New study finds two-thirds of the world's glaciers could be lost by 2100
Up to two-thirds of the world's glaciers could disappear by the end of the century, as they are melting faster than scientists had thought, a new report published Thursday in the journal Science said.
The study also found that if global leaders take quick action and future warming is slowed down to only a few more tenths of a degree, slightly less than half of the glaciers will go extinct, The Associated Press reports.
For the study, scientists used computer simulations to predict what would happen to the world's 215,000 land-based glaciers under different temperature increases, calculating how many of the glaciers would melt and how that would increase sea levels. Under current conditions, the world is set to reach a 4.9 degree Fahrenheit temperature rise since pre-industrial times, meaning that by 2100, 32 percent of the world's glacier mass will disappear and 68 percent of glaciers will be lost. Under the best case scenario, the melting ice will add 3.5 inches to the world's sea level, and under the worst, it would add 6.5 inches.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"No matter what, we're going to lose a lot of the glaciers," study lead author David Rounce, a glaciologist and engineering professor at Carnegie Mellon University, told AP. "But we have the ability to make a difference by limiting how many glaciers we lose."
Glaciers provide drinking and agricultural water and hydropower, and support "billions of people," National Snow and Ice Center Deputy Lead Scientist Twila Moon told AP. They are also part of their individual landscapes in places like Austria and Alaska and Iceland, and are what make them "so special," National Snow and Data Ice Center Director Mark Serreze said. "As they lose their ice in a sense they also lose their soul."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Saint Paul de Vence: a paradise for art lovers
The Week Recommends The hilltop gem in the French Riviera where 20th century modernism flourished
By Alexandra Zagalsky Published
-
'People in general want workers to earn a decent living'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
What might a Trump victory mean for the global economy?
Today's Big Question A second term in office for the 'America First' administration would send shockwaves far beyond the United States' shores
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Is Daylight Saving Time good for the climate?
Under the Radar Scientists are split over the potential environmental benefits of the hotly contested time change
By Abby Wilson Published
-
NASA's Europa Clipper blasts off, seeking an ocean
Speed Read The ship is headed toward Jupiter on a yearslong journey
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Detailed map of fly's brain holds clues to human mind
Speed Read This remarkable fruit fly brain analysis will aid in future human brain research
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The pros and cons of GMOs
Pros and Cons The modified crops are causing controversy
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
The UK's worsening wet weather
The Explainer More frequent and intense rain is keeping flood boss 'awake at night'
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Is dangerous weather in the Mediterranean Sea the new normal?
Today's Big Question A waterspout, or sea tornado, recently sank a superyacht off the coast of Sicily
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
The moon may be the ideal place to preserve Earth's biodiversity
under the radar A cache in a crater
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
What is NASA working on?
In Depth A running list of the space agency's most exciting developments
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published