Antarctica: Huge Glacier, Huge Risk

Since the 20th century glaciers have been melting at an alarming rate and thus leaving our planet iceless. Human beings are responsible for the emission of CO2 and other greenhouse gases. How recrystallized snow evolves dictates the sea level and therefore the global stability as a whole.

For more than half a century the Earth's glaciers have been receding as the climate changes rapidly. According to a 2019 satellite study no place on earth can withstand the effects of the phenomenon that is responsible for melting of 9.6 billion tones of glacial ice in the world since 1961. All of this combined threatens to melt a third of all glaciers by 2100, as cited by the World Wildlife Fund.

WHAT IS A GLACIER AND HOW IS IT FORMED?

Glaciers are formed as blocks of moving ice arise due to snow accumulation in cold places which compacts and recrystallizes. For example the mountain and polar glaciers. Glaciers are classified according to their morphology - ice fields, cirque glaciers, valley glaciers, etc. the climate - polar, tropical or temperate and their thermal conditions - cold, hot.

It takes a millennia for the formation of a glacier. Its size varies according the amount of ice it retains in its lifetime. The behavior of these masses is reminiscent of that of the rivers they feed during thaws. The slope of the terrain over which they move defines its speed. 10% of the Earth's surface is covered with ice caps and 70% of it accounts for the world's fresh water.

WHY GLACIERS MELT AND ITS CAUSES

Throughout history the rising temperature of the Earth has been responsible for the melting of glaciers. Todays Rapid climate change might render glaciers extinct in record time. Following are some of the causes for the melting of glaciers:

• CO2 emissions: industry, transport, deforestation and burning fossil fuels, amongst other human activities increases the concentration of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases (GHGs). This warms the planet and causes glaciers to melt.
• Ocean warming: 90% of the Earth's warmth is absorbed by the oceans, and this in turn affects the melting of the glaciers, which are located near the poles and the coast of Alaska.

EFECTS OF MELTING GLACIERS

Studies conducted by the university of Zurich has revealed that the melting of glaciers has accelerated over the last three decades. This has already reached 335 billion tonnes per year, which is 30% of the current rate of ocean growth. The major impacts of deglaciation are:

  Sea Level Rise

Sea levels have risen by 2.7 cm since 1962. This has been attributed to melting of glaciers. Earth's glaciers combined have about 170,000 cubic kilometers of ice, enough to raise the sea levels by half a meter.

  Impact On The Climate

Oceanic currents are being slowed due to glacial thawing at the poles. This alter the global climate and starts a chain of increasingly extreme weather events all over the globe.

  Disappearance Of Species

Numerous species are facing extinction due to glacial melting, as glaciers are natural habitats of many animals, both terrestrial and aquatic.

  Less Fresh Water

If glaciers disappear then there will be less water for consumption by the population, lower hydroelectric generation capacity, and less water for irrigation.

SOLUTIONS TO AVOID MELTING OF GLACIERS

Even with the massive ice loss, we still have time to save glaciers from their disappearance. Following are some ideas on how we can achieve this goal:

  Stop Climate Change

We need to reduce global CO2 emission by 45% over the next decade and they must fall to zero by 2050 in order to stop climate change and save the glaciers.

  Slow Down Their Erosion

Scientific journals have suggested building a 100 meter long dam in front of the Jakobshavn glacier (Greenland), the most affected by artic melting, in order to contain its erosion.

  Combine Artificial Icebergs

Faris Rajak Kotahatuhaha an Indonesian architect won an award on his project to refreeze the Arctic. In this water is collected from melted glaciers, desalinating it and then refreezing it in large hexagonal ice blocks. Their shape enables them to be combined to create frozen masses.

 Increase Their Thickness

A simple solution has been proposed by the University of Arizona: manufacture more ice. This consists of collecting ice from below the glacier through pumps driven by wind power and then spread it over the upper ice caps, this will freeze, thus strengthening their consistency.

Glaciers are melting, hearts are frozen...