What Excatly is Happening?
Everywhere on Earth ice is changing. The famed snows of Kilimanjaro have melted more than 80 percent since 1912. Glaciers in the Garhwal Himalaya in India are retreating so fast that researchers believe that most central and eastern Himalayan glaciers could virtually disappear by 2035. Arctic sea ice has thinned significantly over the past half century, and its extent has declined by about 10 percent in the past 30 years. NASA's repeated laser altimeter readings show the edges of Greenland's ice sheet shrinking. Spring freshwater ice breakup in the Northern Hemisphere now occurs nine days earlier than it did 150 years ago, and autumn freeze-up ten days later. Thawing permafrost has caused the ground to subside more than 15 feet (4.6 meters) in parts of Alaska. From the Arctic to Peru, from Switzerland to the equatorial glaciers of Man Jaya in Indonesia, massive ice fields, monstrous glaciers, and sea ice are disappearing, fast.
Shown above is a series of pictures taken as a piece of ice is broken off and fallen into the water.
There’s nothing quite like historical photos of glaciers to show what a dynamic planet we live on. Alaska’s Muir Glacier, like many Alaskan glaciers, has retreated and thinned dramatically since the 19th century.
Shown above is an image taken of the Muir glacier in Alaska in the year 1941, followed by an image of the glacier taken in 2004.
This particular pair of images shows the glacier’s continued retreat and thinning in the second half of the 20th century. From 1941 to 2004, the front of the glacier moved back about seven miles while its thickness decreased by more than 2,625 feet, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center.
How Fast is it Happening?
Sea ice is frozen water that forms, expands, and melts in the ocean. It is different from icebergs,
glaciers, ice sheets, and ice shelves, which originate on land. For the most part, sea ice expands
during winter months and melts during summer months, but in certain regions, some sea ice remains
year-round. About 15 percent of the world's oceans are covered by sea ice during part of the year.
Changes in the amount of sea ice can disrupt normal ocean circulation, thereby leading to changes
in global climate. Even a small increase in temperature can lead to greater warming over time,
making the polar regions the most sensitive areas to climate change on Earth.
