An international team led by ETH Zurich, the WSL research institute and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel reports how many glaciers may remain until 2100 and when each glacier is likely to vanish. The study shifts attention from total ice mass to the number and timing of disappearing glaciers.
The researchers find the Alps could reach their peak loss rate as early as 2033 to 2041. Worldwide, the peak occurs about ten years later. The team calls this year the "Peak Glacier Extinction" and estimates the annual loss at about 2,000 to 4,000 glaciers during that peak under different warming scenarios.
Regions with many small, low-elevation or near-equator glaciers are most at risk: the Alps, the Caucasus, the Rocky Mountains, parts of the Andes and African mountain ranges. Lander Van Tricht says "more than half of all glaciers are expected to vanish within the next ten to twenty years." The study also gives scenario numbers for the Alps and global totals to help planners and communities prepare.
Difficult words
- glacier — large moving mass of ice on landglaciers
- vanish — stop existing and go away completely
- peak — time or level when something is at highest
- extinction — complete end or disappearance of a species or group
- scenario — a possible future situation used to planscenarios
- loss — amount of something that is lostloss rate, annual loss
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- How could local planners and communities prepare for the glacier losses described in the study?
- Which of the listed regions (for example the Alps or the Andes) would affect your life more if its glaciers disappear, and why?
- Do you think studies like this should change national or local planning? Give one or two reasons.
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