Highlighting the Vital Links Between the Cryosphere, Water, and Gender Equality.
March 21 is “World Glaciers Day,” an UN observance. Glaciers take centuries to millennia to form, but many are disappearing within mere decades due to climate change. With projections showing that one-third of glacier sites could vanish by 2050, the observation is a call to action for climate awareness and conservation. Organisms found in glaciers are being studied for potential medicinal uses. Intuitively, one might feel that glaciers are an issue for people living in remote parts of the globe. It took millennia to form, but human activity is making them disappear in decades. Humans can undo it if only the determination to make the change takes over. Observations like this are a reminder to humanity of its responsibility to ensure the well-being of the planet and future generations.
Glaciers Are Nature’s Vaults,
Holding Nearly 70% Of Earth’s Freshwater.
As They Vanish, They Unleash Deadly Floods
and Threaten Billions of Lives.
Protecting Them Is Protecting Humanity’s Future.
António Guterres, UN Secretary-General.
March 21 is “World Glaciers Day,” an UN observance. The observation highlights the urgent need to protect glaciers. With projections showing that one-third of glacier sites could vanish by 2050, the observation is a call to action for climate awareness and conservation. Scientific programs like the “Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme” and the “World Water Assessment Programme” are supported by UNESCO and the UN. Glaciers are not lifeless; they host unique ecosystems of microscopic organisms, specialised invertebrates, and even larger animals that live on or near them.
Glaciers And Mountains Coexist.
Mountains Provide the Stage, Glaciers the Actors.
But Their Origins Are Fundamentally Different.
Glaciers are masses of ice created from compacted snow over centuries. The formation of glaciers begins when snowfall exceeds melting. Over a period, layers of snow compress into dense ice. Gravity causes glaciers to flow downhill, slowly eroding and reshaping landscapes. Mountains form through collisions of tectonic plates and are solid rock structures uplifted by tectonic forces. Everest rose when the Indian Plate collided with the Eurasian Plate, uplifting rock layers in the process. Glaciers often sit atop mountains, carving them further. Everest itself hosts glaciers like the “Khumbu Glacier”, which supplies meltwater to downstream communities.
Glaciers: Built Over Millennia, Lost in Decades
Glaciers store ~70% of global freshwater, feeding rivers and lakes that billions depend on. They help stabilise sea levels and act as indicators of global warming. Glacial melt sustains biodiversity, agriculture, and hydropower. Glaciers are natural archives, preserving records of Earth’s climate history. Glaciers take centuries to millennia to form, but many are disappearing within mere decades due to climate change. This stark imbalance highlights how slow natural processes are being rapidly undone by human-driven warming.
Scientists are combining field expeditions, satellite monitoring, and global collaborations to understand glaciers as both climate indicators and human lifelines. Glaciers are monitored using a mix of satellite remote sensing, aerial surveys, and on-the-ground fieldwork. Scientists track their size, thickness, velocity, and mass balance to understand how they are changing in response to global warming. Their work is crucial for predicting floods, managing water security, and slowing sea-level rise.
Glaciers host unique ecosystems of microscopic organisms, specialised invertebrates, and even larger animals that live on or near them. Species living in and around glaciers are facing rapid environmental changes, and their adaptations are fascinating but also fragile. Birds like snow buntings adjust nesting times to match earlier snowmelt.
Organisms found in glaciers are being studied for potential medicinal uses. Microbes, fungi, and algae adapted to freezing conditions produce unique compounds that may help combat antibiotic resistance and fungal infections, and even degrade plastics. Scientists believe melting glaciers are revealing untapped biological resources that could inspire new drugs.
Glaciers Are the Slow Storytellers of Our Planet,
But Their Voices Are Being Silenced in A Single Generation.
Intuitively, one might feel that glaciers are an issue for people living in remote parts of the globe. It took millennia to form, but human activity is making them disappear in decades. Humans can undo it if only the determination to make the change takes over. Observations like this are a reminder to humanity of its responsibility to ensure the well-being of the planet and future generations.
Toon: Reema and Shreya
log: M Sai Baba
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