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.
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
