Earth’s Melting Glaciers Contain Less Ice Than Scientists Thought
Researchers used satellite data to more accurately measure the thickness of glaciers, shedding new light on how global water supplies are changing as the planet warms.
Southeast Alaska’s Klutlan Glacier, Barnard Glacier and Chitina Glacier. Deep red and violet colors indicating faster moving ice.
Source: IGE-CNRS/Mapbox/OpenStreetMap/MaxarThe world’s shrinking glaciers contain less ice than previously estimated, according to a ground-breaking study that highlights a future of tight water supplies as climate change accelerates.
Scientists for the first time measured the thickness and movement of more than 250,000 mountain glaciers using new satellite imaging techniques. More than 1 million hours of computing time was used to analyze nearly 812,000 pairs of high-resolution photos. By estimating the thickness of a glacier, the scientists were able to more accurately pinpoint the volume of ice it contains.