Melting Glaciers (2)

8/9/2019 Melting Glaciers (2)

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What is Glacier ?

A glacier is a hugeblock of solid ice thatis formed over theyears by falling snow.

Even though a glacieris solid ice, it isconstantly moving,though very slowly.Glaciers could move

from a few inches to afew feet a day.


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Melting Glaciers

The melting of glaciers

is a natural process. But

now with increase inthe temperature of

earth these glaciers are

melting very fastly. As a

result of this unbalancein nature the level of

sea water is increasing.


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Reasons of global warming

Green house effect


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Effects OfMelting Ice Glaciers

Global Warming.Temperatures across the globe have

gone upward, helping the cause ofice glaciers melting faster thanrequired. In certain places across the

world small ice glaciers have totallyvanished, exposing the earth below.Ice glaciers are able to deflect almost80% heat of the sun, absorbingapproximately 20% heat. This figuregets reversed when sunlight falls onearth, 80% is absorbed and only 20%is deflected back. This in turn helps in

increasing global temperatures.T

hisleads to an increase in thetemperature of sea water. Icebergsmelt faster. Added to this is theexpansion of sea water, leading to arise in sea water levels.


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Pollution

Only

America is

responsible

for 25%pollution in

the world,

global

warming

and thenmelting of

glaciers.


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Fresh water shortage.

When seen from outer space, the earth

looks self-sufficient in its need for water;

in reality it is just the reverse. Almost all

this water seen from space is salt water;

unfit for human use. Just over 2% of this

water is freshwater that is fit for humanuse; and over 70% of this 2% make-up the

earths glaciers. Many on earth depend on

the melting water from glaciers for their

fresh water supply through lakes and

rivers. The melted water gets renewed as

ice on the glacier through a process

known as precipitation. In many parts of

the world this is the 'only' source of fresh

water supply throughout the year. An

ever-increasing human population and a

rapidly decreasing glacier mass will lead to

severe fresh water shortage in the near

future


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Reducing agriculture output.

Agriculture that depends solely on rain will bemostly unaffected by the effects of ice glaciersmelting. Such areas are very few worldwide and

do not contribute to the major chunk offarmland. Areas affected will be those thatdepend on water emanating from ice glaciers.During the dry seasons there will be a shortage offresh water from ice glaciers, making the land dry

and unsuitable for agriculture.Total agriculturaloutput will reduce, leading to a shortage of

foodgrains.


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Shortage ofElectricity

There are many places across the

planet that depend solely on the

constant flow of water from melting

glaciers for the production of

electricity. Once this flow of water isreduced or stops, the production of

electricity will stop too. Different

sources to produce electricity, most of

them that will pollute the earth, and

possibly even help increase global

warming.


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Rise in Sea-level

A lot of water that melts onsea-level glaciers gets emptieddirectly into the sea. The sealevel is rising constantly at arate of approximately 1mm to

2mm per year. The effects ofthis will be of unimaginablemagnitude. Coastal regionsacross the globe will have torelocate due to flooding, soilerosion, and contamination ofunderground fresh water withsalt water.


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Animal, Bird, and Fish Habitat Loss

There are many animals, birds,and fish that depend solely onglaciers for survival. Certainanimals need the temperaturesof glaciers for survival. Some bird

species depend on fish that arefound in fresh melting waters of aglacier. With an increase in seawater temperature, and rising sealevels, sea-plants that these fishthrive on will be lost, reducingthe number of fish, which in-turnwill make survival of many bird

species difficult.


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Coral Reefs will Vanish

Corals require sunlight for photosynthesis tosurvive and thrive. As the sea level rises,enough sunlight will not reach these corals,

deteriorating their quality and even possiblykilling them in time. Fish that depend on thesecorals for food will not survive. This will havean effect on the people who fish for survival in

these areas.


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Earth Will Get Re contaminated

Many today would never have heard of DDT andmany such pesticides that were bannedworldwide years ago. Most of the pesticides gotairborne and were finally deposited in cool areascontaining glaciers. Up to a few years ago, theseharmful chemicals remained trapped in the layersof glaciers. Rapid melting of these glaciers is nowreleasing these chemicals back into the

environment, in many lakes and rivers formed bythese melting glaciers.


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Solutions

Humankind has become

dependent on the

burning of fossil fuels to

support our way of life,

but it increases global

warming and melting of

glaciers at an unnatural

rate.


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Decrease Carbon footprints

To restore the glaciers

we need to utilize

alternative energy

sources, increase ourenergy efficiency and

decrease our individual

carbon footprints.


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Kyoto Protocol

The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol tothe United Nations FrameworkConvention on Climate Change(UNFCCC or FCCC), aimed at fightingglobal warming. The UNFCCC is aninternational environmental treaty

with the goal ofachieving"stabilization ofgreenhouse gasconcentrations in the atmosphere ata level that would preventdangerous anthropogenicinterference with the climatesystem.

The Protocol was initially adopted on

11 December 1997 in Kyoto, Japanand entered into force on 16February 2005. As ofNovember2009, 187 states have signed andratified the protocol


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Use Alternative Energy

Sources

There are many alternative energy technologiesavailable.

Solar panels are made up ofsolar cells that trapthe heat from the sun and convert it into energy.

Wind turbines are towers that use the kineticenergy from the wind to generate power.

Geothermal energy utilizes the heat from insidethe earth.


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Biofuels such as ethanol can be produced

in your back yard by fermenting and mixingvegetable, fruit and grain waste; ethanol isused to make biodiesel fuel, a cleanburning fuel for diesel engines.

Electric cars are battery-powered insteadof relying of the highly polluting internalcombustion engine; hydrogen fuel cells arebeing developed for these batteries.

Tidal and wave power utilize the massive

power of the ocean by harnessing theenergy with generators placed on theocean floor.

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Melting Glaciers (2)