Melting of Greenland’s ‘fringe’ glaciers adds to sea level rise

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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The Greenland Today website tracks ice cap changes on a real-time basis. Click on the image for more information.

‘Local’ glaciers reacting faster to global warming than the main ice cap

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Glaciers on the edge of Greenland are pouring at about 50 gigatons of water into the Atlantic every year. That’s about half the volume of Lake Geneva, one of Europe’s largest lake, and enough to account for about 10 percent of annual global sea level rise, according to a new study by Swiss and Danish scientists.

The research, published in Geophysical Research Letters, will help scientists improve the predictions of the future contribution of Greenland’s ice to sea-level rise.

The data could also be used by researchers maintaining the new Greenland Today website, which tracks the state of the ice cap on a real-time basis.

“The melting of ice on Greenland is known to be one of the major sources for global sea-level rise. Beside the large ice sheet, there are thousands of peripheral glaciers which are not connected to the ice sheet or can be separated from it due to the existence of ice divides,” said lead author Dr. Tobias Bolch, of the University of Zurich. “The area of those glaciers is about 50 times higher than the ice cover of the European Alps. Consequently, it is important to investigate not only the ice sheet but also these local glaciers,” he said. (more…)

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Global warming: Lake ecosystems feeling the heat

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Increasing bacteria growth adds to treatment challenges

Switerland’s Lake Zurich is seeing increased levels of cyanobacteria, in part because of global warming. Photo via Wikipedia and the Creative Commons.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Steadily climbing temperatures pose a significant threat to lake ecosystems, according to researchers with the University of Zurich.

Warming has led to increased stratification and inadequate turnover in Lake Zurich during the winter, causing persistent blooms of harmful cyanobacteria. In the case of Lake Zurich, the changes are threatening to undo recent of lake cleanup efforts, the scientists said.

Like many other large lakes in Europe, Lake Zurich was polluted by sewage during the 20th century. The nitrogen-rich waste resulted in massive algal blooms that started to kill the lake ecosystem by eutrophication. (more…)

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Global warming: Permafrost meltdown causing problems

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

A major rock avalanche in the Bregaglia after Christmas 2011 could be a result of temperature rise in permafrost areas. PHOTO COURTESY HELI BERNINA.

New mapping tool to help land-use planners and public safety officials locate potential trouble spots

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — While permafrost is most often associated with the Arctic north, it’s also an important component of alpine ecosystems, serving as a sort of glue that holds otherwise crumbly mountains together.

As the Earth warms rapidly due to the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, some alpine countries have already had first-hand experience with thawing permafrost as a result of climate change. In some mountain locations, cable-car and powerline pylons have become unstable, and f temperatures continue to rise, the problem will intensify in many places. (more…)

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