Search

Glaciers respond sensitively to climate variability and change, with associated impacts on meltwater production, sea-level rise and geomorphological hazards. There is a strong societal interest in understanding the current response of all types of glacier systems to climate change and how they will continue to evolve in the context of the whole glacierized landscape. In particular, understanding the current and future behaviour of debris-covered glaciers is a 'hot topic' in glaciological research because of concerns for water resources and glacier-related hazards. The state of these glaciers is closely related to various hazardous geomorphological processes which are relatively poorly understood. Understanding the implications of debris-covered glacier evolution requires a systems approach. This includes the interplay of various factors such as local geomorphology, ice ablation patterns, debris characteristics and glacier lake growth and development. Such a broader, contextualized understanding is prerequisite to identifying and monitoring the geohazards and hydrologic implications associated with changes in the debris-covered glacier system under future climate scenarios. This paper presents a comprehensive review of current knowledge of the debris-covered glacier landsystem. Specifically, we review state-of-the-art field-based and the remote sensing-based methods for monitoring debris-covered glacier characteristics and lakes and their evolution under future climate change. We advocate a holistic process-based framework for assessing hazards associated with moraine-dammed glacio-terminal lakes that are a projected end-member state for many debris-covered glaciers under a warming climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study conducted by researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy has developed a new method to predict the financial impacts of climate change on agriculture. The study focuses on Brazil and finds that climate change has a cascading effect on farming, leading to increased loan defaults for one of the nation's largest public sector banks. The study also highlights the need for distinct types of physical and financial resilience in different regions, as climate change will have varying effects. The research aims to support resilient food security and help policymakers and disaster relief agencies understand the systemic risk posed by climate change. [Extracted from the article]

A recent study used historical photographs to reconstruct the state of five glaciers in Antarctica before the 2002 Larsen B Ice Shelf collapse. The collapse of the ice shelf caused the glaciers to rapidly melt into the ocean, contributing to rising sea levels. The study found that the glaciers lost 35 billion tons of land-based ice after the collapse, equivalent to around 0.1 mm of global sea-level rise. The researchers emphasize the importance of historical image archives in understanding and monitoring the effects of climate change on Antarctica. [Extracted from the article]

The article focuses on how rising sea levels due to climate change are pushing up groundwater further inland. Topics include how rising water tables can corrode underground utilities and roadways, a report by the United States Geological Survey and Yale University, and how rising groundwater could impact sewage systems.

And because of the 2015 El Niño, the trees were hit with a low-tide double whammy: El Niño decreased tides an additional 40 centimeters, a fatal blow to water-loving mangroves. The mystery emerged in 2015, when nearly 10 percent of the seemingly healthy mangrove forest along northern Australia's Gulf of Carpentaria suddenly died. A pattern quickly emerged - about every 18 to 19 years, mangrove tree cover along the Gulf of Carpentaria thinned out significantly before bouncing back to normal within a couple of years. [Extracted from the article]

Climate scientists have a surprising habit: They often underplay the climate threat. Second, it suggests that climate models may be continuing to underestimate key climate effects. In 2007 a team led by Stefan Rahmstorf compared actual observations with projections made by theoretical models for three key climate variables: atmospheric carbon dioxide, global average temperature and sea-level rise. [Extracted from the article]

The article highlights developments in international law addressing the threat of sea-level rise. These include the 2021 Declaration on Preserving Maritime Zones in the Face of Climate Change-Related Sea-Level Rise, 2023 Declaration on the Continuity of Statehood and the Protection of Persons in the Face of Climate Change-Related Sea-Level Rise, a consensus in favor of allowing States to preserve lawfully established maritime zones, acceptance of the principle of the continuity of statehood.