Global warming has taken its toll on the largest glaciers of New Zealand, according to a report by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA). It is feared that the alarming rate at which the glaciers are retreating, they would soon disappear.
southern alps
According to the report by NIWA, the volume of ice in New Zealand's Southern Alps had shrunk by almost 11% in the past 30 years. More than 90% of the loss was due to rising temperature, which is melting the ice of the 12 largest glaciers in the mountain range. The glaciers have passed a threshold, causing the ice to collapse creating large lakes at their base.
Jim Salinger, the principal scientist of NIWA said,
It is not clear whether the glaciers will disappear completely with future warming, but they are set to shrink further as they adjust to today's climate change.
Tasman Glacier, the longest in New Zealand is now only 23km long. In 1880, it was 58km long. Global warming has created a 5km lake at its base in the past 30 years.
However, on the western side of the Alps, increased rainfall over the past years meant mixed results for the smaller glaciers. These ice sheets have advanced mostly during the periods of higher rainfall in the 1980s and 1990s. Nevertheless, the best known of these glaciers, the Franz Josef glacier, is much shorter than in 1900 despite its advancements in recent years.
Source: Yahoo.com
Image: Pubs.usgs
Related Stories
Global warming melting Mexican glaciers
The inspirational Mexican glacial fields will last for another 20 to 30 years. Startled? With the global temperatures recording a massive surge in mercury, what else can be expected? Himalayan glaciers are starting to melt. Greenland and...
Global warming: Melting Tibetan glaciers threaten China, other countries' economies
Do you know that the Tibetan glaciers and the neighboring Qinghai province are shrinking rapidly? The Chinese geologists have warned about this. According to them, the ice loss threatens the China's and other countries' economies, the rivers of which.
World’s mightiest glaciers succumb to global warming!
Denying the evident and embracing the obscure never makes sense. This is what the climate skeptics had been doing for a long time in rebuffing the sure signs. They just can’t see constant flooding, infrequent monsoons, wet and dry extremes, inundating..
Arctic ice melting fast, blame global warming
Arctic ice is at a tipping point and could soon thaw, thanks to the relentless warming of the atmosphere with soot particles and carbon pollutants. As the clock ticks every second will be increase the burden on the atmosphere, the result of which.
Everything I need to know about atmospheric electricity generator
The impact of atmospheric energy in the form of lightening accompanied by thunders has been probably experienced by all of us during thunderstorms or dust storms. If we can grab even a mere part of this energy, the energy scarcity of the entire world will
