<
https://www.sciencealert.com/andes-glaciers-are-the-first-to-shatter-a-depressing-record>
'Roughly one out of every four people on Earth depends on freshwater supplied
by the glacial regions that cover 10 percent of our planet's surface.
It's also a precious resource in crisis, with new research showing just how
rapidly these frozen ecosystems are now expected to change.
A new study by an international team of scientists reveals glaciers in the
tropics are melting faster than forecast, retreating to sizes researchers
hadn't expected to see for years.
"This shocked us, frankly," University of California, Berkeley
paleoclimatologist Andrew Gorin told
New Scientist. "I think this is clear
evidence that at least one region in the world has now departed the hospitable
climatic conditions that have fostered the development of human civilization."
Gorin adds, "We're quickly blowing past climate milestones that we thought were
decades away."
Gorin's team found a suspicious lack of beryllium-10 and carbon-14 isotopes in
the minerals bordering glaciers in the Andes mountains, indicating the last
time these rocks felt the warmth of our Sun was at least 11,700 years ago.
This suggests parts of the mountain range haven't seen such a low level of
glaciation since before the Holocene – the period that marked a major turning
point in the history of human civilization.
Glaciers collect water in the form of snow through winter and release it during
summer melts, providing water for billions. As the glaciers retreat, less
freshwater becomes available below.
The Andes region is already experiencing record breaking droughts and water
shortages as a consequence, as well as fatal floods as melt pools burst from
the ice that once held them.
But it's not just in the Andes. Previous research has found accelerating
glacial melt from the Himalayas to Alaska as well.'
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
