Effects of Melting Glaciers

Andrew BakerGroup 2

Importance of Glaciers

• Help to keep the Earth cool• Contain most of the

available drinking water on Earth

• Provides a habitat for many animals

• Should the glaciers continue to melt, everything will be affected

• http://www.dismuse.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Glacier2_p.jpg

Glacial Melting

• Almost everything in our world is threatened

• Viscous cycle• Due to global warming• Causes global warming• Albedo

• http://www.sciencelearningspace.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/glacier1.jpg

Understanding Albedo

Albedo and Glaciers:• A scale from 0-1• 0 = none reflected, 1 = all• Glacial ice averages a 0.8• Smaller and fewer glaciers

allow for more area of lower albedo to be exposed

• Allows for the Earth to become less cool, more warm

What this Means:• Warmer planet increases

the temperature of the sea water

• Also puts more water into the sea

• Sea water expands• Sea water rises• If all the ice melts, expect a

rise of 70 meters (230 feet)

Fresh Water Shortage

Some Percentages:

• Earth is roughly 70% water

• 1.7% of that is fresh water

• 68.7% of that comes from glaciers

• http://www.nature.com/ngeo/journal/v1/n1/covers/largecover.gif

Fresh Water Shortage

• Melting glaciers allow fresh drinkable water to enter and mix with sea water

• No longer fresh, or drinkable

• Drinkable water is renewed through precipitation—less falling and freezing on the glaciers

• http://coastalcare.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/melting-glacier.jpg

Reduced Agricultural Output

• Dry seasons become dryer• Land becomes unsuitable• Crop output less• Food grain shortages• Less grains for cattle, pigs, etc.• Experts already expecting a food

shortage issue due to populations rising

• Do not take into account less food grown

• http://farm1.static.flickr.com/124/409751831_d25ea943d3_z.jpg

• http://images.inmagine.com/400nwm/radiusimages/rds150/rds150353.jpg

Electricity Shortages

• When the glaciers are gone, the rivers they feed dry up

• No water = no hydroelectric power

• Need to adopt a new power source

• Further pollute the Earth• Leads to global warming• http://ecoble.com/wp-content/uploads

/2009/09/hydroelectric-_-ontario-power-generation.jpg

Excessive Flooding

• Sea level rises• Rapid increases in water

input into rivers• Formation of new lakes• Lakes keep growing in size• Lakes burst and destroy

everything in their paths• http://movieclips.com/em3c-evan-almight

y-movie-the-flood-comes/

Sea Level Rise• Increasing at an increasing rate• Currently 1 mm—2 mm per

year• Floods will cause coastal

regions to relocate• Soil erodes—new coastal areas

are formed• Coastal ground water

contaminated• New coastal regions need to

relocate or find new drinking water

• Felt first in American and Asian continents

• http://moorecommonsense.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/sea_levels_rising.jpg

• http://www.greenpacks.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/venice-flood-wakeboarding-2008.jpg

Sea Level Rise

Habitats will be lost:• Glacial water plants die• Fish that consume the plants die• Birds die, no fish• Wetlands will vanish, new ones

to be formed• Coral reefs vanish• Not enough sunlight reaches• Deteriorates or kills coral• Fish die, people need new food

source• http://www.mnh.si.edu/exhibits/natures_bes

t_2006/gallery/osprey.html

Contamination• DDT and other pesticides

released• Naturally stored in glacial ice• Gets into air and water, absorbed

by soils• Quickly moves around the planet• Egg shell thinning—leads to

population declines• Diabetes, many cancers,

developmental and reproductive problems

• http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/34/DDT-3D-balls.png

Summary

• Glaciers are important!• Melting glaciers

contributes to:– Fresh water shortages– Reduced agricultural

output– Electricity shortages– Excessive flooding– Sea level rise– Loss of habitats– Contamination

• http://earthfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/mother-nature-crying-2.jpg