{"id":19521,"date":"2023-12-12T17:56:08","date_gmt":"2023-12-12T12:26:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=19521"},"modified":"2023-12-13T11:53:45","modified_gmt":"2023-12-13T06:23:45","slug":"threats-from-contracting-glaciers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/editorial-analysis\/12-12-2023\/threats-from-contracting-glaciers","title":{"rendered":"Threats from Contracting Glaciers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS1\/ Important Geophysical phenomena; GS2\/Government Policies &amp; Interventions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">In Context<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <strong>World Meteorological Organization\u2019s <\/strong>report, the <strong>Global Climate 2011-2020<\/strong>, outlined the threats from contracting glaciers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Glaciers<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>About:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Glaciers around the world can range from <strong>ice <\/strong>that is <strong>several hundred to several thousand years old<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They are formed in areas where the temperatures are exceedingly low, including areas that are at sea level and mostly in high altitude areas like the mountain tops.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Today, about 10% of land area on Earth is covered with glacial ice. Almost 90% is in Antarctica, while the remaining 10% is in the Greenland ice cap.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Why are glaciers important?<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Ice <strong>acts like a protective cover <\/strong>over the<strong> Earth and our oceans<\/strong>. These bright white spots reflect excess heat back into space and keep the planet cooler.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In theory, the Arctic remains colder than the equator because more of the heat from the sun is reflected off the ice, back into space.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Significance:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Glaciers provide a <strong>scientific record<\/strong> of how <strong>climate has changed<\/strong> over time.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Through their study, we gain valuable information about the extent to which the planet is<strong> rapidly warming<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Melting of Glaciers&nbsp;<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Reasons:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Since the early 1900s, many glaciers around the world have been rapidly melting.<strong> Human activities are at the root <\/strong>of this phenomenon.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Specifically, since the <strong>industrial revolution,<\/strong> <strong>carbon dioxide<\/strong> and other <strong>greenhouse gas emissions<\/strong> have<strong> raised temperatures<\/strong>, even higher in the poles, and as a result, glaciers are rapidly melting, calving off into the sea and retreating on land.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Outcomes of melting glaciers<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Rapid glacial melt in Antarctica<\/strong> and <strong>Greenland <\/strong>influences <strong>ocean currents<\/strong>, as massive amounts of very cold glacial-melt water entering warmer ocean waters is slowing ocean currents.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>As ice on land melts, <strong>sea levels<\/strong> will continue to rise.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Scientists project<\/strong> that if emissions continue to rise unchecked, the Arctic could be <strong>ice free in the summer<\/strong> as soon as the year 2040 as ocean and air temperatures continue to rise rapidly.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Global Climate 2011-2020 report highlights<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Global Climate 2011-2020, gives a broad view of the planet\u2019s response to greenhouse gas emissions.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Melting &amp; thinning of Glaciers:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In the section on the state of glacier health, it points out that, on average, the <strong>world\u2019s glaciers thinned<\/strong> by approximately <strong>a metre <\/strong>a year from 2011 to 2020.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When compared across decades, there is<strong> significant regional variability<\/strong>, but the <strong>overall pattern<\/strong> remains that glaciers in all regions of the world are becoming smaller.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Some of the<strong> reference glaciers<\/strong>, which are used to make long-term assessments of glacier health, <strong>have already melted<\/strong> away as the nourishing winter snow is completely melting away during summer.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In <strong>Africa<\/strong>, glaciers on the <strong>Rwenzori Mountains and Mount Kenya <\/strong>are projected to<strong> disappear by 2030<\/strong>, and those on <strong>Kilimanjaro <\/strong>by <strong>2040<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>GLOF:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The report points to the <strong>rapid growth<\/strong> of <strong>pro-glacial lakes<\/strong> and the likelihood of <strong>glacier lake outburst flood (GLOF)<\/strong>, posing additional threats to ecosystems and livelihoods.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The reports singled out how the water from glacial melt contributed to one of the decade\u2019s worst flooding disasters, the Uttarakhand floods of June 2013.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Glacial Lakes<\/strong><br><\/span>&#8211; A glacial lake is a body of water that originates from a glacier. It typically forms <strong>at the foot of a glacier<\/strong> but may form on, in, or under it.<br><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Glacial Lake Outbursts Floods (GLOF)<\/strong><br><\/span>&#8211; As glacial lakes grow larger in size, they become more dangerous because they are mostly<strong> dammed by unstable ice<\/strong> or <strong>sediment <\/strong>composed of loose rock and debris.&nbsp;<br>&#8211; In case the boundary around them breaks, huge amounts of water rush down the side of the mountains, which could cause flooding in the downstream areas.&nbsp;<br>A. This is called <strong>glacial lake outburst floods <\/strong>or <strong>GLOF<\/strong>.<br>&#8211; These lakes are often found in <strong>steep, mountainous regions<\/strong>, which means landslides or ice avalanches can sometimes fall directly into the lakes and displace the water, causing it to over-top the natural dam and flood downstream.<br>A. In <strong>2013 Uttarakhand\u2019s Kedarnath<\/strong> witnessed flash floods along with a GLOF caused by the <strong>Chorabari Tal glacial lake<\/strong>, killing thousands of people.<br>B. The <strong>Chungthang dam in Sikkim<\/strong> was recently destroyed after the <strong>South Lhonak Lake<\/strong> flooded from a melting glacier, triggering catastrophe downstream.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Melting of Himalayan Glaciers<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Significance:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Himalayan glaciers are of paramount importance in the Indian context, especially for the millions of dwellers living downstream who rely on these perennial rivers for their day-to-day water needs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Himalayan mountains are also referred to as the third pole because they hold the world\u2019s third-largest amount of glacier ice, following Antarctica and the Arctic.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Challenge of Climate change &amp; melting of Himalayas:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A recent <strong>report <\/strong>by the <strong>International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development<\/strong> found that the disappearance of glaciers in the <strong>Hindu Kush Himalayas <\/strong>was \u201c<strong>65% faster in the 2010s <\/strong>than in the previous decade\u201d.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>At the current rate of global greenhouse gas emissions, which is expected to see <strong>temperatures increase by 2.5\u00b0-3\u00b0C<\/strong> by the end of the century, the volume of glaciers is forecast to<strong> decline anywhere from 55% to 75%<\/strong>.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This means <strong>sharp reductions in freshwater supply<\/strong> in the immediate vicinity of 2050.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Despite awareness of the risks posed by Himalayan glaciers there is <strong>no early warning system<\/strong> for the likelihood of GLOF events.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Suggestions &amp; way ahead<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The sensitivity of glacier systems to warming underlines the<strong> need for their careful monitoring.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Correspondingly, there is a need to make <strong>comprehensive risk assessments<\/strong>, map <strong>regions of vulnerability<\/strong> and <strong>commission infrastructure development<\/strong> with the highest standards of care.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Much like warnings before cyclones, floods and earthquakes, authorities must elevate threats from contracting glaciers to the same category of risk.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Daily Mains Question<\/strong><br><\/span><strong>[Q]<\/strong> Examine the significance of Glaciers for the environment. What are the challenges posed by melting of glaciers in India &amp; globe?<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Daily-Editorial-Analysis-12-12-2013.pdf\">Download PDF<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Syllabus: GS1\/ Important Geophysical phenomena; GS2\/Government Policies &amp; Interventions In Context Glaciers Melting of Glaciers&nbsp; Global Climate 2011-2020 report highlights Glacial Lakes&#8211; A glacial lake is a body of water that originates from a glacier. It typically forms at the foot of a glacier but may form on, in, or under it.Glacial Lake Outbursts Floods [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19521","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-editorial-analysis"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19521","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19521"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19521\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19531,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19521\/revisions\/19531"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19521"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19521"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19521"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}