PLOS Water is pleased to announce a special collection of research papers on Integrative Approaches to Urban Flooding: Modeling, Monitoring, and Mitigation…
Save glaciers, secure water: a global imperative
Rikha Samba Glacier in Hidden Valley, Upper Mustang, Nepal taken on 1st October 2023 during a field expedition by Sher Muhammad.For World Water Day, Sher Muhammad reflects on glacier preservation, water resources and recommendations for future action. Dr Muhammad is a remote sensing specialist at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Kathmandu, Nepal, and an Academic Editor for the journals PLOS Climate and PLOS Water.
The World Day for Glaciers (March 21) and World Water Day (March 22) serve as powerful reminders of the reality of accelerated glaciers melting and their impact on global freshwater security. Around two billion people rely on water supplies by these natural reservoirs. With rising temperatures worldwide, glaciers are melting at an alarming rate, posing an unprecedented threat to freshwater availability, ecosystems, livelihoods of millions of people. The joint celebrations of glacier and water days makes an undeniable fact: the preservation of glaciers on earth is a matter of survival to billions of populations.
Glaciers are receding at alarming rates, and the impacts of this retreat stretch from high mountain ranges to polar ice sheets. Ice sheets are melting so quickly that their contribution to global sea-level rise is alarming; these are found mostly in Greenland and Antarctica. Current policies seem to initiate irreversible ice loss, which is projected to increase sea level by up to 10 meters in the coming centuries, threatening coastal cities and low-lying nations. The Greenland Ice Sheet alone is losing 30 million tons of ice per hour, making it the largest single contributor to sea-level rise.
It is estimated that over 5,500 glaciers in the Andes lost 25% of their ice cover post little ice age. Current high-emission scenarios make it possible for the European Alps to lose up to two-thirds of their glaciers by fifty years from now; such changes will affect regional water systems and the economies of tourism. Projections indicate that tropical glaciers are likely to lose between 70-100% of their ice by 2100. For example, in tropical regions, the frost that once covered Indonesia’s Puncak Jaya is expected to completely disappear within the next few years. The melting of these glaciers threatens to deprive millions of people of water because they rely on glacial meltwater for drinking, agriculture, and hydropower.
The Third Pole of the Earth is the Hindu Kush Himalaya, which hosts over 50,000 glaciers. Noticing an increase in glacier melting by 65% from 2010 to 2019, relative to the previous decade. Projections indicate that up to 80% of the glacier volume might be lost under high-emission scenarios by 2100. In addition, seasonal snow in this area has reduced in normalcy below normal 60% of the time with an overall long-term declining trend, except a few regions including Karakoram.
On the other hand, permafrost in the Arctic is thawing, and releasing significant amounts of carbon dioxide and methane which enhance climate change. If the trend of global warming continues, the entire annual emissions from permafrost could equal those of the present European Union by 2100.
Recognizing the urgency about glacier and other components of the cryosphere loss, the United Nations have declared the year 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers Preservation, thus creating awareness for action globally. This complements the Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences (2025-2034), which aims at improving cryosphere monitoring and building scientific capacity and promotes knowledge sharing internationally. Such global initiatives include international conferences and numerous awareness initiatives, to connect researchers from the Arctic and Antarctic with glacier experts in mountain regions to address common problems.
The fast recession of glaciers demands urgent global action. Glacier loss needs to have bold policy reforms in place, ranging from carbon emission control and technological innovations to community-based adaptation. The world now observes milestone dates on the preservation of water and glaciers; therefore, immediate actions should be taken to safeguard water resources, protect ecosystems, and support the vulnerable communities during this time of ever-increasing climate change.
Recommendations for Action
- Expanding satellite observations and ground-based measurements complemented by AI-based predictive techniques to enhance global glacier-tracking efforts.
- Improve capacity building of vulnerable groups to equip them with knowledge and instruments for adaptation and sustainability.
- Transition to low-carbon energy to slow the rate of glacial melt and limit risks associated with water scarcity in the long haul.
- Wetland restoration, artificial ice reservoirs, and sustainable land-use practices would reduce the impact of water shortages.
- Raise sources from funds for adaptation initiatives in glacier-dependent areas.
Recommended reading from PLOS journals
PLOS Climate articles
Advances in monitoring glaciological processes in Kalallit Nunaat (Greenland) over the past decades
Microbial dynamics in rapidly transforming Arctic proglacial landscapes
PLOS Water articles
Large scale water yield assessment for sparsely monitored river basins: A case study for Afghanistan