The source of the Ganges...

My View

One line that really highlights the issue to me is when it is stated that the glacier has retreated 15 metres in the last 6 months. Unfortunately we don't know the context, if the glacier has retreated this amount in the time of year when the mass balance shifts more to ablation than accumulation then perhaps this is not so surprising. If it is in the time where the glacier should be accumulating mass then there is certainly a severe problem, unfortunately we are not told in which season.

The later part of the video also mentions the fact that no snow on the ground results in less sun being reflected (albedo) than if there were snow on the ground which only increases the glacial melt rate.

Glacier Retreat - A Real Problem

It is important to make sure that all readers are on the same page with regards to the simple question of whether or not glaciers around the world are melting or not. The extreme view might be that glaciers around the world are growing. More likely though, is that people don’t realize the extent of the problem. How wide spread it is and how big the impacts are going to be for the world. In order to show the problem we are facing I looked at some of the publications made by the World Glacial Monitoring Service (WGMS). The Graphs and tables ought to show how large the issue is.

The first set of graphs show the mass balance and what has happened to it over the years. The general trend seems to be a negative; meaning that there is more ablation than accumulation. The graphs below are taken from the 2009 report.

 I have selected glaciers from different parts of the world to illustrate the trends in different parts of the world. Clearly the glaciers all around the world are retreating and it is not just in one place. The Graph below shows the overall mass balance since 1947, the general decreasing trend is again worrying and again from the 2009 report.

Looking at the above graph shows the mass balance decrease well, but combined with the table below ought to prove the scale of the problem.

 My View

It is fairly obvious that the majority of the glaciers around the world are retreating and it is this retreat that will cause problems for humans around the world. There will be implications on local, national and regional scales. Being prepared for the effects will be something that humans will have to do in the future, how they do this will likely vary.

The Vast Scale of the Problem...

The greater Himalayan region in Asia covers approximately 7 million km². Any region as vast in size as this is bound to have a varied climate and the Himalayan region is no different (Xu et al. 2009). The diversity of the climate is clear when examining rates of precipitation. In the Takliman Desert there is under 50mm of precipitation per year; compared to the Charapunji region that receives 11,117mm a year in precipitation (Hofer and Messerli, 2006), both regions are located in the Himalayan region of Asia. Why does this matter? What relevance does this have to a changing climate and retreating environment? Such varied climate means that the region is home to a large number and diverse range of species that inhabit varied ecosystems. Whilst the ecosystems may differ from one another in all other aspects, one thing they do have in common is that they will be affected by a fluctuating climate. Many of these ecosystems will be directly impacted by changing glacial regimes and it is this aspect of climate change that this blog hopes to explore further (Parmesan, 2006).

Before the implications of climate change are touched upon, some of the facts about glaciers in the Himalayan region are required to provide a baseline. There is currently 116,180km² of glacial ice in the Himalayan and Inner Asian ranges, the largest amount outside of the Polar regions (Xu et al., 2009). Glacial melt makes a substantial contribution to total discharge of rivers, the exact amount ranges from 5% to over 45% for different rivers. Wilkes and Xu (2008) state that in Western China glacial meltwater accounts for the provision of 25% of water for the total Chinese population in the dry season. To take away a quarter of a country or areas water would have catastrophic impacts. Economies and individual livelihoods would both be impacted.

What will be the impact of climate change on river regimes in this region?

Quite an obvious question to answer, increased melting will cause increased discharge. The possibility of flooding will be elevated in the short term, which may appear to be a negative impact, however it is rare for a community to complain at receiving surplus levels of water at the opportunity cost of preparing for the excess. Unfortunately it is in the long term where the problem is likely to come to light. What happens when meltwater ceases to contribute to river discharge? The answer, on a simple level, the amount of water flowing in the rivers reduces significantly; over 45% in some rivers in the Himalayan region (Xu et al., 2009). This could induce panic; communities, families and individuals will have to change their lifestyles and adapt to new conditions. The reality of people not being prepared for the inevitable is a bit far fetched, people will have been warned of the future and are no doubt adapting their lifestyles even now to adjust. It is this adjustment that is what I want to explore in the blog, throw in some science and climate change along the way and hopefully your understanding of the subject will improve 10 fold.

My View


It is true that the sheer size of the Himalayan Region means that in the future people will have to change the way they live their lives. This post represents a more significant introduction and you should now realise why the changing climate and in particular glacial retreat is going to have such a strong bearing on the natural world.

A Clear Retreat

My View


The picture is a simple one and should clearly illustrate to the viewer the nature of the problem. Unfortunately we are left to presume that the picture is taken at the same time of year in each year...

A short introduction

This blog will explore the consequences glacial retreat is having and will have on humans in the future. Will cultures suffer because of a changing melt water regime? Perhaps the most important question to answer is; are glaciers actually retreating? If so, what is the cause behind the retreat? All of these questions will be explored in the upcoming posts.

Below is a short video comparing images of past glaciers with the glaciers that are present today. The Glaciers in the video are based in the Himalayas, but the blog wont focus solely on the Himalayas but instead on the general worldwide trends. These images provoked some strong emotions within me and it is this video that gave me the desire to find out why this process is taking place and what it means for the future.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-15216875

Please feel free to give your thoughts…..