The process of anthropogenic (human-caused) global warming rapidly increases the melting of glaciers worldwide. On continental ice sheets, this can be caused by calving - a form of ablation where large chunks of ice are lost at once, which can produce ice bergs.
The image displayed shows the retreat of a large glacier, known as Larsden B, in Antarctica. In 2002 the loss of approximately 1,255 square miles at a large glacier in Antarctica, over a 35 day period,. qualified the event as one of the greatest losses of ice mass ever recorded.
Such losses of ice will under changing climates could lead to:
The image displayed shows the retreat of a large glacier, known as Larsden B, in Antarctica. In 2002 the loss of approximately 1,255 square miles at a large glacier in Antarctica, over a 35 day period,. qualified the event as one of the greatest losses of ice mass ever recorded.
Such losses of ice will under changing climates could lead to:
- increased sea level rise and risk of flooding
- displacement of people due to the losses of land under higher sea levels
- reduction in glacial habitats and populations of some species eg. penguin, polar bear