Conclusion and My Learnings

Over the last four weeks, researching about glacial calving and the surrounding environmental issues has really broadened my perspective on how great of an impact, something many people see as so minor, human beings can have on remote and wild areas (or so we thought?). With the rapid decay of many glaciers world wide, tourism operators have taken initiative and harnessed what they could out of what they had - selling glacier tours. This tourism industry is quite large on the "soft adventure" scale of things as it is a limited to no risk activity.

I have been on many glaciers my self and one that really sticks out as a tourism venue is the Athabasca Glacier, located in the Canadian Rockies. (Icefields Parkway). This tour company operates massive Brewster Ice Explorers, specifically designed for glacial travel.




This short video gives you a better understanding on what a trip here would be like.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNp0ywYRcNk





With the increased level of GHGs and other pollutants in the air, and the increased rate of glacial melt, how much longer will these glaciers be around? A few hundred years... if that?? I believe these tour companies can teach a better understanding to the general public of the effects our everyday lives may have even on glaciers and the issues surrounding them. With a greater understanding on how our lives effect different aspects of the planet some may not think about then perhaps there could be greater control and regulations on how pollutants are handled and what can be done about controlling floods.

This blog assignment, through my research, has really shown me that there is not much awareness of glacial calving and glacial melt world wide. (which would make sense as many people live in warm climates). We can only hope that pollutant emission levels decrease or we find new means of dealing with them or else, one day, the glaciers may be gone for good.



References:

• http://www.explorerockies.com/columbia-icefield/

Photos:

• http://www.explorerockies.com/uploadedImages/Explore_Rockies/_graphics/columbia-icefield-glacier-tours.jpg
• http://banff.mobi/pc/images/columbia-icefield.jpg

Receding Glaciers and Sea Level Rise

Glaciers have been receding for thousands of years as a natural process in which they go through due to temperature change. As the world industrialized since the industrial revolution (1830) the increase of global pollution (GHGs) has had a drastic effect on the rate at which these glaciers recede. Even more crazy is that since just 1980, global warming has led to glacier retreat becoming more frequent to to extent that some glaciers have completely disappeared. 

The Jakobshavn Glacier in Greenland retreated ~ one meter per day from 1850 to 1880

This just shows me that in the time frame from 1850 to 1880, only 30 years, approximately 8 km of ice melted while from 1985 to 2010 almost 20 km of ice melted. What is going to happen in the next 30 years from now? 60 years from now? 100 years? Crazy.

This really cool 15 second video captures a series of massive calving events at Columbia Glacier near Valdez, Alaska. Taken between May and September of 2007. The video shows the glacier retreating by about 1.6 km, a volume loss of 1.67 cubic km of ice or 1.5 trillion liters of water!

Video: http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/extreme-ice-survey-article.html

Sea level rise is another factor at play with glacial receding. Scientific research indicates sea levels globally have been increasing at a rate of 3.5 millimeters per year since the early 1990s.

According to National Geographic, over the past century, the Global Mean Sea Level (GMSL) has risen by 10 to 20 centimeters. However, the annual rate of rise over the past 20 years has been 3.2 millimeters a year, roughly twice the average speed of the preceding 80 years. A possible link to many of the recent disastrous storms? I think so.

With sea levels rising there are greater effects on coastal habitats such as: erosion, flooding, contamination of aquifers and soil, and loss of habitat for many animals.

[Aquifer - an underground layer of water bearing permeable rock from which groundwater can be extracted]

I believe there needs to be a greater awareness of where these environmental problems come from. One environmental disaster in one are may effect a completely different area across the world with negative impact.

References:

• https://stevengoddard.wordpress.com/2011/07/17/jakobshavn-glacier-retreated-one-metre-per-day-from-1850-to-1880/
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jakobshavn_Glacier#Acceleration_and_retreat
• http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/extreme-ice-survey-article.html
• http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/critical-issues-sea-level-rise/
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquifer
• http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn23254-the-melting-of-canadas-glaciers-is-irreversible.html#.UwkVOfldW28

Photos:

• https://stevengoddard.wordpress.com/2011/07/17/jakobshavn-glacier-retreated-one-metre-per-day-from-1850-to-1880/
• https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqL3hGuXLwNJfEgWLu5GCVGAUNWu5wx8io1Osp706xawWmd4OcBw
• http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/Navy_flooded_New_Orleans_20050901_trim.jpg

Environmental Issues and The Polar Bear

There are several environmental issues surrounding glacial calving.
Including: (to mention a few)

• Increased global water levels
• Flooding
• Habitats destroyed (polar bears)
• Global warming (GHGs)

As many glaciers over the world have been melting (increasing water level globally) over the past 100 years or so, the habitats for many animals such as the polar bear have been shrinking. With the shrinkage of these habitats, the polar bears must travel/swim farther distances to find food and shelter for their selves as well as their cubs. This short 5 minute You Tube video shows and explains the effect global warming has on polar bears and puts it into perspective.

Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzD7zzsRw_k#t=67

The causes of global warming are due to greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere which coat the Earth and cause the planet's temperature to rise. Normally, GHGs on a small scale are of not much harm but due to the increase burning of fossil fuels, like oil and coal, over the past 200 years has caused some serious damage. Another factor causing global warming is deforestation. The trees on the planet take in carbon dioxide, one of the GHGs, from the air. With fewer trees less CO2 is filtered, thus the increased build up of excess GHGs in the atmosphere.

If the temperature on the planet continues to rise as it is, glaciers will continue to melt, some could disappear completely. 

Below is a picture in 1941 and 2004 in Alaska of the same area effected by glacial melt and calving. Crazy!!

References:

• http://www.epa.gov/climatestudents/impacts/signs/glaciers.html
• http://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Threats-to-Wildlife/Global-Warming/Effects-on-Wildlife-and-Habitat/Polar-Bears.aspx
• http://www.polarbearsinternational.org/about-polar-bears/global-warming

Photos:

• wordpress.vermontlaw.edu 
• http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01786/waters-edge_1786282i.jpg
• http://www.epa.gov/climatestudents/impacts/signs/glaciers.html

Introduction and Calving

For my blog assignment I decided to take a closer look at the effects glacier calving has on the environment in various places in the world. My name is Thomas Jock Callander, a 3rd year Thompson Rivers University student studying environmental issues in tourism.

Glacial calving is still somewhat of an unknown issue to many people. As glaciers do calve naturally and have been for thousands of years, their rate of calving has increased drastically in just the past 100 years. For those of you who are still unaware of what glacier calving is:

Glacier calving is the breaking off of massive size ice chunks on the edge of a glacier. This broken off piece then becomes an iceberg. The calving of the glacier is caused due to the crevasse completely cracking through the glacier until it bends and twists and breaks off.
 

This documentary Chasing Ice really puts into perspective exactly what glacial calving is: Trailer- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIZTMVNBjc4

One of main causes of the rapid increase of glacial calving is global warming. With this increased warmth, over the past 100 years, there has been an average rate of 1 to 2 millimeters of sea level rise per year. This increased water level will result in flooding in many parts of the world.

A recent story covers a glaciers retreat in the Antarctic.
Date- 16.01.2014
Article- Antarctic glacier's retreat unstoppable
Link- http://www.dw.de/antarctic-glaciers-retreat-unstoppable/a-17363380

A significant size of ice broke off recently pushing the glacier over the "tipping point" thus leaving it in an irreversible state of slow decay. Gael Durand of the French University of Grenoble stated this, "These glaciers have already passed the tipping point, and this is irreversible. That means because of our behavior, our climate is changing and will continue to change a lot. I think it is one of the first times we are passing these tipping points."


References:

• http://www.waterencyclopedia.com/Ge-Hy/Global-Warming-and-Glaciers.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_calving
• http://www.skepticalscience.com/himalayan-glaciers-growing.htm
• http://www.chasingice.com/
• http://www.dw.de/antarctic-glaciers-retreat-unstoppable/a-17363380

Photos:

• http://www.filmapia.com/sites/default/files/filmapia/pub/place/alaska-glacier-usa.jpg
• http://media.lonelyplanet.com/lpi/26367/26367-12/681x454.jpg