Latest news with #glaciers
CTV News
a day ago
- Science
- CTV News
B.C. glaciers melting at record pace
Vancouver Watch Scientists say B.C.'s glaciers are not healthy and are melting at a rate far exceeding anything seen in the last six decades.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Photos show Swiss glaciers' uncertain future as 'ambassadors of climate change'
RHONE GLACIER, Switzerland (AP) — Drip, drip. Trickle, trickle. That's the sound of water seeping from a sunbaked and slushy Swiss glacier that geoscientists are monitoring for signs of continued retreat by the majestic masses of ice under the heat of global warming. In recent years, glaciologists like Matthias Huss of the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, known as ETHZ, and others have turned to dramatic measures to help protect glaciers like the Rhone Glacier, which feeds into the river of the same name that runs through Switzerland and France. One of those desperate steps involves using giant sheets to cover the ice like blankets to slow the melt. Switzerland is continental Europe's glacier capital, with some 1,400 that provide drinking water, irrigation for farmland in many parts of Europe including French wine country, and hydropower that generates most of the country's electricity. The number has been dwindling. The Alpine country has already lost up to 1,000 small glaciers, and the bigger ones are increasingly at risk. Drilling into glaciers to track what's happening inside Huss hosted The Associated Press for a visit to the sprawling glacier this month, as he carried out his first monitoring mission as summer temperatures accelerate the thaw. Under normal conditions, glaciers can regenerate in the winter, but climate change is threatening that. 'I always say glaciers are the ambassadors of climate change because they can spread this message in a very understandable way," Huss said. "They also cause good feelings because glaciers are beautiful. We know them from our holidays.' The vast expanse of blue, gray and white ice is riddled with cracks and grooves, and Huss says his teams at the Swiss GLAMOS glacier monitoring group have spotted a new phenomenon in Switzerland: holes appearing beneath the surface that at times widen so much that the ice above collapses. Huss uses an auger to bore into the ice, sending frosty chips upward as if from a gushing fountain. It's part of a process that involves using stakes and poles to track ice loss from melting. A better understanding of glacier melt Huss monitors melting not just at the top but also from the base of glaciers. 'Normally glaciers melt from the top because of the warm air, because of their radiation from the sun. But in recent years we realized at several sites that there is a substantive melt from the bottom,' Huss said. 'If there are some channels in the ice through which air is circulating, this can excavate big holes under the ice.' The Alps were covered with ice 20,000 years ago, but no more. It's the same story elsewhere. Experts have warned that some two-thirds of the world's glaciers are set to disappear by the end of this century Huss says only humans can help save them. 'It's difficult to save this very glacier because it could only be saved — or at least made to retreat slower — by bringing down CO2 emissions," he said. 'But everybody can contribute on their own to reduce CO2 emissions as far as possible." 'This will not help this glacier immediately, but it will help all glaciers in the long range,' he added. "This is the important thing that we should think of if we see this melting ice and this big retreat — that it's time to act now.' A glacier gives way, and a village is destroyed The concerns about Switzerland's glaciers intensified recently after the southwestern village of Blatten, tucked near the Birch Glacier, was largely destroyed by a slide of rock and glacier ice in May. The village had been evacuated ahead of the slide, which covered dozens of homes and buildings and left just a few rooftops visible. A review of data showed that the Birch Glacier was a rarity in that it has been advancing while most glaciers have been receding. And its advance had been increasing in recent years, to the point that it was flowing at about 10 meters (about 30 feet) per day shortly before the collapse — a rate Huss called 'completely unsustainable.' Huss said the landslide was triggered by rocks piling onto the glacier, though he also called Birch's advance a 'precursor." The main takeaway from the Birch Glacier collapse, Huss says, is that 'unexpected things happen.' 'If you ask me, like three weeks ago, nobody would have guessed that the whole village is going to be destroyed,' he said. "I think this is the main lesson to be learned, that we need to be prepared.' ___ AP journalist Jamey Keaten in Geneva contributed to this report. ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
Arab News
2 days ago
- Climate
- Arab News
Pakistan issues glacial lake outburst warning for northern areas as temperatures soar
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) this week issued a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) alert for the country's northern areas, citing 'persistent high temperatures' and intense monsoon currents as the main reasons. Pakistan is consistently ranked among the countries most adversely affected by climate change. Climate change has triggered irregular weather patterns in the country, which include unusually heavy rains, droughts and heat waves. In a press release on Wednesday, the NDMA said sustained heat for the past several weeks has accelerated snow and glacier melt in Pakistan's northern regions. 'The added influence of monsoon rains and thunderstorms have now significantly increased hydrometeorological pressure on glacial lakes, raising the risk of sudden GLOF events,' the NDMA said. It said Reshun, Brep, Booni, Sardar Gol, Thalu 1 and 2, Badswat, Hinarchi, Darkut and Hundur valleys are at 'heightened risk' in case of a GLOF events. 'Sudden outbursts from these glacial lakes may trigger flash floods, posing a serious threat to human lives, livestock, and agriculture,' the disaster management authority said. 'Damage to infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and communication networks is likely, and access to remote valleys may be temporarily disrupted.' The NDMA urged residents, tourists and trekkers to avoid traveling near glaciers, glacial lakes and riverbanks in the identified areas. It urged locals to stay informed through official alerts and cooperate with authorities on evacuation instructions where necessary. Floods in 2022, brought by record monsoon rains and glacial melt in northern mountains, killed over 1,700 people and impacted 33 million people out of a population of 220 million. Raging currents swept away homes, vehicles, crops and livestock in damages estimated at $30 billion.
CBC
3 days ago
- Science
- CBC
Western Canadian glaciers melting twice as fast as they did a decade ago, research shows
Researchers say some glaciers in Western Canada and the United States lost 12 per cent of their mass from 2021 to 2024, doubling melt rates compared to the previous decade. The research led by University of Northern British Columbia professor Brian Menounos says low snow accumulation over winter, early-season heat waves, and prolonged warm and dry spells were contributing factors. It says impurities such as ash from severe wildfire seasons have also "darkened" glaciers, causing them to absorb more heat and triggering a feedback loop that will lead to continued loss unless the ice is covered by fresh snow. The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Geophysical Research Letters this week, examined glaciers in Western Canada and the United States, excluding Alaska and Yukon, as well as Switzerland, where glaciers lost 13 per cent of their mass over the same period. The research letter says glaciers in both regions lost mass twice as fast as they did between 2010 and 2020. "Unfortunately, in the last four years, we've seen yet another doubling of how much water we're losing from our glaciers annually," he told CBC Radio West host Sarah Penton. To make the point, he said the annual loss is roughly equivalent to the entirety of B.C.'s Okanagan Lake — or the beds of a billion pick-up trucks. Menounos says climate change and its effects, including heat waves and changing snow patterns, are draining the "bank account" of fresh water that glaciers contain. "Doubling the amount of water that's lost from those glaciers, we're sort of stealing from the future," said Menounos, who is also the Canada Research Chair in glacier change. "We are just pulling and pulling away and making that bank account closer to zero and perhaps even negative. We're not replenishing these glaciers," he said. The research combined aerial surveys with ground-based observations of three glaciers in Western Canada, four glaciers in the United States and 20 in Switzerland. The analysis shows that between 2021 and 2024, those glaciers experienced their highest rates of loss since monitoring began 60 years ago, Menounos says. The research letter says that in Western Canada and the United States, black carbon doubled after about 2010, reaching the highest level of deposition in 2023 — coinciding with a severe wildfire season across B.C. and Canada. The study did not include specific data relating to wildfire ash on each glacier, but Menounos says any darker material will absorb more heat and enhance melting. The researchers did zero in on the Haig Glacier in the Canadian Rockies, finding the low reflectivity of the ice contributed to 17 per cent of an unprecedented loss of mass in 2022 and 2023. Summer heat had the greatest effect, responsible for 46 per cent of the loss, the letter says. Current modelling for glaciers often doesn't include wildfire ash and other processes that could accelerate rates of loss in the future, Menounos added. "We think that wildfire will continue to play an important role, and certainly we need better physical models to project how these glaciers are likely to change." WATCH | How melting glaciers will impact the world's water supply: Melting ice and glaciers could lead to water crisis 4 years ago Duration 2:51 A new study finds that ice is disappearing around the globe at an alarming rate and glaciers represent a significant amount of ice loss. Researchers in Canada say the retreat of glaciers will have major impacts on water security in Canada. Glaciers across the study area are projected to mostly disappear by the end of the century, even under moderate climate change scenarios. Only some of the largest glaciers and icefields are expected to exist beyond 2100, the research letter says. Swiss glaciers represent about 55 per cent of the total volume of central European glaciers, and findings there may be applied across the Alps, the letter notes. From 2000 to 2023, the letter says Earth's glaciers collectively lost mass at a rate of about 273 gigatonnes per year, accounting for about one-fifth of observed sea-level rise. One gigatonne represents one cubic kilometre of water. The research letter published Wednesday follows a 2021 study published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature that found glaciers outside the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets lost mass between 2010 and 2019 at double the rate they did in the first decade of this century. Menounos contributed to that study. "The way to perhaps bring some of the smallest glaciers back is, sometime in the future, with reduced greenhouse gas emissions," he said.
Globe and Mail
3 days ago
- Science
- Globe and Mail
Glaciers in Western Canada melting twice as fast as in previous decade, researchers say
Researchers say some glaciers in Western Canada and the United States lost 12 per cent of their mass from 2021 to 2024, doubling melt rates compared to the previous decade in a continuation of a concerning global trend. The research led by University of Northern British Columbia professor Brian Menounos says low snow accumulation over winter, early-season heat waves, and prolonged warm and dry spells were contributing factors. It says impurities such as ash from severe wildfire seasons have also 'darkened' glaciers, causing them to absorb more heat and triggering a feedback loop that will lead to continued loss unless the ice is covered by fresh snow. The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Geophysical Research Letters this week, examined glaciers in Western Canada and the United States, excluding Alaska and Yukon, as well as Switzerland, where glaciers lost 13 per cent of their mass over the same period. Opinion: The world is burning. Should we tell our kids? Canadian banks increased fossil fuel funding in 2024 despite record heat, report says The research letter says glaciers in both regions lost mass twice as fast as they did between 2010 and 2020. Menounos says climate change and its effects, including heat waves and changing snow patterns, are draining the 'bank account' of fresh water that glaciers contain. 'Doubling the amount of water that's lost from those glaciers, we're sort of stealing from the future,' says Menounos, the Canada Research Chair in glacier change. 'We are just pulling and pulling away and making that bank account closer to zero and perhaps even negative. We're not replenishing these glaciers,' he says. The research letter published Wednesday follows a 2021 study published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature that found glaciers outside the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets lost mass between 2010 and 2019 at double the rate that they did in the first decade of this century. Menounos contributed to that study. The latest research combined aerial surveys with ground-based observations of three glaciers in Western Canada, four glaciers in the United States and 20 in Switzerland. The analysis shows that between 2021 and 2024, those glaciers experienced their highest rates of loss since monitoring began 60 years ago, Menounos says. The study says that in Western Canada and the United States, black carbon doubled after about 2010, reaching the highest level of deposition in 2023 – coinciding with a severe wildfire season across B.C. and Canada. The study did not include specific data relating to wildfire ash on each glacier, but Menounos says any darker material will absorb more heat and enhance melting. The researchers did zero in on the Haig Glacier in the Canadian Rockies, finding the low reflectivity of the ice contributed to 17 per cent of an unprecedented loss of mass in 2022 and 2023. Summer heat had the greatest effect, responsible for 46 per cent of the loss, the letter says. Current modelling for glaciers often doesn't include wildfire ash and other processes that could accelerate rates of loss in the future, Menounos added. 'We think that wildfire will continue to play an important role and certainly we need better physical models to project how these glaciers are likely to change.' Glaciers across the study area are projected to mostly disappear by the end of the century, even under moderate climate change scenarios. Only some of the largest glaciers and icefields are expected to exist beyond 2100, the research letter says. Swiss glaciers represent about 55 per cent of the total volume of central European glaciers, and findings there may be applied across the Alps, the letter notes. From 2000 to 2023, the letter says Earth's glaciers collectively lost mass at a rate of about 273 gigatonnes per year, accounting for about one-fifth of observed sea-level rise. One gigatonne represents one cubic kilometre of water, Menounos says. 'The way to perhaps bring some of the smallest glaciers back is, sometime in the future, with reduced greenhouse gas emissions,' he says. 'It's a global problem, but it does require input from all countries.'
