This blog contains information about the Significance of Melting of Glacier. This discusses the Types of Glaciers, Major Causes of Glacier Melting along with the Environmental Impacts of Melting of Glacier. This also explains the Significance of Melting of Glacier in Climate Change and Environmental Composition.
1. What is a Glacier ?
Glaciers are massive accumulation of ice that are slow-moving bodies formed from compacted snow. This is crystallization of ice that is very important in the indication and existence of Climate Change.
As we know that the Earth has a very low amount of Freshwater on it. And most of the freshwater is locked in the Glaciers or frozen form. When the ice is crystallized in extremely cold temperature, it is called a Glacier. Glaciers are mostly found in Polar regions and mountain ranges present on Earth. These glaciers contributes a lot in indication of Climatic Activities and Climatic Conditions of the present time. Glacier play an important role in many of the Natural Processes that regulates or maintains the Climate.
We will discuss about the phenomena of Melting of Glaciers and its significance in this blog.
2. What are the Types of Glaciers?
Glaciers are of different types due to different properties and characteristics. Following are some Types of Glaciers:
i. Continental Glacier:
These are huge and massive areas of ice that are flat and they cover a large sections of land. They originates on high altitudes and cover significant portions of of continents and islands, (Ice sheets).
ii. Alpine Glacier:
An Alpine Glacier is also called as Mountain Glacier, it forms high up in the mountains area within a bowl-shaped hollows called cirques. These may be long Glaciers and but a few hundred meters thick.
iii. Valley Glacier:
A glacier that flows down between the walls of a valley, usually in a u-shaped cross sections formed as they erode the landscape more deeply than non-glaciated areas. Mostly found in moderate mountains.
iv. Piedmont Glacier:
It is the type of Glacier that forms when a valley flows out of a mountainous region and onto a level terrain, creating a bulbous lobe of ice. In this ice forms a lobe outside of the terrain of the valley.
v. Ice Shelves:
Ice shelves are large platform of Glacial ice that floats on the ocean, formed by the outflow of glaciers that are grounded on land. These glaciers are water based and they exists floating on the water.
vi. Tidewater Glaciers:
These are mostly found near ice shelves. They are contributors to Global Ice Loss. It accounts 70% ice that melts in the ocean. This is the ice that flows in bulk from the mountains towards the Ocean.
vii. Hanging Glaciers:
These are the glaciers that hang onto the walls and glacial valley descends partially down the slope and it stops abruptly. They triggers landslides and rock falls because they create pressure on the walls of valley.
viii. Rock Glaciers:
These are the Glaciers that are mantled with a thick layer of rocks and debris. They are distinctive geomorphological landforms consisting of either angular or consisting of rock debris.
These are some types of Glaciers that exist on the Earth. Now we will discuss about Melting of Glacier and its Significance in detail.
3. What do you know about Melting of Glacier?
Melting of Glaciers refer to as the loss of ice mass of Glaciers, mainly due to increase in average temperature of the Earth that impacts Freshwater resources and Sea level Rise on the Earth.
Glaciers are an important component of the environment. They cast impacts on the Climatic Conditions in the World. Melting of glacier is a natural process that speeds up due to high average temperature or Global warming. This cause speedy melting or glaciers or ice masses present on the Earth. It has become an Extreme impact of Climate Change in the present era so the Glaciers play significant roles by regulating and managing the Climatic Impacts on the Earth.
We will have a complete discussion on the Causes, Environmental Impacts and Significance of Melting of Glacier in our Environment. We are losing our glaciers and Biodiversity that lives in the Glaciers very speedily because of Global Warming. This blog contains Significance of Melting of Glaciers.
4. What are the Major Causes of Melting of Glacier?
Many Natural and Anthropogenic Activities contributes in the phenomena of Melting of Glacier. Following are some of the main Causes of Melting of Glacier:
1) Green House Gases:
The contribution of Anthropogenic and Natural Causes of Green House Gases produce warming effects in the Environment. This is the major reason of Global Warming in the present era. Anthropogenic Activities such as Urbanization, Industrial Activities and Deforestation are the biggest contributors of Green house gases. These gases cast a warming impact on the Climate and speed up the process of Melting of Glaciers at a great level. To control melting of Glacier, we should control GHGs emissions.
2) Ocean Warming:
Most of the Glaciers exists on the Ocean surface or near the ocean banks. When the excessive CO2 is added into the Ocean, it cause Ocean Acidification which decrease the pH but at the same time increase the temperature of the Ocean Water. This phenomena leads to the speedy melting of glacier when warm water comes in contact with the glaciers. Now a days ocean water is warming with record breaking temperatures, and it is leading to speedy melting of glaciers.
3) Precipitation:
The Melting of Glacier can be accelerated by gaps in the Precipitation in the Glacial regions. Sometimes the precipitations does not occur as expected, they get delayed or sometimes there is no precipitation for longer period of time. This is the main reason that stops the refueling of the Glaciers and the glaciers becomes weak at their base so many of the strong glaciers are becoming weak and frozen Ice sheets are melting at exponential rates for the first time in history.
4) Global Warming:
The increase in average temperature of the Earth is the biggest reason behind melting of Glacier. Global warming is increasing every year. In the past, the Earth was exposed to Global Cooling and also its average temperature was decreasing every year. But from last few decades, the Earth is exposed to highest temperatures of the history and it is taking the Earth towards Global Warming. This increase in temperature heats up the glaciers and also add water of the glacier melting into the ocean at high rates.
These are some Major Causes of Melting of Glacier. We should keep these causes in our minds and try to control them to in order to manage the Environmental Degradation by Natural Processes on Earth. This blog is all about Significance of Melting of Glacier in detail.
5. What are the Environmental Impacts of Melting of Glacier?
Melting of Glacier is a form of Environmental Degradation as Glaciers are beneficial for Environmental Maintenance and Management. Following are the Environmental Impacts of Melting of Glacier on Earth:
1: Decrease in Earth’s Albedo:
Albedo can be defined as the Earth’s natural phenomena of reflecting back the Harmful and Warming Radiations of the Sun from the Earth. Glaciers plays a great role in the execution of this phenomena. Glaciers provide reflecting effect for the radiations of the Sun towards the atmosphere, also by providing huge white surfaces that helps in reflecting the radiations. Melting of glaciers leads to decrease in the land that performs Albedo and Earth does not reflect much of the heat back to the atmosphere. And in this way most of the Heat stays at the surface of the earth causing the heating effect.
2: Sea Level Rise:
As the glaciers are near or above the Ocean water. Warming of the ocean water is a big reason for their melting. So, as they are present near or above the ocean, when they melts down, the water is immediately added into the Sea water. This is the biggest reason of Sea Level Rise in the present era. This sea level rise is increasing every year because of speedy melting of the Glaciers. Sea level rise is a great threat for the people of Coastal Regions. Its increase is increasing the risks of floods for the Coastal areas and the coastal populations are in great danger.
3: Habitat Loss:
It is amazing to imagine that, the frozen glaciers are the habitat of many forms of Biodiversity, such as Snow algae, Tardigrades, Arachnids, Ground beetles etc. They have their roles in maintaining the Environment on Earth. Melting of Glaciers is causing the death and destruction of Glacial Biodiversity in many forms. This habitat loss is the cause of the risks Endangerment and Extinction of different types of Biodiversity in the Glaciers so it is a significant cause of Habitat loss form a wide range of Biodiversity in the Glacial Regions.
4: Disruption in Ecosystems:
Melting of Glaciers also disrupts the Ecosystems in many ways. It adds different salts and nutrients into the ocean and eventually disturbs the Natural Composition of the Ocean. This is not suitable for sensitive ecosystems such as Coral reefs and sensitive organisms etc. In the same way they disrupt the Ecosystems that exists in Glacial regions and it cause destruction of Glacial Biodiversity. In this way, Melting of Glaciers cause disruption in many ecosystem that it comes in contact with. It may be nearby areas, Ocean, or Glacial Biodiversity itself.
5: Warming Effect:
The existence of ice and snow on the planet works for cooling down the surface of the Earth. It reduces the Heat coming out from the surface of the Earth. When the glaciers melt, the amount of ice and snow present on the surface of the Earth. So, this cause the surface of the Earth to heat up more than its heated up in the past. This is overall warming impact on the Earth’s surface that directly relates to the melting of Glaciers. So, in order to control the heat coming from the Surface of the Earth, we should conserve and protect the Glaciers and Ice sheets on the Earth’s Surface.
These are some Environmental Impacts of Melting of Glacier on the Earth and the Environment. This blog is all about Significance of Melting of Glacier.
6. What is the Significance of Melting of Glacier in Climatic Conditions?
Melting of Glaciers plays a significant role in maintaining and indicating the Climate Change on the Earth so it acts in multiple ways on the Climate of the Earth. As we already studied that, the glacial melting reduces the Albedo effect of the Earth because of reducing shiny surface of the ice on Earth. This cause a warming effect by letting the Earth absorb excessive heat into its surface. This increase the temperature of the Earth and contributes in Global Warming.
On the other hand, it deteriorates the Composition of the Ocean by adding nutrients and salts that are present in Glaciers. It also results in Sea Level Rise that is a big Environmental Problem of the present era. These impacts of Melting of Glaciers are very significant of the whole Climatic Cycle in many ways. In order to control Melting of Glacier, we should be conscious about the Control Measures and Sustainable Strategies in order to Control the Climate Change Process to avoid further damage.
7. Conclusion:
Melting of Glacier is a serious Environmental Problem and also a Climate Change Impact of the Present Era. This is a reason behind many problems in the Climatic Conditions. There are many types of Glaciers that are discussed in the above detail. The main causes of Melting of Glaciers includes Global Warming, Ocean warming, GHGs etc. While the Environmental Impacts of Melting of Glacier includes Sea Level Rise, Habitat Loss, Warming effects etc. As we know that melting of Glacier plays a significant role in indicating Climate Change and so Now a days it is indicating that we are near to many Natural Disasters because of Extreme Impacts of Climate Change. We should work on Reducing the Extreme Impacts of Climate Change with Sustainable Strategies and effective ways.
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