“Glaciers: Effects on Oceans and Coastal Regions” by Ethan D.
In the last one-hundred years, global sea levels have risen on average between four and eight inches. The major role in this statistic is the continuous melting of glaciers. These glaciers are large combinations of ice, snow, sediments, and rocks. With glaciers retaining around seventy percent all freshwater on Earth, these ice masses are a force to be reckoned with.
In addition, glacier water is a very important resource in many countries around the world. According to Columbia University, France gets about seventy-five percent of its electricity from nuclear power plants and half of them rely on the continuous flow of the Rhone River. This river is solely made up of runoff water from the Rhone Glacier. In the last few years, this glacier water had been slowly depleting and eventually got so low that these power plants were forced to shut down. This shows how important glaciers are in everyday life for millions of people.
Even though people all over the world will be affected by consequences of melting glaciers, the major concerns are not requiring an emergency response. Scientists believe that sea levels can rise anywhere between 10 to 40 inches by the year 2100. However, they say us humans will determine how much these levels will rise. With a multitude of factors causing the melting of glaciers, there is an endless number of solutions to help slow it down. Some of the more well-known solutions include using solar energy and to decrease the use of fossil fuels. These solutions are easy day-to-day things we can do, but there are also major solutions that are possible. One of such includes placing large heaps of aggregate near the bottom of glaciers to act as an underwater wall; keeping warm water out and preventing the sliding of the glacier across the ocean floor.
What solutions do you think you could do to help slow the melting process down?
Do you believe there is a real threat to the human population today or will it be too far down the road to affect us?
What do you contribute to being the biggest cause in the melting glaciers?
According to The Guardian, a single continental glacier (Thwaites) will eventually become too unstable and it will quickly melt causing a fifty-centimeter rise in sea levels. However, this is not the only glacier with a strong sense of instability. In West Antarctica alone, if all glaciers were to melt there would be a predicted five-meter (16 feet) rise in global sea levels. This would put the majority of coastal cities at risk of being underwater and causing a mass evacuation. Not only are there future risks for these coastal regions, but many of these areas are already seeing the effects through increased flooding and storm surges.
Also, glacial lake outbursts are a serious cause for concern as glaciers continue to melt. As glaciers continue to get smaller, the melted water starts to pool up forming lakes and large bodies of water. These large bodies of water are being dammed up by the glacial debris including ice, rocks, and soil. However, these dams are not secure and can be breached at any time. Once the dam busts and cracks under pressure, the standing water rushes out forming new rivers and causing very extreme and dangerous floods. For example, Peru had seen three such floods between 1941 and 1950, and these three floods were responsible for at least six thousand deaths. Not only are humans at risks, but also wildlife and marine life. While glaciers have been forming for thousands of years, they have also been collecting and trapping a multitude of pollutants, bacteria, and microbes. Once these things are released from the glaciers the results may be traumatic. As pollutants, such as pesticides, enter the water, they are consumed by the marine life living in that area. These pesticides can be deadly, and lead to the death of thousands of fish and larger predators.
Even though people all over the world will be affected by consequences of melting glaciers, the major concerns are not requiring an emergency response. Scientists believe that sea levels can rise anywhere between 10 to 40 inches by the year 2100. However, they say us humans will determine how much these levels will rise. With a multitude of factors causing the melting of glaciers, there is an endless number of solutions to help slow it down. Some of the more well-known solutions include using solar energy and to decrease the use of fossil fuels. These solutions are easy day-to-day things we can do, but there are also major solutions that are possible. One of such includes placing large heaps of aggregate near the bottom of glaciers to act as an underwater wall; keeping warm water out and preventing the sliding of the glacier across the ocean floor.
What solutions do you think you could do to help slow the melting process down?
Do you believe there is a real threat to the human population today or will it be too far down the road to affect us?
What do you contribute to being the biggest cause in the melting glaciers?
Works Cited
“16 Cool Facts About Glaciers.” Mental Floss, 29 Feb. 2016, http://mentalfloss.com/article/62638/16-cool-facts-about-glaciers.
Glick, Daniel. “Global Climate Change, Melting Glaciers.” Global Climate Change, Melting Glaciers, 18 Jan. 2017, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/big-thaw/#/01ice-sea-level.jpg.
Morton, Adam. “Glacial Melting in Antarctica May Become Irreversible.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 9 July 2019, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/09/glacial-melting-in-antarctica-may-become-irreversible.
real, Climate change is. “How To Prevent Glaciers From Melting (13 Ways).” RiddleLife, 12 Sept. 2019, https://www.riddlelife.com/how-to-prevent-glaciers-from-melting/.
“The Glaciers Are Going.” State of the Planet, 9 May 2017, https://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2017/05/05/the-glaciers-are-going/.
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DeleteThe information you presented is something that most people do not think about a lot. I like how you showed a picture of what an area looked like and then how it looked like years later. It truly shows how much glaciers can shape a landscape. I also liked how you presented facts and how it would affect different areas. I do believe that people should be much more concerned about glaciers and their effects once they eventually melt.
ReplyDeleteThis is very informative. We're all told about how the glaciers around the world are melting, but are rarely given concrete numbers. The fact that sea levels could rise by as much as 40 inches is very alarming. When I read that, I thought about any of the beaches I've been to and how dramatic that rise would be. I believe the best way to combat the rise in global temperatures that is causing glaciers to melt is best combated by tackling the fossil fuel crisis as soon as possible. I suspect this change, if it's true, will affect the majority of humans in at least a small way. From losing some of the worlds favorite beaches to flooding in all coastal cities, this change will affect the culture and economy of countries near any ocean.
ReplyDeleteI did not realize that glaciers are as important or as massive as they actually are. The fact that only one glacier can cause the entire oceans population to rise by 50 cm. Also the fact that sea levels can rise up to 40 in the next 80 years. I believe this is a real threat to our world today and that we should find better ways to fuel our world with besides fossil fuels. If the information above does not show how important this is to our future than nothing will.
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