According to a study published in the Journal of Science on Thursday, 80 percent, or 4 out of every 5 glaciers, will likely disappear by the end of the century if present climate change patterns continue. The findings revealed that the world’s glaciers are decreasing and disappearing quicker than scientists previously anticipated, and this might be a major contributor to sea level rise in the coming years, posing a hazard to millions of people who live near coastlines.
However, if the world meets international targets and meets the best-case climatic scenario, which is technically possible but implausible according to some scientists, less than half of the world’s glaciers will be lost, according to the report. According to the study’s authors, well-known and minor glaciers would be the first to go extinct.
The study evaluated all of the world’s 215,000 land-based glaciers except Greenland and Antarctica
The study evaluated all of the world’s 215,000 land-based glaciers, except those on ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica, using computer simulations that calculate how many glaciers could melt and how much it would contribute to sea level rise under various levels of warming.
The projected glacial mass loss by 2100 ranges from 38.7 trillion metric tonnes to 64.4 trillion tonnes, depending on a variety of factors such as global warming and the amount of coal, oil, and gas burned.
Given that the globe is now on track for a 2.7-degree Celsius (4.9-degree Fahrenheit) temperature rise since pre-industrial times, we may lose 32% of the world’s glacier mass, or 48.5 trillion metric tonnes, by 2100. This means that approximately 68 percent of the glaciers may vanish by the end of the century.
Melting can boost the world’s sea level anywhere from 90mm (3.5 inches) in the best-case scenario to 166mm
According to the report, melting glaciers can boost the world’s sea level anywhere from 90mm (3.5 inches) in the best-case scenario to 166mm in the worst-case scenario, representing a 4% to 14% rise over prior forecasts. The study’s lead author, David Rounce, confirmed that in current scenarios, the sea level might increase by 115 millimeters (4.5 inches).
Researchers also indicated that melting ice sheets, rather than glaciers, will drive future sea level rise. Furthermore, the loss of glaciers is caused by factors other than rising sea levels. It entails greater flood risk, dwindling water resources, and the loss of historic ice-covered areas ranging from Alaska to the Alps to the area around Mount Everest’s base camp.
