18,000 Years Ago, The 'Zealandia Switch' Decimated Earth's Glaciers. Has It Returned?

Tue, 3 May 2022 19:00:28 +1000

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://www.sciencealert.com/18-000-years-ago-the-zealandia-switch-decimated-earth-s-glaciers-has-it-returned>

"Earlier this month, we wrapped up the latest annual end-of-summer snowline
survey over New Zealand's South Island (Te Waipounamu), providing a birdseye
view of how glaciers fared during the past year.

This collection of aerial photos adds to a near half-century perspective of
irrefutable and dramatic climate change impacts on New Zealand's frozen
landscapes.

To put it bluntly, New Zealand's glaciers look emaciated. Another Tasman Sea
marine heat wave punctuated the hottest year on record nationally at the close
of 2021, bathing the Southern Alps in warmth. That pattern continued into the
Southern Hemisphere summer of 2022.

As New Zealand's glaciers continue to feel the heat and shrink, bedrock that
has not seen daylight for ages becomes exposed. Basins filled with meltwater
begin to multiply across the landscape. In many cases, a ring of dirt and rock
around some of New Zealand's largest lakes marks where ice once reached.

Our current research is exploring these exposed rocky ridges to retrace New
Zealand's climate history."

Via Rixty Dixet.

Cheers,
       *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics

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