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Nearly two billion people rely on water from Himalayan glaciers that scientists say are melting at a worrying speed \u2013 Copyright AFP\/File Abdul MAJEED<\/p>\nFive of the last six years have seen the most rapid glacier retreat on record, the UN’s World Meteorological Organization weather, climate and water agency said – Copyright AFP FAYEZ NURELDINE<\/p>\n
A new study documents how Greenland\u2019s peripheral glaciers have changed from 1890 to 2022. By using satellite images and a unique archive of historical aerial photos, researchers have compiled the most complete picture of Greenland\u2019s outlying glaciers to date. This shows how glacier retreat has accelerated dramatically in the 21st century.<\/p>\n
Greenland\u2019s thousands of peripheral glaciers have entered a new and widespread state of rapid retreat. This is according to a Northwestern University and University of Copenhagen study.<\/p>\n
To assess the impact, scientists combined satellite images with historical aerial photographs of Greenland\u2019s coastline, which is dotted with thousands of glaciers that are separate from the island\u2019s massive central ice sheet. With these one-of-a-kind data, the researchers documented changes in the lengths of more than 1,000 of the country\u2019s glaciers over the past 130 years.<\/p>\n
Although glaciers in Greenland have experienced retreat throughout the last century, the rate of their retreat has rapidly accelerated over the last two decades. According to the multiyear collaborative effort between the United States and Denmark, the rate of glacial retreat during the 21st century is twice as fast as retreat during the 20th century. <\/p>\n
Despite the range of climates and topographical characteristics across Greenland, the findings are ubiquitous, even among Earth\u2019s northernmost glaciers.<\/p>\n
Nearly two billion people rely on water from Himalayan glaciers that scientists say are melting at a worrying speed \u2013 Copyright AFP\/File Abdul MAJEED<\/p>\n
Accelerating glacier retreat<\/p>\n
The study finds that climate change explains<\/a> the accelerated glacier retreat and that glaciers across Greenland respond quickly to changing temperatures. This highlights the importance of slowing global warming.<\/p>\n While climate change\u2019s effects on Greenland are well studied, most researchers focus on the Greenland Ice Sheet, which covers roughly 80% of the country. Yet fluctuations in Greenland\u2019s peripheral glaciers \u2014 the smaller ice masses distinct from the ice sheet that dot the country\u2019s coastline \u2014 are widely undocumented, in part due to a lack of observational data.<\/p>\n