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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