New 2004 and 2005 data recently published by the World Glacier Monitoring Service (WGMS) show that mountain glaciers around the world are continuing to melt as the global temperature rises. Mountain ranges on almost every continent have been affected, including the Sierras in North America, the Andes in South America, the Alps in Europe and the Himalayas in Asia. The average rate of ice loss since 2000 is over half a meter per year, which is three times the annual rate of the 1980s. Scientists will continue to monitor these glacial trends as a leading indicator of global warming.
Impacts of Glacial Melting
Mountain glaciers are one of the world's primary freshwater reservoirs, feeding rivers via snowmelt during the dry summer months and preventing flooding during the winter wet season. In other words, glaciers minimize seasonal variations in the availability of water, a service that is vital to many of the world's most agriculturally important regions. Furthermore, mountain glaciers offer an enormous global tourism value by supporting snow sports, mountain climbing, and general scenic beauty. The snow-capped peak of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, which attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year, has already lost 82 percent of its ice and will likely be completely melted by 2020.
Cumulative Mean Annual Glacier Thickness Change
1 meter water equivalent ~ 1.1 meter ice thickness
Source: World Glacier Monitoring Service
New Data Verifies Melting Trends
Worldwide information on glacier trends has been collected since 1894. The World Glacier Monitoring Service was founded in 1986 to consolidate glacier data, including information pertaining to changes in mass, volume, area and length over time. Recently released data reflect a survey of 30 and 27 glaciers for 2004 and 2005 respectively, and indicate a reduction in ice thickness of 0.7 and 0.6 meters for these years. Additional data is available on the WGMS website, including interactive maps that show global trends and allow users to search for information about individual glaciers.
RELATED LINKS:
National Snow and Ice Data Center World Glacier Inventory
Satellite Image Atlas of Glaciers of the World
EarthTrends
News Post: Scientists to Survey Melting Himalayan Glaciers
