User:Sirleroy91/sandbox

I will be co-writing an article with Chersti on the topic of glacial melting and the impacts it does, may, or will have on population health.

Sirleroy91 I am a 3rd year nursing student attending Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops BC, Canada.

User:Sirleroy91/Sandbox

Preliminary post:

                                         Climate Change and Glacial Melt

Climate Change and Glacial Melt

A glacier is a mass of ice with definite lateral limits, with movements in definite direction, and originating from compacting snow via pressure . Climate change is causing an increasingly exponential melting of our glaciers. Melting glaciers cause social and ecological consequences (such as...).

“Glacier mass-balances show consistent decreases over the last century in most regions of the world and retreat may be accelerating in many locations (Durgerov & Meier, 2000). Glaciers currently cover ~10% of the Earth’s surface, or ~15 million km². This resource holds ~75% of our world’s fresh water supply . Glacial retreat first gained the attention of alpinists and the tourist industry after 1940 – when the globe warmed ~0.5ºC. Even with 62 years of awareness, climate change is just becoming an issue for some parts of society. Over this time period the cirque and steep alpine glaciers were able to acclimatize to the new temperatures. While large valley glaciers have not yet made this adjustment. This means that the large valley glaciers are rapidly retreating, as their mass is attempting to achieve equilibrium with the current climate. Global warming causes the snow lines to retreat up the mountains. If the snow line stays constant, then the glaciers remain constant, but this is not the case.

Glacial melt will affect low lying coastal wetlands via sea level rise, will change the key drivers of fresh water ecosystems, shift timing of snowpack, and alter the unique character of associated streams off of snowpack (Jenkins, Kingsford, Closs, Wolfenden, Matthaei and Hay, 2011). Jenkins, et al. (2011) state that the sea level will rise 28-43 cm by 2100; in addition, the freshwater swaps in the Northern Territory are already affected by the intrusion of salt water. “Sea level rise will cause a change of state from freshwater to marine or estuarine ecosystems, radically altering the composition of biotic communities” (Jenkins, et al. 2011). The Arctic ice-shelf contributes, theatrically, to rising global sea-levels: hundreds of died in flooding in Pakistan, and over five million have been affected (Penny, L. 2011). Not only are glaciers causing a rise in sea level, they are also causing an increase in El Niño Southern Oscillation (ESNO) events. In addition to the El Niño events, glacial melt is contributing to the rapid turnover of sea surface temperatures .

In the Southern Alps, there are four species of the mayfly genus, Deleatidium. These species are adapted to cold, fast-flowing streams and rivers and the frequently sever conditions imposed by an unstable terrain and high winds (Jenkins, et al. 2011). The rise in the snow line and the warming temperatures causing the glacial melt to alter the run off streams are contributing to the extinction of said four mayfly genus species.

Other species and ecosystems are not the only ones effected by these changes in glacial melting. Humans have been feeling the negative impacts of these glacial retreats and will continue to, both directly and indirectly...

Decreased albedo: increasing glacial melt and decreasing solar reflectivity...

Notes

Brown, L. E., Hannah, D. M., and Milner, A. M. (2007). Vulnerability of alpine stream biodiversity to shrinking glaciers and snowpacks. Global Change Biology.13, 958-966.

Chinn, T. J. (2001). Distribution of the glacial water resources of New Zealand. Journal of Hydrology. 40(2): 139-187.

Jenkins, K. M., Kingsford, R. T., Closs, G. P., Wolfenden, B. J., Matthaei, C.D., and Hay, S. E. (2011). Climate change and freshwater ecosystems in Oceania: an assessment of vulnerability and adaption opportunities. Pacific Conservation Biology. 17, 201-219.

Penny, L. 2011. Watching the arctic melt, I realise apathy must be frozen out. New Statesman.