Glacial Attrition | Energy Central

Climate Central: “Year of the Glacier.” I like the bar chart because it starts in my birth year, but lament it for not incorporating 2024 data, almost certainly because of the lag time in accruing all the data. “2025 marks the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation, a United Nations-led initiative to raise awareness about the critical role of glaciers and the urgent need for their protection.” Seven of the 10 yrs with the most glacial attrition or mass loss have occurred since 2010. Sometimes referred to as “water towers of the world,” glaciers ‘provide freshwater for billions of people, support diverse ecosystems, contribute to clean energy production, and serve as invaluable archives of past and present climate conditions.’ But loss of glacial mass creates risks for many, ‘including disrupting tourism economies, eroding cultural heritage and increasing vulnerability to hazards such as landslides, avalanches, tsunamis and glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs).’ All of which can be deadly. Glaciers exist on every continent except Australia, the smallest of the traditional 7 continents [includes Tasmania + some islands]. “In North America, regions such as the U.S. Pacific Northwest, Alaska, and British Columbia, Canada, face elevated risk from glacial hazards, including GLOFs.” Glaciers + ice sheets such as on Greenland cover nearly 10% of Earth’s terrestrial surface, store 70% of all freshwater, + are ‘home to a third of all terrestrial species diversity.’ As for the graphic, note the pink areas represent glaciers alone, not ice sheets. Either way, I love big ice, whether hiking over glaciers or kayaking next to brilliant frosted azure behemoths.