In a ceremony on August 17, alongside a robust and symbolic monument to the ravages of unchecked local weather change, Rice College in Texas launched a listing of world glacier casualties, together with 15 extinct and endangered Extinct Glacier – the driving power behind the whole mission.
In line with scientists, international warming has triggered the disappearance of hundreds of glaciers all over the world since 2000.
Researchers, geologists, glaciologists and authorities leaders from Rice College in Houston, the Icelandic Meteorological Service attended the pre-ceremony ceremony worldwide yr of glacier safety2025.
UNESCO, the United Nations Academic, Scientific and Cultural Group and the United Nations Meteorological Group World Meteorological Group are among the many many co-organizers of the occasion in Iceland.
Tombstone, “a poignant reminder”
The Glacier Cemetery consists of 15 tombstones carved from ice by Icelandic ice sculptor Ottó Magnússon.
“We’ve by no means wanted a glacier graveyard earlier than,” says Rice College’s Simon Howe. “Now we have carried out it. Whereas these tombstones will soften just like the glaciers, we hope the ceremony and the icy tombstones will function a poignant reminder that with out swift motion, the world’s glaciers are destined to endure the identical destiny.
The tombstone was positioned in a discipline close to the ocean on the Seltjananes peninsula, adjoining to Reykjavik, which provides gorgeous views of the Snæfellsjökull glacier throughout Faksafroj Bay.
The Snæfellsjökull glacier is well-known to college students of world literature as the doorway and embarkation level for the protagonists of Jules Verne’s basic science fiction novel, A journey to the middle of the earth.
Though Snæfellsjökull has greater than halved in measurement for the reason that late nineteenth century, many others are in worse form.
The biggest victims listed as “disappeared” embrace the Pizol Glacier in Switzerland (2019), the Sarena Glacier in France (2023), the Anderson Glacier in the US (2015) and the Marchal Sur Glacier in Argentina (2018) .
Extra to comply with
5 years in the past, a ceremony to commemorate the untimely demise of Iceland’s Oak Glacier was attended by then-Icelandic Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdóttir and former Irish President Mary Robinson.
Hrafnhildur Hannesdóttir, one of many organizers and a glaciologist on the Icelandic Meteorological Service, advised reporters: “We selected one other Icelandic glacier to be the primary to enter the checklist due to the plaque and fame that this glacier has.” United Nations Regional Data Middle for Western Europe (United Nations Regional Data Middle).
“It’s doubtless that many different nations will comply with go well with as there isn’t any indication of CO2 emissions2 is reducing.
70 of Iceland’s 400 glaciers have disappeared. A few of them, like the following candidate for extinction, the East Hofs Icefield, are certainly very small. “It is comparatively low and flat and will not final lengthy,” Ms. Hannesdottir stated.
United Nations Picture/Ekinder Debebe
Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon is situated in southeastern Iceland.
sea ranges will rise
Icelandic glaciologist Thorsteinn Thorsteinsson advised UNRIC that if all glaciers in Iceland disappeared, meltwater would trigger international sea ranges to rise by one centimeter, nearly the identical quantity as all glaciers within the Himalayas. .
The glaciers within the Himalayas cowl an space of roughly 40,000 sq. kilometers. Nonetheless, Vatnajökull is the most important glacier in Iceland – and certainly in Europe – south of the Arctic Circle, protecting solely 7,700 kilometers2.
For a wide range of causes, the proverbial “huge” is predicted to outlive one other three centuries.
Langjökull, Iceland’s second largest glacier, then again, is in larger hazard, particularly as a result of it lies a lot decrease. Scientists predict that by 2100, solely 10% to twenty% of its high quality will stay.
asian water tower
For comprehensible causes, the melting of Himalayan glaciers has attracted extra consideration than the destiny of Iceland’s glaciers.
The glaciated mountains of the Hindu Kush-Himalayan area are often called the “water towers of Asia” as a result of a number of the most essential rivers on earth, together with the Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra and Yangtze, originate right here.
They’re thought-about, in Mr. Thorstensen’s phrases, “a lifeline for a whole lot of tens of millions, if not billions, of individuals.” Their measurement has decreased by 40% for the reason that late nineteenth century.
It’s predicted that by the top of this century, 75% will disappear.
“However their melting doesn’t imply that 2-3 billion folks in China and India will die of thirst. For instance, the Ganges originates from the Gangotri small glacier. Rain and snow will proceed to fall, and groundwater and monsoon winds will movement into all these massive rivers ,” he advised the United Nations Information Middle.
His colleague Hrafnhildur Hannesdóttir famous that melting results in an elevated danger of floods and mudslides, leading to frequent and excessive demise tolls.
“Now we have to have a look at the larger image and never deal with one factor at a time, and we should not neglect that rising sea ranges will have an effect on many extra folks.”
© UNICEF/Srikanth Kolari
Mountain glaciers are shrinking resulting from rising temperatures and diminished snowfall in India’s Kargil area.
important to the human story
There’s additionally an essential cultural dimension: “These are the glaciers that wrap our lives round us,” says Dominic Boyer of Rice College.
“They belong to the time we spent collectively, not summary future losses, however actual losses that you could really feel with all of your senses.”
In truth, glaciers are a part of Iceland’s identification. The flag has a purple cross with a white define and a blue physique.
The cross, after all, represents Christianity, the purple represents volcanic fireplace, the blue represents sky and sea, and the white represents ice and snow.
The silver lining is that even when the glaciers disappear, the whiteness might not disappear.
The majestic Snæfellsjökull might lose its glacier standing, however its white ice cap might stay. “In truth, the glacial ice on the mountain is thinner and grey in colour, which isn’t very stunning,” Thorstensen defined.
“However the snow doesn’t cease, and in reality, it’s the snow cap we admire most from a distance and is the favourite of all photographers.”
worldwide yr
The United Nations Common Meeting proclaimed 2025 because the Worldwide Yr of Glacier Conservation and declared March 21 annually as World Glacier Day.
