Glaciers

Glaciers are large, persistent masses of perennial ice that form on land from the gradual accumulation and compaction of snow and flow under their own weight. They occur in polar regions and high mountains worldwide and store a large fraction of Earth’s freshwater. Glaciers shape landscapes through erosion and deposition and influence regional water resources, sea levels, and ecosystems. Many glaciers are now retreating and losing mass as global temperatures rise, contributing to sea level rise and affecting water availability and hazards for downstream communities.

The summit of Huayna Potosí, a mountain near La Paz, Bolivia. Here we find the Zongo glacier, one of several in the tropical Andes Mountains, that are now smaller than at any point since the end of the last ice age 11,700 years ago, according to new research from UW–Madison researchers and their collaborators.
Retreat of tropical glaciers foreshadows changing climate’s effect on the global iceScienceClimate

Retreat of tropical glaciers foreshadows changing climate’s effect on the global ice

As they are in many places around the globe, glaciers perched high in the Andes Mountains are shrinking. Now, researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison…
SourceSourceAugust 2, 2024 Full article
Image: Glacier
Underwater mapping reveals new insights into melting of Antarctica’s ice shelvesScience

Underwater mapping reveals new insights into melting of Antarctica’s ice shelves

By University of East Anglia Clues to future sea level rise have been revealed by the first detailed maps of the underside of a floating…
SourceSourceAugust 1, 2024 Full article
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Scientists set sail to study Greenland glaciers from underwaterClimate

Scientists set sail to study Greenland glaciers from underwater

By University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin has embarked on a mission to explore the underwater edges of Greenland’s coastal…
SourceSourceAugust 1, 2024 Full article
Image: Iceberg
Scientists call for ‘major initiative’ to study whether geoengineering should be used on glaciersClimateScience

Scientists call for ‘major initiative’ to study whether geoengineering should be used on glaciers

Report finds many questions remain around technology to address glacier melting and sea-level rise. By Louise Lerner | University of Chicago A group of scientists…
SourceSourceJuly 11, 2024 Full article
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Retreating glaciers: fungi enhance carbon storage in young Arctic soilsScience

Retreating glaciers: fungi enhance carbon storage in young Arctic soils

By Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München Melting Arctic glaciers are in rapid recession, and microscopic pioneers colonize the new exposed landscapes. LMU researchers have revealed that yeasts play…
SourceSourceJuly 4, 2024 Full article
Image: The north side of the Grand Combin glacier
Rapid glacier melting erases vital climate records: A blow to Ice Memory initiativeScience

Rapid glacier melting erases vital climate records: A blow to Ice Memory initiative

In a disheartening revelation for climate researchers, a recent study conducted by the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), in collaboration with the University of Fribourg, Ca'…
Adrian AlexandreAdrian AlexandreJanuary 27, 2024 Full article
Image: Landscape with aurora borealis (AI gen)
Unveiling the hidden impact of Greenland’s glacial retreat: An analysisScience

Unveiling the hidden impact of Greenland’s glacial retreat: An analysis

A paradigm-shifting study published in the Nature journal on January 17, 2024, has laid bare the extent of Greenland's ice loss, surpassing previous estimates and…
Adrian AlexandreAdrian AlexandreJanuary 25, 2024 Full article