In Sign of Warming, 1,600 Years of Ice in Andes Melted in 25 Years
By JUSTIN GILLI NYT Apr5, 2013
Glacial ice in the Peruvian Andes that took at least 1,600 years to form
has melted in just 25 years, scientists reported Thursday, the latest
indication that the recent spike in global temperatures has thrown the
natural world out of balance.
The evidence comes from a remarkable find at the margins of the Quelccaya ice cap in Peru,
the world’s largest tropical ice sheet. Rapid melting there in the
modern era is uncovering plants that were locked in a deep freeze when
the glacier advanced many thousands of years ago.
Dating of those plants, using a radioactive form of carbon in the plant
tissues that decays at a known rate, has given scientists an unusually
precise method of determining the history of the ice sheet’s margins.
Lonnie G. Thompson, the Ohio State University glaciologist whose team has worked intermittently on the Quelccaya ice cap for decades, reported the findings in a paper released online Thursday by the journal Science.
The paper includes a long-awaited analysis of chemical tracers in ice
cylinders the team recovered by drilling deep into Quelccaya, a record
that will aid scientists worldwide in reconstructing past climatic
variations.
Such analyses will take time, but Dr. Thompson said preliminary evidence
shows, for example, that the earth probably went through a period of
anomalous weather at around the time of the French Revolution, which
began in 1789. The weather presumably contributed to the food shortages
that exacerbated that upheaval.
“When there’s a disruption of food, this is bad news for any government,” Dr. Thompson said in an interview.
Of greater immediate interest, Dr. Thompson and his team have expanded
on previous research involving long-dead plants emerging from the
melting ice at the edge of Quelccaya, a huge, flat ice cap sitting on a
volcanic plain 18,000 feet above sea level.
Several years ago, the team reported on plants that had been exposed
near a meltwater lake. Chemical analysis showed them to be about 4,700
years old, proving that the ice cap had reached its smallest extent in
nearly five millenniums.
In the new research, a thousand feet of additional melting has exposed
plants that laboratory analysis shows to be about 6,300 years old. The
simplest interpretation, Dr. Thompson said, is that ice that accumulated
over approximately 1,600 years melted back in no more than 25 years.
“If any time in the last 6,000 years these plants had been exposed for
any five-year period, they would have decayed,” Dr. Thompson said. “That
tells us the ice cap had to be there 6,000 years ago.”
Meredith A. Kelly, a glacial geomorphologist at Dartmouth College who
trained under Dr. Thompson but was not involved in the new paper, said
his interpretation of the plant remains was reasonable.
Her own research on Quelccaya suggests that the margins of the glacier
have melted quite rapidly at times in the past. But the melting now
under way appears to be at least as fast, if not faster, than anything
in the geological record since the end of the last ice age, she said.
Global warming, which scientists say is being caused primarily by the
human release of greenhouse gases, is having its largest effects at high
latitudes and high altitudes. Sitting at high elevation in the tropics,
the Quelccaya ice cap appears to be extremely sensitive to the
temperature changes, several scientists said.
“It may not go very quickly because there’s so much ice, but we might
have already locked into a situation where we are committed to losing
that ice,” said Mathias Vuille, a climate scientist at the State
University at Albany in New York.
Throughout the Andes, glaciers are now melting so rapidly that
scientists have grown deeply concerned about water supplies for the
people living there. Glacial meltwater is essential for helping Andean
communities get through the dry season.
In the short run, the melting is producing an increase of water supplies
and feeding population growth in major cities of the Andes, the experts
said. But as the glaciers continue shrinking, trouble almost certainly
looms.
Douglas R. Hardy, a University of Massachusetts researcher who works in
the region, said, “How much time do we have before 50 percent of Lima’s
or La Paz’s water resources are gone?”
19 comments:
In many of my other environmental classes, the topic of climate change always presents a main concern. It completely baffles me how so many people can doubt the affects of greenhouse gases on the atmosphere when there is so much concrete evidence. The Qori Kalis glacier in Peru is just another tangible example of the very real threat that global warming presents to the environment and the human race. A section of this glacier took more than 1,600 years to form, and it has melted back in just the last 25 years. The before and after pictures are shocking. However, I did find it interesting that due to the melting, scientists were able to determine the age of the glacier by some plants that used to be covered by the ice. In order to stop the affects of global warming, the public needs to be more aware of what is happening around the globe. More pictures like this need to be exposed to a larger audience in order to prove to everyone that climate change is a very dangerous and real concern to the entire planet.
We all know that global warming contributes to many of the negative environmental affects, especially the melting of the ice caps. However, most people connect the melting ice caps with sea level rise when really there are many other problems that surface from it too. Discussed in the blog, many areas that are experiencing this rapid melting are also experiencing decreasing water supply. This is a major concern for our future because out of the 3% of freshwater on this planet, over 75% is stored in the ice caps. If all of that water is melting so incredibly fast, then what does that mean for our future? It probably means that water scarcity is a definite possibility and if all of that freshwater just melts into the ocean then our species could be faced with a problem that may be detrimental. It seems that no matter how many wake up calls we get, we will never really do anything about it and instead we just wait until something bad does happen and we just deal with it then. In my opinion, that method will not continue to work whatsoever.
I definitely believe that global warming and the melting of ice caps is a serious problem, but I am also conflicted with some of my own ideas that I must research. One of the biggest issues that we have always seen is that the world works in cycles. For example, the carbon cycle, water cycle, etc. The world was once totally covered in ice and then greenery started to grow. Who’s not to say that the melting of the ice caps is not just a natural cycle of the Earth’s atmosphere? I do not doubt that population growth has not sped up the cycle, but maybe it is something that is naturally supposed to occur. Although, I have worries about the outcome, one thing is certain we cannot continue to pollute and consume without consequence and this is something that the population needs to learn. Our water supple, among other things are not finite. We must look to protect it and educate the public on ways to help.
What bothers me most about people's denial of global warming is that not only do they hurt the planet by rejecting scientific explanations of glacial melting, but they hurt other people. Major Andean cities rely on water from a steady melting and freezing process of glaciers over the course of a year, and for temperatures to increase to the point where ice just melts rapidly all year round will leave countless people flooded and then left without sufficient supplies of water. There is only so much freshwater on this planet, and a good portion of it is trapped in glaciers. To get rid of this non-renewable resource (as it takes thousands of years to form new glaciers) will cause the surrounding ecosystems and communities devastation, and these changes in water use may not be able to support life as it can now. I feel like this more humanistic side of damaging greenhouses gases needs to be broadcasted globally, because most don't consider consequences like lack of freshwater to towns and cities a result of climate change. People tend to be selfish and deny information they don't agree with or are afraid of, so they don't accept that their actions are bad for environment, which they see as beneath them. However, by teaching the public that reducing their CO2 emissions by walking more or turning lights off will help keep water for others there might be more of a hope for a warming Earth.
Something that stuck with me about this topic was that the melting of glaciers is affecting the water supplies of the people in surrounding areas. "In the short run, the melting is producing an increase of water supplies and feeding population growth in major cities of the Andes, the experts said. But as the glaciers continue shrinking, trouble almost certainly looms". Although it seems to be beneficial now, what happens when the glaciers have melted completely? Water is not an unlimited resource, and less than one percent of the water on earth is available for drinking. I couldn't help but think of my topic for my paper, and the research I had done on the water bottle industry and the privatization of water. When we run out of natural resources of drinking water, such as these glaciers, we are going to be left with no choice but to purchase water from companies such as Pepsi, who have explicitly said that they mean to regulate the use of water.
Climate change is a huge issue that I believe needs to be taking more seriously. The melting of the ice caps cause huge environmental issues and affect nearby neighbors, cites and states. It's hard to believe that people don't find this issue to be more serious but i think it's because of the lack of education that we actually recieve. Climate change does a play role on our futures if we do not solve or reduce our input on climate change.
Global warming is definitely setting into our world. The weather patterns from just this past 2 years have changed so dramatically from 10 years ago. The biggest issue that our world is facing right now is the fact that it is actually happening, and how to remedy the problem of global warming. Much of society is still in denial of the fact that we are experiencing global warming. The melting of ice caps can just alone lead to severe problems. What this world needs to do is enforce global changes to offset our ozone pollution and encourage a paradigm shift. Our consumption of energy must be reduce, and we must shift to the simple way of doing things such as riding a bike or walking or storing our food in the basement like we use to do back in the day.
The carbon dating and chemical tracing done from these uncovered plants and melting glaciers is both remarkable and useful in the face of climate change. Even if we are naturally coming out of an ice age, it is clear that anthropogenic climate change is speeding this up at a rate with which natural processes and ecosystems cannot keep up. It is alarming to me because back in 2009, I traveled to Peru and was fortunate enough to see glaciers in the Peruvian Andes; possibly to even be hydrated by them, as the article states the glacial meltwater supplies these regions in the dry season. To think that overtime, and irreversibly, this ice will be completely lost due to the accelerating rate at which our species has altered the climate is terrifying. Both ecosystems and indigenous peoples ways of life are being destroyed, the scientific data is there to prove it. Things need to change and they need to change quickly if our species wants to find hope in any livable future.
Climate change and the melting ice caps are both huge issues and deserve more attention from the public. The rate at which the Qori Kalis glacier in Peru is melting is astounding. That's just one example in a pattern that is consistent throughout the planet. With these melting ice caps, our ocean levels are rising. With a rising sea levels, cities near sea level are at risk of flooding and other issues. The article also discusses the fact that areas experiencing this rapid melting are also experiencing a decrease in water supply. Because so much of the world's fresh water supply is stored in these ice caps, what will we do when they've all melted? Regardless whether or not people believe global warming is "real", the effects that our habits have on this planet is no secret. We need to change our lifestyle in order to sustain what little water supply we have left.
Glacial meltdown is a striking issue, and the alarming rate it is occurring could mean some serious problems particularly pertaining to freshwater access. As stated in the article, the people of the Andes rely on the consistent meltdown at its normal rate for drinking water. In other areas the rise in sea levels due to global warming and glacial meltdowns could cause salt water intrusion for many island nations, thus ruining vital water resources. We are about to enter an era where water will be valued above all, which could result in a dangerous future for us all.
Glacial meltdown is a striking issue, and the alarming rate it is occurring could mean some serious problems particularly pertaining to freshwater access. As stated in the article, the people of the Andes rely on the consistent meltdown at its normal rate for drinking water. In other areas the rise in sea levels due to global warming and glacial meltdowns could cause salt water intrusion for many island nations, thus ruining vital water resources. We are about to enter an era where water will be valued above all, which could result in a dangerous future for us all.
If this doesn't convince people of global warming then I don't know what will. I find Dr. Thompson's research incredibly interesting, and more people should know about it. Because our lives wont directly be effected as early as someone else's, in this case Andean communities, many people do not feel the need to act. If the United States was about to have their water source threatened we country would surely take action. The only way I can see a possible answer to this problem is if people start taking lobbying into their own hands. Our generation needs to worry about the well being of the global citizen, not just ourselves. If we don't take action soon, then we will feel the effects even more then we do now. Some scientists say that New Orleans wont be able to sustain human life by the year 2100 because of the rising sea level. Change will only happen when the mass public realizes how much danger we are really in.
The melting of the ice caps is yet another example of global warming, for years now the world have been talking about the gloomy future that global warming implies and its many current consequences on the planet, but just like a hot potato , our generation rather pass on this issue to the next one rather than tackle the problem while we can still prevent the worst from happening. As Dr. Thompson in the article said, ice that accumulated over approximately 1,600 years melted back in no more than 25 years.
This clearly shows how unsustainable our current system of using the planet's resources is,governments need to put more regulations on the most polluting industries and also incentives for them to exploit eco friendly alternatives, the future of the planet will depend on our current actions
For the people in the world that do not think that global warming is actually happening, how else would you explain a situation like this one? The melting of these ice caps in the Peruvian Andes, like many other drastic examples of weather change, exposes people to the fact that whether they want to call it global warming or not, weather patterns are changing drastically and it is leading to devastation of the planet. For these ice caps to have melted in such a short time suggests that we do not have much time left to help revive nature, if we keep postponing the implementation of practices to help give back to the planet, we will probably be too late to save it.
I think it's ridiculous that it took only 25 years for 1,600 years of ice to melt. Global warming has such a strong impact and we as people being supported by the planet need to take action in order to reduce the strength of global warming or even better, stop it.
It's amazing that scientist are able to carbon date organisms and this is how they were able to tell how old the ice was. It's really extraordinary that the ice caps have been around for 6,000 years and we are able to melt it in a matter of a quarter of a century. This should be a wake up call to people who may be skeptics about climate change and global warming. Melting ice may not seem like a big deal but if we look at what it causes-flooding and change in ecosystems then it becomes such a bigger problem that affects people on a global scale.
It is really unfortunate that emissions from another continent can affect the ice melting in another part of the world. Ice melting is not something that can easily be reversed. It is a natural process and it would be impossible in our lifetime for us to get back the ice that is melting and have melted. If we deplete the natural resources for our benefit then it is our next generation that will suffer for our greed and this needs to change. We keep the future generation in mind because after all, without them there will be no more human civilization.
It is shocking to know that in just 25 years, 1600 years of Ice in the Andes has melted. This proves how our society's greed has had a major impact on the earth. It is now our responsibility to make up for our actions in order to secure the next generations future. The discoveries of new plants due to melting of ice sheets allows scientists identify how old this ice caps really are. Dr Thomas states in the article, "The melting now under way appears to be at least as fast, if not faster, than anything in the geological record since the end of the last ice age" This is alerting, and tells us that we need to start making changes if we want to prevent serious environmental problems from occurring in the future.
I think even more pressing than the amount of time we have before these people lose a majority of their water resources is that we're arriving at that point without an 'opposing action'. People need to wake up and understand that the responsibility lies on them to live sustainably. Unfortunately, I am skeptical that any action will ever be taken. Must we wait until Poland Spring's last reserve has been over-pumped for those with the necessary influence (and financial means) to take action?
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