Glacier shrinkage

by Arnie
(Arcadia, CA, USA)

Not much left.

Mountain glaciers are melting fast. This is not overblown political puffery; this is a measurable fact that can be backed up by observed, empirical, unemotional data and measurements. The melting of glaciers may not seem that distressing in and of itself; after all, what’s the big deal about melting snow? When you consider the ramifications, shrinking glaciers is nothing short of a disaster.

Take Africa for instance. The glaciers of Mt. Kilimanjaro are shrinking. The people and animals that live below the summit are dependent on the rivers to supply them water. During the rainy seasons, that is not a problem…it rains…a lot. On the mountain it is high enough to snow. In years past that snow has become part of the healthy glacier. In the dry summer months, the glacier slowly melts and thus supplies lower elevations with a constant supply of water. When the glaciers are gone, the only source of water for the lush valleys will be from rain. That means when it is not raining, it is dry. The rivers will dry up, the trees will die, people will starve, the mountain and lowland gorillas will disappear. No more gorillas in the mist.

Right now, there is nothing that can be done to stop the melting of the glaciers.

Serious enough for ya?

Barry's Response - This should be serious enough for anybody. Most predictions have it completely gone in about 10 to 20 years from now (2009). Thanks for the update, Arnie.



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