The previous post refers to an article from nine year ago that is not the least bit accurate in its assessments, nor was it meant to be. The IPCC concluded some 15 years ago that glaciers are one of the best barometers of climate change we have. Because of this the World Glacier Monitoring Service set up an annual reporting service of glacier changes. This network has demonstrated the recent rapid loss of glacier mass. On many of these glaciers we measure temperature and changes in the glacier, and it is easy to see that temperature is driving the rapid shrinkage. Most of the glaciers monitored are of the smaller variety that respond quickly to climate and are not much affected by the larger dynamic isssues that impact ice sheets and large outlet glaciers. The mass balance has been increasingly negative of late, as evident in the image attached. This has caused a visible change in the termini of the observed glaciers from the 1970's. It is not in doubt that for these glaciers, climate is driving them. As noted earlier in this post, that is not true for Columbia Glacier, where glacier dynamics are key in combination with warming climate. As the principal glaciologist reporting mass balance data from US glaciers to the World Glacier Monitoring Service. I can attest that this recent trend has been global, robust and disheartening.
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The mass balance has been increasingly negative of late, as evident in the image attached. This has caused a visible change in the termini of the observed glaciers from the 1970's. It is not in doubt that for these glaciers, climate is driving them. As noted earlier in this post, that is not true for Columbia Glacier, where glacier dynamics are key in combination with warming climate. As the principal glaciologist reporting mass balance data from US glaciers to the World Glacier Monitoring Service. I can attest that this recent trend has been global, robust and disheartening.
