Due to the effects of global warming, glaciers around the world are melting. When you think of glaciers, many people may imagine those in the Arctic or Antarctic, but there are also glaciers in central Europe, Canada, the western United States, and even New Zealand.
At the end of last month, a group of scientists conducted an eight-hour aerial survey of a New Zealand glacier. One of the scientists, Professor Andrew McIntosh of Monash University in Australia, said:
It was shocking.
He commented,
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The survey is carried out annually on glaciers in the Southern Alps on New Zealand's South Island.
Among these glaciers, the Fox Glacier and Franz Josef Glacier, which stretch from the Southern Alps to near sea level, are New Zealand's most famous glaciers.
It is popular with tourists as well as Aoraki (Maori name)/Mount Cook (English name) , the highest peak in Japan (3,724m), also located in the Southern Alps. This area is also registered as a World Heritage Site as Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park.
Helicopter flights over the glaciers and tours that allow visitors to actually walk on the glaciers are popular among tourists, but these may no longer be possible in the near future.
The glacier is retreating year by year
Annual glacier surveys and observations have revealed that the glaciers are becoming smaller every year. Smaller glaciers are disappearing, while larger glaciers such as Fox Glacier and Franz Josef Glacier are melting and retreating year by year.
Glaciers in mountainous regions such as New Zealand are formed when snow that accumulates on high mountains does not melt even in summer, turning into blocks of ice, and then its own weight causes it to slowly flow down the foot of the mountain.
Therefore, if the winter temperature is low, the ice masses will naturally become larger, and if it is warm, the glaciers will retreat.
New Zealand is set to record its hottest summer ever in 2022, following 2021. Of course, this is also a factor, but the melting of glaciers has been occurring for a long time before that. Scientists are shocked every time they make an observation.
One of them is against the decline of glaciers.
I was witnessing a truly life-changing and incredibly beautiful part of nature (a glacier) slipping through my fingers.
He commented,
Half of the world's glaciers will disappear this century!
Due to the effects of global warming, we will continue to lose glaciers around the world.
Even if we meet our climate change targets, it's estimated that half of the Earth's glaciers will be gone by the end of this century.
This is due to not only global warming but also abnormal weather. In recent years, the La Niña phenomenon has continued for a long time, and sea surface temperatures and air temperatures have been higher than average, accelerating the disappearance of glaciers.
The El Niño phenomenon that is expected to occur later this year is expected to lower temperatures and bring more snow, but it does not seem likely to save the glacier from its predicament.
"We're not going to be able to measure the extent of the ice loss," said Lauren Vargo, a glaciologist at Victoria University in Wellington.
Glaciers are special to New Zealanders. At one time, you could park your car in a national park and walk a little to touch a glacier. Now, however, this is becoming increasingly rare, and you can only get close to a glacier by going up a steep mountain or sometimes by using a small plane.
He commented.
Andrew Lawrie, principal investigator at New Zealand's National Institute for Atmospheric and Hydrological Sciences, said:
The disappearance of glaciers will have a major impact on our connection to the natural environment. For many people, glaciers will become a distant memory.
He said.
