Glacier Melting

 Hey readers! Today, we'll be teaching you about glacier melting and its impact on the environment. Read on!

What are glaciers?:

Glaciers around the world can range from ice that is several hundred to several thousand years old and provide a scientific record of how climate has changed over time. Through their study, we gain valuable information about the extent to which the planet is rapidly warming. They provide scientists a record of how climate has changed over time.
Today, about 10% of land area on Earth is covered with glacial ice. Almost 90% is in Antarctica, while the remaining 10% is in the Greenland ice cap.

Why are glaciers melting?:

Since the industrial revolution, carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions have raised temperatures, even higher in the poles, and as a result, glaciers are rapidly melting, calving off into the sea and retreating on land.

Even if we significantly curb emissions in the coming decades, more than a third of the world's remaining glaciers will melt before the year 2100. When it comes to sea ice, 95% of the oldest and thickest ice in The Arctic is already gone.

Fun facts:

1)The melting of glaciers could result in the release of viruses that could be trapped in them for thousands of years!
2)Rapid glacial melt in Antarctica and Greenland also influences ocean currents, as massive amounts of very cold glacial-melt water entering warmer ocean waters is slowing ocean currents. And as ice on land melts, sea levels will continue to rise.

Some pictures:

Note: 1 post away till 50!