Glaciers around the world are melting due to global warming. At present, the glacier cover of Ecuador has been reduced by 54% since 1980, increasing 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 when we see that this area in the 80s had 92 square kilometers of glacier, while today it only covers 43 square kilometers. loss of glaciers in Ecuador It is a clear indicator of the impact of climate change.
"We had a loss of approximately 54 percent of glacier cover in a 60-year period. It is a clear and concise indicator of how glaciers respond to climate change ”, he stated, although he gives a margin for its reduction to the natural geological process experienced by mountain glaciers, which“ human activity has accelerated ”.
IPCC meeting
Given the situation of the imminent melting of the glaciers and its consequence on the rise in sea level on a global scale, IPCC experts from more than 30 countries around the world They have met in the Ecuadorian capital to share the 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 found in a solid state, such as sea ice or glaciers. These ecosystems are essential for climate analysis and on which humanity depends. Since the study of the cryosphere, the changes in Ecuador's glaciers can be better understood.
The ocean and cryosphere issue It has become fundamental to numerous investigations around the world, thanks to the fact that they clearly reflect how climate change is negatively affecting us. global glacier loss It is a common phenomenon that highlights 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 for the last thirty years reflect a gradual warming progression of the entire Earth”, He maintains before some scientists who speak that there are areas where the opposite phenomenon occurs.
The issues addressed by scientists regarding global warming attempt to cover as much as possible, from the highest glacial mountains to the depths of the ocean. An analysis of the Andes mountains 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.
