News Glacier melting

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Worldwide Glacier Melting Underlined in Newly Released Data

Mountain glaciers around the world continue to melt, with new, still tentative figures for 2005 indicating a further average thickness reduction for a set of reference glaciers of 0.6 metre water equivalent (w.e.). On average, one metre water equivalent corresponds to 1.1 metre ice thickness.

The new data confirms the trend in accelerated ice loss during the past two and a half decades and brings the average thickness loss since 1980 of the 30 reference glaciers of nine mountain ranges at about 9.6 metre w.e. These results come from glacier mass balance measurements collected by scientists all over the world and published by the World Glacier Monitoring Service (WGMS) in Zurich, Switzerland.

The preliminary data on glacier change for the year 2005 from 80 glaciers was reported to the WGMS from the majority of the glaciated mountain ranges of the world. 30 of these glaciers have continuous mass balance measurement series since 1980. Their average annual ice loss since the year 2000 was about 0.6 metre w.e., which is 1.6 times more than the average of the 1990s and three times the loss rate of the 1980s. Comprehensive data for the year 2006 are not yet available, but as it was one of the warmest years in many parts of the world, it is expected that the downward trend will continue.

Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director, said: “This is the most authorative, comprehensive and up-to-date information on glaciers world-wide and as such underlines the rapid changes occurring on the planet as a result of climate change. Glaciers across the globe are important sources of water for many important rivers—rivers upon which people depend for drinking water, agriculture and industrial purposes”.

“The findings confirm the science of human-induced climate change, confirmation that will be further underlined when the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change unveil their next report on 2 February. These findings should strengthen the resolve of governments to act now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and put in place the medium to longer term strategies necessary to avert dangerous climate change,” he added

Michael Zemp, a glaciologist and research associate at the WGMS said: “Today, the glacier surface is much smaller than in the 1980s, this means that the climatic forcing has continued since then. The recent increase in rates of ice loss over reducing glacier surface areas leaves no doubt about the accelerated change in climatic conditions”, he says.

he WGMS collects and publishes standardised glacier data which are considered to be among the best natural indicators of climate change. Scientific measurements relate to the so-called ‘net mass balance' of glaciers, which can be seen as their overall ice thickness change. The long-term monitoring of glacier mass balance produces one of the most essential variables required for the regular assessment reports on global climate monitoring. As such, the glacier mass balance data are an important contribution to UNEP's Global Environment Outlook (GEO) report and one of the headline indicators presented in the GEO Yearbook series.

The new preliminary findings also underlines the important of this year's 5 June World Environment Day theme Melting Ice- A Hot Topic?. The main international celebrations, which also coincide with International Polar Year, will be held in Norway.

Links

World Glacier Monitoring Service: http://www.wgms.ch

United Nations Environment Programme, Global Environment Outlook: http://www.unep.org/geo/ United Nations Environment Programme, GEO Data Portal: http://geodata.grid.unep.ch

World Environment Day 2007 www.unep.org/wed/2007/english/

Contact information

Wilfried Haeberli, WGMS: +41.44.6355120, or haeberl@geo.unizh.ch

Michael Zemp, WGMS: +41.44.6355139 (from 29 Jan until 23 Feb 2007: +49.404.1173205), or mzemp@geo.unizh.ch;

Jaap van Woerden, UNEP/DEWA: +41.22.9178169, or woerden@grid.unep.ch

Nick Nuttal, UNEP Spokesperson, +254.20.7623084, mobile: +254.733.632755, or nick.nuttall@unep.org

Supplementary figures

Fig. 1: Mean annual net balance (thickness change) of 30 glaciers* (27 in 2005) and nine mountain ranges.

Fig. 2: Cumulative mean annual net balance (thickness change) of 30 glaciers* (27 in 2005) and nine mountain ranges.

* Place and Urumqihe S. No. 1 (Canada); South Cascade, Gulkana and Wolverine (USA); Austre Broeggerbreen, Midre Lovenbreen, Engabreen, Alfotbreen, Nigardsbreen,, Grasubreen,, Storbreen, Hellstugubreen, and Hardangerjoekulen (Norway); Echaurren Norte (Chili); Storglaciaeren (Sweden); Saint Sorlin and Sarennes (France); Silvretta and Gries (Switzerland); Sonnblickkees, Vernagtferner, Kesselwandferner, and Hintereisferner (Austria); Careser (Italy), Maliy Aktru, Leviy Aktru , No. 125 and Djankuat (Russia), Ts. Tuyuksuyskiy (Kazachstan),

Fig. 3-5: Vernagtferner, Austria. Annual mass balance measurements were initiated on this Alpine glacier in 1964. Since then, the ice loss cumulated to almost 12 metre w.e., with a thickness loss of about 0.5 metre w.e. during 2005. The photos, taken by O. Gruber (1912), H. Rentsch (1968) and M. Siebers (2003), are kindly provided by the Commission for Glaciology of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities.