SPTK Series: World Water Day - Glaciers

This SPTK post takes us closer to examining the importance of fresh water resources and glaciers, especially in our struggle against our current climate reality.

What are Glaciers?

• “A glacier is a large, perennial accumulation of crystalline ice, snow, rock, sediment, and often liquid water that originates on land and moves down slope under the influence of its own weight and gravity.”

• Glaciers cover about 10% of Earth's land area, with the largest glaciers found in Antarctica and Greenland. Glaciers store roughly 68.7% of the world's freshwater—a vital source of water for millions of people globally.

How Climate Change impacts glaciers?

Melting glaciers contribute to rising sea levels which ultimately impacts other ecological processes such as erosion and more intense storm surges. The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets are the largest contributors of sea level rise. Currently, the Greenland ice sheet is melting four times faster than in 2003 and has been attributed to about 20% of global sea level rise today.

The rate of glacier mass loss has increased by a factor of three since the 1960s. This accelerated melting results in a loss of approximately 335 billion metric tons of ice annually, as reported by the World Glacier Monitoring Service. More than 50% of the world's glaciers are retreating due to climate change. Many have shrunk dramatically, with some losing up to 30% of their volume in the past few decades.

In regions like the Himalayas, which is home to the third-largest ice mass on Earth, about 1.3 billion people rely on glacial meltwater for their water supply, agriculture, and hydroelectric power. As melting continues to grow, the freshwater supply of millions of people around the world is put at risk.

Melting glaciers are contributing to about 30% of the current rise in sea levels. Global sea levels have risen by approximately 20 cm (8 inches) since 1880, with glaciers being one of the primary contributors to this increase. It is imperative that we recognize the crucial role glaciers play in the preservation of freshwater, and our planet’s oceanic and atmospheric processes. Climate change and other ecological phenomena will continue to make this issue worse until we all feel called to protect our waters, globally.