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
3. 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
4. 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)
5. 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/v
1/n1/covers/largecover.gif
6. 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
7. 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/124/409751
831_d25ea943d3_z.jpg
• http://images.inmagine.com/400nwm/rad
iusimages/rds150/rds150353.jpg
8. 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
9. 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-
almighty-movie-the-flood-comes/
10. 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
11. 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_b
est_2006/gallery/osprey.html
12.
13.
14. 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/co
mmons/3/34/DDT-3D-balls.png
15. 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
