What is Glacier ?

• A glacier is a huge block

of solid ice that is
formed over the years
by falling snow.
Even though a glacier is
solid ice, it is constantly
moving, though very
slowly. Glaciers could
move from a few inches
to a few feet a day.
 Melting Glaciers

The melting of glaciers

is a natural process. But
now with increase in
the temperature of
earth these glaciers are
melting very fastly. As a
result of this unbalance
in nature the level of
sea water is increasing.
Reasons of global warming
Green house effect
 Effects Of Melting Ice Glaciers
•Global Warming.
Temperatures across the globe have gone upward,
helping the cause of ice glaciers melting faster than
required. In certain places across the world small ice
glaciers have totally vanished, exposing the earth below.
Ice glaciers are able to deflect almost 80% heat of the
sun, absorbing approximately 20% heat. This figure gets
reversed when sunlight falls on earth, 80% is absorbed
and only 20% is deflected back. This in turn helps in
increasing global temperatures. This leads to an increase
in the temperature of sea water. Icebergs melt faster.
Added to this is the expansion of sea water, leading to a
rise in sea water levels.
 Pollution
• Only America
is
responsible
for 25%
pollution in
the world,
global
warming and
then melting
of glaciers.
 Fresh water shortage.

• When seen from outer space, the earth

looks self-sufficient in its need for water;
in reality it is just the reverse. Almost all
this water seen from space is salt water;
unfit for human use. Just over 2% of this
water is freshwater that is fit for human
use; and over 70% of this 2% make-up the
earths glaciers. Many on earth depend on
the melting water from glaciers for their
fresh water supply through lakes and
rivers. The melted water gets renewed as
ice on the glacier through a process
known as precipitation. In many parts of
the world this is the 'only' source of fresh
water supply throughout the year. An
ever-increasing human population and a
rapidly decreasing glacier mass will lead to
severe fresh water shortage in the near
future
 Reducing agriculture output.

• Agriculture that depends solely on rain will be mostly

unaffected by the effects of ice glaciers melting. Such
areas are very few worldwide and do not contribute to
the major chunk of farmland. Areas affected will be
those that depend on water emanating from ice
glaciers. During the dry seasons there will be a shortage
of fresh water from ice glaciers, making the land dry
and unsuitable for agriculture. Total agricultural output
will reduce, leading to a shortage of foodgrains.
 Shortage of Electricity
• There are many places across the
planet that depend solely on the
constant flow of water from melting
glaciers for the production of
electricity. Once this flow of water is
reduced or stops, the production of
electricity will stop too. Different
sources to produce electricity, most of
them that will pollute the earth, and
possibly even help increase global
warming.
 Rise in Sea-level

• A lot of water that melts on

sea-level glaciers gets emptied
directly into the sea. The sea
level is rising constantly at a rate
of approximately 1mm to 2mm
per year. The effects of this will
be of unimaginable magnitude.
Coastal regions across the globe
will have to relocate due to
flooding, soil erosion, and
contamination of underground
fresh water with salt water.
 Animal, Bird, and Fish Habitat Loss

• There are many animals, birds, and

fish that depend solely on glaciers
for survival. Certain animals need
the temperatures of glaciers for
survival. Some bird species depend
on fish that are found in fresh
melting waters of a glacier. With an
increase in sea water temperature,
and rising sea levels, sea-plants that
these fish thrive on will be lost,
reducing the number of fish, which
in-turn will make survival of many
bird species difficult.
 Coral Reefs will Vanish

Corals require sunlight for photosynthesis to

survive and thrive. As the sea level rises, enough
sunlight will not reach these corals, deteriorating
their quality and even possibly killing them in
time. Fish that depend on these corals for food
will not survive. This will have an effect on the
people who fish for survival in these areas.
 Earth Will Get Re contaminated

• Many today would never have heard of DDT and

many such pesticides that were banned worldwide
years ago. Most of the pesticides got airborne and
were finally deposited in cool areas containing
glaciers. Up to a few years ago, these harmful
chemicals remained trapped in the layers of glaciers.
Rapid melting of these glaciers is now releasing
these chemicals back into the environment, in many
lakes and rivers formed by these melting glaciers.
 Solutions

• Humankind has become

dependent on the
burning of fossil fuels to
support our way of life,
but it increases global
warming and melting of
glaciers at an unnatural
rate.
 Decrease Carbon footprints
• To restore the glaciers
we need to utilize
alternative energy
sources, increase our
energy efficiency and
decrease our individual
carbon footprints.
 Kyoto Protocol
• The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the
United Nations Framework Convention o
n Climate Change
(UNFCCC or FCCC), aimed at fighting
global warming. The UNFCCC is an
international environmental treaty with
the goal of achieving "stabilization of
greenhouse gas concentrations in the
atmosphere at a level that would
prevent
dangerous anthropogenic interference
with the climate system.
• The Protocol was initially adopted on 11
December 1997 in Kyoto, Japan and
entered into force on 16 February 2005.
As of November 2009,
187 states have signed and ratified the
protocol
 Use Alternative Energy
Sources

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.
• Biofuels 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.