MELTING

GLACIERS
 WHAT IS A
GLACIER?
A glacier can be described
as a huge block of ice that
is formed from falling
snow. Glaciers contain
almost all of the fresh
water present on earth.
HOW IS A GLACIER FORMED
Glaciers are formed in places where the temperatures are extremely cold. This
could even include places that are at sea level, but are mostly places that are high
up on mountains.

In such cold places it snows most of the year. This snow will settle down and
when it snows again the lower layer of snow gets compressed. Every time it snows,
the below layers will compress more, finally turning into hard ice. This ice is what
forms the glacier.

When the temperature rises slightly, the outer edges of the formed glacier and
fresh snow will melt. For a glacier to form and sustain itself it is of prime
importance that the amount of snow that falls on it must be more than the
amount of glacier that has melted. This is the only way in which the glacier will be
able to maintain itself and keep increasing in size year after year.
 IS GLACIER MELTING
Melting of glaciers isNORMAL?
perfectly normal. The only criterion is that falling
snow must exceed the melting ice to sustain the glacier. Many people
worldwide depend on melting glaciers for survival. All their freshwater
needs are met by these melting glaciers year through.

This is the water these people use for drinking and irrigation. If this
fresh water source were to stop it will create chaos. People will be forced to
shift to places with other sources of freshwater. Certain nations depend a
lot on the flow of this water for the production of electricity.
GLACIERS ARE METLING
FASTER TODAY
It has been noticed that glaciers have melted more than
normal over the past century.
It was argued in the past that this was a normal process that
takes place over time, but this is now proving wrong.
Many glaciers have melted so fast over the past few decades
that they have vanished from the face of the earth forever.
Many glaciers that remain are today facing the same fate.
They are reducing in size year after year because the falling
snow is not able to replace the amount of melting ice.
Glaciers are melting faster today as compared to the past many
centuries.

Why this sudden change ? ?

Almost everyone believe that the prime reason for this is sudden and
rapid industrialization which in turn has caused global warming - the
prime culprit of fast melting glaciers.
 How do glaciers melt?
The melting of glaciers is a
normal and natural process.
 Every glacier melts, the level of
melting depending on the
surrounding temperature. In
most places containing glaciers
across the globe, snow falls
during the cold seasons and will
get compressed into ice with
further snowing.
When the temperature
does get a bit warmer the
upper fresh layers of snow /
partly formed ice begin
melting and start flowing
down into streams and
rivers.
Another reason for
melting of glaciers is global
warming which is
increasing at an alarming
rate.
 Causes of melting of glaciers
 Natural Effects :-
1. Water earthquakes which leads to destruction of
glacier.
2. Release of green house gases through natural
processes such as volcanic eruption.
 Global Warming :-
Abnormal increase in temperature of Earth due to release
of green house gases because of human activities.
 Global warming
Abnormal increase in Earth’s temperature.
Causes of global warming are :-
1. Greenhouse gases
2. Ozone depletion
3. Deforestation
4. Industrial units
5. Excess use of resources
 Green house effect
The 'greenhouse effect' takes place when certain gases
in the atmosphere of the earth trap heat.
 The term 'greenhouse' is used because light is allowed
to reach the earth, but most of the heat generated is
not allowed to escape, just as in a greenhouse.
The more the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the
more heat will be trapped within the earth's
atmosphere, causing average earth temperature to rise. 
 The earth's temperature has increased by half a degree Celsius
over the past century due to an increase in greenhouse gases. This
slight increase may seem negligible, but the earth's ecosystem is
very fragile, and even such small changes can prove disastrous. 
 Greenhouse gases are a natural part of the atmosphere and the
main sources of these greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide,
methane, nitrous oxide and fluorocarbons. Increased greenhouse
gases in the past century can be attributed to human activity such
as burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas,
reduced forest cover due to deforestation, increase in atmospheric
methane gas due to mass rearing of cattle (in the process of
digestion cattle and sheep produce and release methane into the
atmosphere). 
 Ozone depletion
Ozone depletion is due to human activities in
developing countries which results in release of
ozone depleting gases such as chloroflouro
carbons.
Ozone depletion results in :-
1. More exposure to solar radiation.
2. Increase in temperature of earth.
 Excess use of resources
Humans are selfish and are using all the resources at a
rate faster than they are getting replaced.
Such a increased use of resources lead to increase in
pollution of environment.
Dust and particulate matter released in atmosphere
due to this activity absorbs infrared radiations and
warm the temperature at ground level and in turn
increasing the temperature of Earth’s temp and hence
causing global warming.
 Impact of melting glaciers

The process of glaciers melting is normal; but the rate

at which glaciers are melting today is abnormal. Snow
is not able to replace the melting ice, causing many
glaciers to become non-existent. The impacts of this
trend are negative to humans, animals, birds, and fish
that depend on fresh water from these melting
glaciers.
 Dangers of fast melting glaciers
Faster than normal, melting of glaciers will cause the streams and rivers
to overflow causing floods.

Once the glacier has totally melted, the streams and rivers will run dry.
Farmland will turn dry. Those depending on freshwater from the melting
glacier will have to relocate.

Places that depend on the constant flow of this water for the production
of electricity will have to look for other sources to produce electricity. This
will cause further atmospheric pollution and cost much more to produce.
 I n 1984 In 2002

Melting of Mount Hood Oregon glacier in 18 years… This glacier is

one of the most affected and is almost near to extinction.
 Negative impact
Glaciers melting today have a negative impact on all those
who depend on it. Communities that live along rivers fed
by melting glaciers face the constant threat of being
dislodged from their dwelling place due to possible
flooding.

Many rivers are overflowing today, but very soon there will
be no glacial melt to feed them, causing them to dry up
and spread drought all over.
 Impact on sea level
 The impact of fast melting glaciers will also be felt in the sea. Sea levels have
already risen in the past century due to an increase in water temperature
caused by global warming. The water level will rise further when more fresh
water is added to it. Entire communities living in low-lying areas near the
shore will be at threat from the increasing sea water levels. Fresh
underground water in these areas will get polluted with salty sea water
making it unfit for drinking or irrigation.

 A rise in sea levels may kill or stunt the growth of many coral reefs. Coral
reefs depends on photosynthesis from the sun for survival. When water levels
increase, the amount of sunlight will reduce, making it difficult for coral reefs
to survive.
 Impact on every day life
Lakes formed by melting glacier water will grow in size and always
pose a threat of bursting. If this happens the impact could be very
devastating for all those living in close vicinity. Entire villages could be
destroyed including farming land, roads, road and rail bridges.
Precious human life could be lost.
If the current trend of more glacial ice melting continues, there will
soon come a time when these glaciers will not exist, causing
hydropower stations to shut down. Other sources for producing
electricity will need to be put into place, causing pollution and
helping the cause of global warming.
 All farmland that depends on melting glacial water will dry up,
leading to a shortage of food-grains.
 DDT was a pesticide widely used and was banned worldwide many
years ago. Most of this harmful chemical got airborne and settled in the
cooler climates and were embedded and trapped into layers of glaciers.
With glaciers melting at the rate they are today, these chemicals are
being introduced into the water melting from glaciers, contaminating
streams and rivers as they flow. This will have a negative effect on the
health of all those who depend on this water for drinking and
agriculture.

 Many animals, birds, and fish that depend on fresh melting water
from glaciers for survival will either reduce in numbers or get extinct
over a period of time. This will happen where glaciers melt directly into
the sea.
 Problems faced by world
Most of the impacts of rapidly melting glaciers are
already being felt in many places across the globe.

Places that never witnessed temperatures of 40+

degrees Celsius are witnessing it today; places that never
suffered from drought are facing it today; places that
never seen forest fires are seeing it today; places that
never saw floods are witnessing it today.
It is due to this increase in temperature that glaciers are
melting more than they actually should. When a glacier melts
fully, it exposes the earth below. Glaciers absorb approximately
20% heat from the sun, reflecting back 80%. When the earth
gets exposed this percentage gets reversed. This in turn causes a
further increase in temperature. This is a vicious trap which has
already begun and it will be almost impossible for us to stop it
totally.

In the future the global temperature will in all likelihood keep
increasing, melting glaciers even faster than they are today.
There are many more dangers that could crop
up due to fast melting glaciers in the coming
years if we do not do something to reduce the
menace of global warming immediately.

Each one of us can play a part in helping

reduce harmful emissions, leading to a possible
reduction in future global warming.
 Preventions
Global warming is the prime culprit of fast melting glaciers.
And therefore it should be minimized to the possible
extent.
So we can adopt following measures to minimize global
warming :-
1. Try to reduce use of fossil fuels.
2. Plastic coating.
3. Use of energy efficiently.
4. Afforestation.
5. Individual solution.
 Plastic coating
Some of this retreat has resulted in efforts to slow down the loss of glaciers
in the Alps.
To retard melting of the glaciers used by certain Austrian ski resorts,
portions of the Stubai and Pitztal Glaciers were partially covered with plastic .
In Switzerland plastic sheeting is also used to reduce the melt of glacial ice
used as ski slopes. 
While covering glaciers with plastic sheeting may prove advantageous to
ski resorts on a small scale, this practice is not expected to be economically
practical on a much larger scale.
 Use of energy efficiently
 Use of renewable resources should be focused on more than the use of
non renewable resources.
 Make use of energy saving electrical and electronic equipment. Switch
off lights and air-conditioners when not required (even if it is for a very
short duration).
 Do not use any product that contains CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons).
CFCs in any products are banned in the US, but could be an
ingredient in aerosols and cleaners manufactured in other countries.
 CFCs deplete the atmospheric ozone layer and allow harmful
ultraviolet rays to penetrate and reach the earth.
 Afforestation
Deforestation is one of the reason behind global
warming as it lead to increase in level of carbon dioxide
in Earth’s atmosphere.
So planting of more trees should be practiced as it
helps in following ways :-
1. Maintains level of carbon dioxide in atmosphere of Earth.
2. Helps in cleaning of Earth’s atmosphere.
 INDIVIDUAL
SOLUTION
Drive as little as possible. Many urban areas have excellent public
transportation networks. You can carpool, bicycle, walk or jog to your
destination. Save power at home by taking shorter showers, turning off
the water while brushing your teeth, turning off lights when they are not
in use, hanging laundry outside to dry and unplugging electronics when
they are not being used.

These seemingly little things make a big impact if they are done on a
large scale, and they'll go a long way toward reducing your carbon
footprint and saving the glaciers.
 Alternating energy solutions
There are many alternative energy technologies available. Solar panels are made up
of solar cells that trap the heat from the sun and convert it into energy.
Wind turbines are towers that use the kinetic energy from the wind to generate
power.
Geothermal energy utilizes the heat from inside the earth. Bio fuels such as ethanol
can be produced in your back yard by fermenting and mixing vegetable, fruit and
grain waste; ethanol is used to make biodiesel fuel, a clean burning fuel for diesel
engines.
Electric cars are battery-powered instead of relying of the highly polluting internal
combustion engine; hydrogen fuel cells are being developed for these batteries.
Tidal and wave power utilize the massive power of the ocean by harnessing the
energy with generators placed on the ocean floor.
 CONCLUSION
(intro)
So, it is time to think over it, it is time to energize your nerves
and get the words in your fist to take actions to stop melting of
glaciers with firm determination.
(causes)

We hope that day will not come in future when children will see
the glaciers in book as we use to see dinosaurs.
(harmful effects)
Glaciers are the thing which represents the core beauty of the
earth, so save it, preserve it.
(prevention)