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Tag: glaciers

  • Marvel At The Tranquil: Admire the Calm Magnificence of the 13 Glaciers | world news

    The majestic giants of nature, and glaciers subtly sculpt the ecosystems and landscapes they inhabit. Not only are these icy marvels incredibly stunning, but they also act as important markers of climate change. Here, we look at 13 of the most beautiful glaciers on Earth, each of which provides a different perspective on the calming impact of ice.

    Argentina’s Perito Moreno Glacier

    One of the few glaciers in the world that is advancing is Perito Moreno, which is situated in the Los Glaciares National Park. It is a well-liked tourist and adventure attraction because of its stunning blue ice and commanding presence.

    Iceland’s Vatnajökull Glacier

    Vatnajökull, the largest glacier in Europe, occupies about 8% of Iceland. The glacier is home to breathtaking glacial lagoons, ice caves, and volcanoes that combine to create a bizarre scene that mesmerizes tourists.

    Switzerland’s Jungfrau-Aletsch Glacier

    The greatest glacier in the Alps is the Jungfrau-Aletsch Glacier, which is a part of the UNESCO World Heritage site. It offers serene surroundings and amazing views of the neighboring peaks and vast ice fields.

    New Zealand’s Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers

    Because of their closeness to the coast, these South Island twin glaciers are unlike any other. The neighboring rainforests and their splendor can be experienced by hikers or by helicopter tours.

    Canada’s Athabasca Glacier

    Athabasca Glacier is conveniently reachable from the Icefields Parkway and is situated in the Canadian Rockies. To understand more about the glacier’s significance and history, visitors can either walk on it or go on a guided tour.

    Alaska’s Hubbard Glacier

    Hubbard Glacier, one of North America’s longest tidewater glaciers, is renowned for its magnificent calving episodes, in which enormous chunks of ice break off and fall into the ocean, producing a plethora of sights and sounds.

    Baltoro Glacier, Pakistan

    Access to some of the highest peaks on Earth, including K2, is made possible by the Baltoro Glacier, which is located in the Karakoram Range. Trekkers and mountaineers find refuge in this area due to its untamed landscape and isolated position.

    France’s Mer de Glace

    The Mont Blanc Massif is home to Mer de Glace, the largest glacier in France. It is a well-liked tourist and outdoor enthusiast attraction because of its breathtaking ice formations and easily accessible hiking routes.

    India’s Siachen Glacier

    One of the world’s highest battlegrounds is Siachen Glacier, which is situated in the eastern Karakoram Range. It is a unique and fascinating area despite its difficult conditions because of its pure beauty and strategic relevance.

    Antarctica’s Lambert Glacier

    Lambert Glacier is the longest glacier in the world, spanning more than 250 miles. It is a representation of the frozen wildness of the earth due to its enormous size and isolated location in Antarctica.

    Alaska’s Glacier Bay

    Glacier Bay National Park, which is home to many glaciers, provides an amazing combination of ice, sea, and wildlife. In addition to the varied marine species that calls the area home, visitors can see tidewater glaciers calving.

    Alaska’s Columbia Glacier

    Columbia Glacier, one of the world’s fastest-moving glaciers, is renowned for its spectacular icebergs and quick retreat. The dynamic nature of the glacier produces a landscape that is ever-changing.

    The New Zealand glacier Tasman

    Tasman Glacier, New Zealand’s largest glacier, provides breathtaking vistas of the Southern Alps. Travelers can trek the nearby trails for expansive views or take a boat tour around the glacier.

    These 13 glaciers serve as a stark reminder of the planet’s fleeting beauty in addition to being natural wonders. It is essential to value and preserve these icy behemoths so that future generations can continue to be in awe of them as climate change continues to affect them.

  • ISRO Satellite Images Unveil Concerning Expansion of Himalayan Glacial Lake |

    New Delhi: The latest satellite images shared by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)have raised concern globally as it show a significant expansion of the glacial lakes in the Himalayas in the past 3 to 4 decades. According to ISRO’s data, over 600 lakes which amount to 89% of the total glacial lakes on the Himalayas have grown over twice their size in the past 30- 40 years.

    Long-term changes in the Ghepang Ghat glacial lake (Indus River Basin) at an elevation of 4,068 m in Himachal Pradesh, India, show a 178 per cent increase in size from 36.49 to 101.30 hectares between 1989 and 2022. The rate of increase is about 1.96 hectares per year.


    Long-term satellite imagery covering the catchments of Indian Himalayan river basins from 1984 to 2023 indicates significant changes in glacial lakes. Of the 2,431 lakes larger than 10 hectares identified during 2016-17, 676 glacial lakes have notably expanded since 1984. Specifically, 130 of these lakes are situated within India, with 65, 7, and 58 lakes located in the Indus, Ganga, and Brahmaputra River basins, respectively, the statement read.

    The Himalayan Mountains are often referred to as the Third Pole because of their extensive glaciers and snow cover. They are considered highly sensitive to changes in the global climate, both in terms of their physical characteristics and their societal impacts.

    Research conducted worldwide has consistently shown that glaciers across the globe have been experiencing unprecedented rates of retreat and thinning since the onset of the Industrial Revolution in the eighteenth century.

    This retreat leads to the formation of new lakes and the enlargement of existing ones in the Himalayan region. These bodies of water, created by the melting of glaciers, are known as glacial lakes and play a crucial role as freshwater sources for rivers in the Himalayan region.

    However, they also pose significant risks, such as Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs), which can have devastating consequences for communities downstream. GLOFs occur when glacial lakes release large volumes of meltwater due to the failure of natural dams, such as those made of moraine or ice, resulting in sudden and severe flooding downstream, ISRO further stated.

    These dam failures can be triggered by various factors, including avalanches of ice or rock, extreme weather events, and other environmental factors. Monitoring and studying the occurrence and expansion of glacial lakes in the Himalayan region is considered challenging due to the inaccessible and rugged terrain.

    Satellite remote sensing technology proves to be an excellent tool for inventory and monitoring due to its wide coverage and revisit capability, the ISRO stated, adding that assessing long-term changes in glacial lakes is crucial for understanding glacier retreat rates, assessing GLOF risks, and gaining insights into climate change impacts.

    Elevation-based analysis further reveals that 314 lakes are located in the 4,000 to 5,000 m range and 296 lakes are above 5,000 m elevation. The glacial lakes are categorized based on their formation process into four broad categories, namely Moraine-dammed (water dammed by moraine), Ice-dammed (water dammed by ice), Erosion (water dammed in depressions formed by erosion), and other glacial lakes. Among the 676 expanding lakes, the majority of them are Moraine-dammed (307) followed by Erosion (265), other (96), and Ice-dammed (8) glacial lakes, respectively, the release further stated.

    Satellite-derived long-term change analyses provide valuable insights for understanding glacial lake dynamics, which are essential for assessing environmental impacts and developing strategies for GLOF risk management and climate change adaptation in glacial environments, it added. 

  • Mud from Thar Wasteland considerably affects glaciers on Tibetan Plateau: Find out about

    The Thar wilderness mud, lifted through updrafts from northwest India, was once due to this fact transported through westerlies, exerting an important affect at the southern glaciers of the Tibetan Plateau, they mentioned.

    NEW DELHI: Glaciers at the Tibetan Plateau are very much suffering from mud from the Thar Wasteland in India because of the affect of terrain and westerly winds, consistent with a learn about.

    Mud deposited on a glacier’s floor can cut back the albedo — fraction of sunshine this is mirrored through a floor — of the ice and build up absorption of sun radiation, which has an important have an effect on on glacier melting and world local weather trade.

    Appropriately figuring out the supply of glacial mud at the Tibetan Plateau is important for comprehending dynamics of glacial atmosphere and reconstructing regional atmospheric atmosphere, the researchers mentioned.

    The learn about, printed within the magazine Environmental Science and Air pollution Analysis, made up our minds mud resources for the 3 glaciers at the Tibetan Plateau and analysed the shipping mechanism of the main mud resources.

    The researchers from the Chinese language Academy of Sciences used two tracer how one can confirm the origins of glacial mud and deduced that the mud essentially originated from the Tibetan Plateau floor soils, Thar Wasteland, Qaidam Basin, and Taklimakan Wasteland, each in China, earlier than the monsoon season.

    The Taklimakan Wasteland and Thar Wasteland have been known as essentially the most distinguished mud resources, they mentioned.

    Central and southern glaciers at the Tibetan Plateau have been very much suffering from mud from the Thar Wasteland and Taklimakan Wasteland because of the affect of terrain and westerly winds, the researchers mentioned.

    The Thar wilderness mud, lifted through updrafts from northwest India, was once due to this fact transported through westerlies, exerting an important affect at the southern glaciers of the Tibetan Plateau, they mentioned.

    “Our learn about supplies a precious reference for long run efforts to investigate glacier component traits and reconstruct local weather,” mentioned Li Yuefang, corresponding creator of this learn about.