ArabiaWeather - A recent study conducted by UNESCO on protected glaciers around the world highlights the particularly serious impact of climate change on the Arctic region. Research shows that the melting of glaciers and ice sheets is generally occurring more rapidly in the Arctic than in the Antarctic (Southern Hemisphere).
Since 2000, the areas most affected by the melt have seen net losses of several hundred billion tons of ice. Among the worst affected areas were Kluane, Wrangell-St. Elias, Glacier Bay, and the Taschenshini-Alsik Parks in Alaska (US and Canada), the Ilulissat Ice Fjord in Greenland, and the Vatnajökull Ice Sheet in Iceland.
The largest glacier in the Alps, located in the Jungfrau-Aletsch region in Switzerland, is the ninth most influential site in the study, having seen a net loss of 7 billion tons of ice over twenty years.
Glaciers are one of the Earth's major vital resources, meeting the vital water needs of half of humanity for domestic use, agriculture and hydroelectric power. In addition, they often hold cultural and tourism significance for local communities.
More than 18,000 glaciers at 50 UNESCO World Heritage sites were identified in the study, and these glaciers cover an area of about 66,000 square kilometers, roughly 10% of the Earth's ice surface.
Satellite analyzes indicate that these glaciers have been retreating at an accelerating pace since 2000, and this global retreat is one of the most tangible evidence of climate change.
UNESCO World Heritage Site glaciers currently lose an average of about 58 billion tons of ice annually, contributing an estimated 5% to rising sea levels.
According to UNESCO estimates, glaciers are expected to disappear in a third of the identified glacier sites by 2050, regardless of the expected climate scenario.
Source: Green Future
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