Global Warming Effect 9: Shrinking Glaciers
You don't need special equipment to see that glaciers around the world are shrinking. Tundra once covered with thick permafrost is melting with rising surface temperatures and is now coated with plant life.
Dave Porter/Photographer's Choice RR/Getty Images
Montana's Glacier National Park will lose some of its majestic beauty as surface temperatures continue to rise.
In the span of a century, glaciers in Montana's Glacier National Park have deteriorated from 150 to just 35 [source: New York Times]. And the Himalayan glaciers that feed the Ganges River, which supplies drinking and irrigation water to 500 million people, are reportedly shrinking by 40 yards (37 meters) each year [source: The Washington Post].
Endangered Snow Bunnies
Warmer winters are affecting the lives of snow bunnies and athletes
alike. Within a decade, the Chacaltaya Mountain glacier, home to the
world's largest ski slope, may disappear. The International Ski
Federation canceled recent Alpine skiing World Cup events. American
East Coast resorts also endured short seasons due to springlike
conditions.
