Study: 80% of the planet's glaciers could disappear by 2100

Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images

For years we have heard that the planet’s glaciers are meltingbut new research reveals that they are disappearing faster than expected and that by the beginning of the next century up to 80% could be lost of those icy structures.

The research, published Thursday in the journal Science, is the result of a international initiative to develop new projections of glacial mass lossthroughout the century under different emission scenarios.

The scientists found that, in a future scenario of continued investment in fossil fuels, more than 40% of the glacier mass will have disappeared in a century, and more than 80% of the glaciers in number could eventually disappear.

But even in the best low-emissions scenario, where global mean temperature rise is limited to +1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, more than 25% of the glacier mass will have disappeared and the disappearance of almost 50% of the glaciers is expected.

Although, according to the study, most of these lost glaciers are smalls (less than one km2) by glacial standards, their loss may negatively impact local hydrology, tourism, glacier hazards, and cultural values.

Glaciers respond slowly to climate changes

David Rounce, a glaciologist at Carnegie Mellon University and lead author of the report, explains that how glaciers respond to climate changes takes a long time. He describes glaciers as extremely slow moving rivers.

Therefore, he points out reducing emissions today will not eliminate greenhouse gases emitted previouslynor can it instantly stop the inertia that contribute to climate change, meaning that even a complete cessation of emissions would still take 30 to 100 years to be reflected in rates of glacier mass loss.

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