Due to global warming, glaciers around the world are melting. Currently, Ecuador's glacial cover has shrunk by 54% since 1980 , from 92 square kilometers to the current 43 square kilometers. This phenomenon is similar to that observed in other nations, such as Venezuela , where glacial mass is also being lost.
An investigation carried out by the Ecuadorian Bolívar Cáceres in Quito within the framework of the meeting of experts of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reveals impressive data on the melting of glaciers. Do you want to know more about it?
Glacier cover reduction
The glacial balance in Ecuador is measured in the following way. There are 7 glacial covers placed on volcanoes. This implies that there are 110 glacial languages. Climate change has more negative effects in different places on Earth, that is, it does not affect all places equally.
In Ecuador, the signs of climate change are more than evident. This area, which had 92 square kilometers of glaciers in the 80s, has now shrunk to only 43 square kilometers. The loss of glaciers in Ecuador is a clear indicator of the impact of climate change.
“We have experienced a loss of approximately 54 percent of glacial cover over a period of 60 years. This is a clear and concise indicator of how glaciers respond to climate change,” he stated, although he acknowledges that the reduction is due to the natural geological processes experienced by mountain glaciers, which “human activity has accelerated.”
IPCC meeting
Given the imminent melting of glaciers and its consequence on the rise in sea level on a global scale, IPCC experts from more than 30 countries around the world have met in the Ecuadorian capital to share studies and research that have been carried out on oceans and the cryosphere, as indicators of climate change.
The meeting hosted 125 IPCC scientists, and participants have been presenting their research throughout the week on oceans and the cryosphere. The cryosphere is the part of the Earth's surface where water is in a solid state, such as sea ice or glaciers, and these are essential ecosystems for climate analysis upon which humanity depends. Studying the cryosphere can provide a better understanding of changes in Ecuador's glaciers.
The topic of oceans and the cryosphere has become fundamental to numerous research projects worldwide, as it clearly reflects the negative impacts of climate change. The global loss of glaciers is a common phenomenon that underscores the need to study these dynamics.
The report is expected to be published in April this year and will help governments make decisions when creating science-based policies that help optimize resources in dealing with the situations posed by climate change.
Accelerating progress of global warming
The American Ko Barret, deputy administrator for Research of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and for fifteen years an active member of the IPCC of which she was vice president, has affirmed that global warming is something evident and that at this point it is useless to deny it .
“Of course there is warming, all the studies in the series of the last thirty years reflect a progression of gradual warming of the entire Earth ,” he argues in front of some scientists who say that there are areas where the opposite phenomenon occurs.
The issues addressed by scientists regarding global warming attempt to cover as much ground as possible, from the highest glacial mountains to the depths of the ocean. An analysis of the Andes mountain range shows how this phenomenon impacts specific regions.
Some of the regions most vulnerable to climate change, such as parts of the Arctic and high mountain ranges, require more in-depth study, since glacier retreat could become a significant problem in the face of global sea level rise. These are the regions around the world that are truly experiencing a clear change that alters all scenarios seen just 50 years ago.
As you can see, the glaciers of Ecuador are melting at an accelerated rate and this will have serious consequences in the near future.
