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Glaciers, Alaska

Future

North America

europe

Alaska facts

Asia

africa

South America

Australia

Antarctica

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Antarctica

Antartica holds 91% of Glaciers in world

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AFRICA

less Than 0.1% of the worlds glaciers are in South America, Europe, Africa, New Zealand and Indonesia

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North America

North America holds less than .05% of the worlds Glaciers and .01% are in Alaska

Alaska has 664 named Glaciers and 27,000 unnamed

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South America

less Than 0.01% OF THE WORLDS GLACIERS are in South America, Europe, Africa, new Zealand and Indonesia

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Europe

Less than 0.1% of the worlds glaciers are in south america, Europe Africa NewZealand and Indonesia

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Antarctica

91% of the worlds glaciers are in Antartica

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Australia

only continent in world that does not have glaciers.

Alaskan Facts

 Alaska has warmed twice as fast as the rest of the country.  Over the past 60 years, Alaska has warmed more than twice as fast as the rest of the United States. Average annual temperatures have increased by 3 degrees Fahrenheit and average winter temperatures by 6 degrees Fahrenheit.  Alaskans are already seeing earlier spring snowmelt, widespread glacier retreat, drier landscapes, and more insect outbreaks and wildfires because of climate change.  Arctic summer sea ice is receding faster than previously projected and is expected to virtually disappear before mid-century.  There is now only about half as much sea ice in the month of September as at the beginning of the satellite records in 1979 for that month.  With the late-summer ice edge located farther north than it used to be, storms produce larger waves and more coastal erosion. One Alaskan village has already started to relocate to escape erosion, and several others are trying to.  Alaska is home to some of the largest glaciers and fastest loss of glacier ice on Earth.  Permafrost temperatures in Alaska are rising. Thaw is already occurring in interior and southern Alaska and in northern Canada, and will like continue.  Uneven sinking of the ground in response to permafrost thaw is estimated to add as much as $6 billion to the costs of buildings, pipelines, roads, and other infrastructure over the next 20 years.  The increased frequency of warm dry summers and associated thunderstorms, along with the drying out of wetlands, have led to more large fires in Alaska in the last ten years than in any decade since record-keeping began in the 1940s."https://www.edf.org/sites/default/files/content/regional_releases_alaska_web_version.pdf " the state of Alaska has over 33,000 miles of coast line over 4 times the amount of #2 in nation to Florida.

Glacier Melting

Glacier melting due to climate change is a huge concern worldwide. Glaciers and ice sheets are and excellent way to understand the worlds climate change because they respond slowly to long term variations in temperatures.(4) When sea levels rise, coastal communities across the world will be affected. When the permafrost melts in the higher latitudes it will make some areas inhabitable and cost billions of dollars to restore. The melted areas are not suitable for permanent structure (roads and buildings) and will have to be fixed. All other coastal areas, including the tropics will also be forced to deal with higher sea levels and flooding. Climate change needs to be addressed sooner than later as world wide temperatures are rising and Glaciers are melting at and alarming rate.

Sources

(1) https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/states-with-the-most-coastline (2) https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/where-are-earths-glaciers-located (3)https://www.edf.org/sites/default/files/content/regional_releases_alaska_web_version.pdf (4) “Climate Change.” Films On Demand, Films Media Group, 2014, https://fod.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=150523&xtid=58573. Accessed 21 Apr. 2023.