUT ANTARCTIC
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- 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.
10Antarctic Glaciers
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11INFO ABOUT GREENLAND
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- 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.
12Greenland Ice Sheets
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- The image to the left is from Environment Canada,
a Canadian governmental publication.
13How Ice Sheets can effectWORLD CLIMATE CHANGE
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- 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.
14Second Major Type Mountain Glaciers
15What are Mountain Glaciers?
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- 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.
16Mountain Glaciers Melting
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- Less snow in the winter and faster warming in the
summer. - Two major areas of concern
- Alaska
- Europes Alpine Glaciers
17ALASKA
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- 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
18Effects on Tourism
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- 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
19EUROPEAN ALPINE
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- Map taken from, http//www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/i
nfopage/alps.gif
20European Alpine
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- 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.
21Future
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- 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.
22Tourism
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- 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.
23m
- http//neogeo.kent.edu/munro/glacial/mass_balance.
pdf
24c
North Eastern United States
Western Antarctic Melted
Eastern Antarctic Melted
http//www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/warnings/waterworld/
25Florida
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http//www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/warnings/waterworld/
26Europe
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http//www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/warnings/waterworld/
27What are people doing to prevent this?
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- 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.
28Sources
- 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