By Elyse Cram

The standard basketball hoop stands at ten feet tall. Now take eight of these, and imagine them taking the form of a massive amount of ice, towering in a glacier above you. Then imagine all 80 feet are gone. This is the reality for the Earth’s glaciers right now. According to an article published in 2020 by Rebecca Lindsey for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): “The cumulative [reduction in glacier] mass balance from 1980 to 2018 is −21.7 [meters of water], the equivalent of cutting a… 79-foot thick slice off the top of the average glacier.”  

A 2020 article published by the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) explains, “Glaciers form when snow remains in one location long enough to transform into ice… [and then] sheer mass [causes] glaciers to flow like very slow rivers.” Although glaciers originate on land, their substantial weight causes them to slowly move down the slope.

Our itinerary through the Inside Passage. Photo credit: Kay Cram.

During the summer of 2019, my family and I went on a small boat cruise through Alaska’s Inside Passage, and I was able to see the enormity of these glaciers in person. I still remember my first time pulling up to one: Margerie Glacier. I can close my eyes and picture the tremendous figure in front of me. Stretching 21 miles and rising 250 feet above the surface of the water, Margerie Glacier left me awestruck, feeling small and insignificant in comparison.

Unfortunately, climate change and rising temperatures in recent years pose significant challenges for the Earth’s glaciers and sea ice. With the ten hottest years on record all occurring within the last 15 years, scientists have emphasized the importance of reducing the carbon footprint produced by both businesses and individuals. This footprint represents the total amount of greenhouse gases each entity is responsible for, and citizens of the United States have one of the highest per capita carbon footprints, with approximately 16 tons (roughly eight times the global average). As a country, China is estimated to account for the greatest percentage of carbon dioxide emissions with 28%, followed by the United States, with 15%. 

The scale of Margerie Glacier. Photo credit: Bryan Cram.

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the United States’ total greenhouse gas emissions can be divided into five economic sectors: transportation (28%), electricity (27%), industry (22%), commercial and residential (12%), and agriculture (10%). When fossil fuels such as petroleum are burned to provide fuel for cars, planes, trains, and other modes of transportation, natural carbon stores are released into the atmosphere. Additionally, CO2 is released from the combustion of gasoline within internal combustion engines. Similarly, many fossil fuels are burned in order to power the world with electricity; coal, oil, and natural gas make up the majority of these fossil fuels. Industry, responsible for the products that drive the global economy, is the third-largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions through both direct emissions and indirect emissions. Direct emissions account for the greenhouse gases released during production, as fossil fuels are burned to provide the power required to run the involved processes. On the other hand, indirect emissions are not produced at the facility, but include emissions from the fossil fuels that provide the electricity that powers the facilities. Commercial and residential emission estimates also account for both direct and indirect emissions; direct emissions include the fossil fuels burnt to provide heat, whereas indirect emissions account for the electricity that powers individual households and businesses. The majority of emissions from the agricultural sector comes from the usage of nitrogen-rich soil that releases nitrous oxide (N2O). Additionally, livestock produce methane through a process called enteric fermentation.

An article published in 2007 by Susan Twardy for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) describes how various greenhouse gas emissions contribute to a rise in temperature: “Certain gases in the atmosphere [greenhouse gases] resemble glass in a greenhouse, allowing sunlight to pass into the ‘greenhouse,’ but blocking Earth’s heat from escaping into space.” In addition to increasing the average temperatures on Earth, other probable effects of increased greenhouse gas emissions include an increase in evaporation and precipitation, in ocean acidification, and in glacial and sea ice reductions that lead to an overall increase of sea levels.

Many of these greenhouse emissions are released into the atmosphere in exchange for the simplification and enhancement of our lives. Unfortunately, there is a trade off to many of the conveniences available to us. A June 2007 National Geographic article by Daniel Glick emphasizes the severity and extent of global warming’s effect on the world’s glaciers. Glick notes in particular the situation at Glacier National Park in Montana. Glick explains, “When President Taft created Glacier National Park in 1910, it was home to an estimated 150 glaciers. Since then the number has decreased to fewer than 30, and most of those remaining have shrunk in area by two-thirds.” 

Now, Daniel Fagre, a research ecologist for the United States Geological Survey (USGS), Director of the Climate Change in Mountain Ecosystems Project, and Lead Investigator in the USGS Benchmark Glacier Program, predicts, “Within 30 years most if not all of the park’s namesake glaciers will disappear.” Unfortunately, these issues are not unique to individual locations. For example, an article by Damian Carrington for The Guardian warns that, based on a study’s results, “Two-thirds of the ice in the glaciers of the Alps is doomed to melt by the end of the century as climate change forces up temperatures.” As glaciers across the globe face similar fates to those in Glacier National Park and the European Alps, it becomes an increasingly likely possibility that future generations may never have the opportunity to see glaciers in person.

View of Margerie Glacier. Photo credit: Bryan Cram.

The dangers of increasing greenhouse gas emissions pose threats to multiple vast and distinct forms of ice that have been affected by climate change. An article published by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) by Lorin Hancock describes the differences between these forms of ice: “Sea ice forms and melts strictly in the ocean, whereas glaciers are formed on land. Icebergs are chunks of glacial ice that break off glaciers and fall into the ocean.”

As the amount of sea ice on Earth’s oceans decreases, harmful side effects occur. NOAA describes the role sea ice plays in the global climate: “The bright surface of sea ice reflects a lot of sunlight out into the atmosphere and, importantly, back into space. Because this solar energy ‘bounces back’ and is not absorbed into the ocean, [ocean] temperatures nearer the poles remain cool relative to the equator.” When enough sea ice melts, this has the ability to have a major effect on the ocean’s temperatures. Currently, as stated by Hancock, “95% of the oldest and thickest ice in the Arctic is already gone.” This poses challenges for walruses, polar bears, and other arctic animals. Additionally, according to Mark Kaufman at Mashable, “[a] high-resolution sea ice analysis from the National Weather Service [shows]… no sea ice within some 150 miles of [Alaska’s] shores.” Although the amount of sea ice fluctuates depending on the season, the decrease in average amounts of sea ice present changes for natives. A National Geographic article by Alejandra Borunda explains, “Lost sea ice is already affecting the timing, abundance, or presence of the fish, seals, or whales [Alaskan natives] hunt for and rely on for food.”

Dawes Glacier calving. Photo credit: Bryan Cram.

Glacial reduction can occur through melting or a process called calving. When a glacier calves, massive chunks of ice fall into the ocean and become icebergs.  I still remember the first time I witnessed Margerie Glacier calving. I heard sharp cracking noises as I witnessed a huge chunk of ice fall into Glacier Bay. One of our guides explained the iceberg was most likely the size of a small house. Over the course of our trip, I grew accustomed to this noise and began to expect the accompanying visual spectacle. 

On our final day of exploration, we visited Dawes Glacier and were fortunately able to take a skiff closer to the glacier in order to increase our proximity and enhance both our view and ability to hear the deafening sounds of glacial calving even closer to the site. This was the last time I witnessed calving before heading home to Virginia, and I still remember the sight of the seemingly invincible glacier, stretching 15 miles long, yet slowly breaking apart. 

The D’Ambrosia family’s view while ice walking on Spencer Glacier. Photo credit: Vanessa D’Ambrosia.

Ashley D’Ambrosia (‘21) also went on a trip to Alaska with her family during the summer of 2019. D’Ambrosia commented on the impact of witnessing a glacier calving: “It was just so cool to hear the glaciers crack, because it was the only noise… it was a surreal experience.” D’Ambrosia and her family also had the opportunity to go ice walking on Spencer Glacier, which rises approximately 3500 feet above ground level. While hiking along Spencer Glacier, the D’Ambrosia family met a man who lived in a tent on Spencer Glacier for a few months at a time. D’Ambrosia recalls, “He explained how he has to move his stuff every few days because the glacier moves so much.” Additionally, D’Ambrosia remembers his excitement over this: “He explained how it’s really fun for him to explore the glacier every day, because he always finds new things because of how much it moves.” Experiences and communities such as those on Spencer Glacier would be impossible if glaciers were to melt.

In addition to the tragic thought of the lost opportunity to visit and experience glaciers, there are critical environmental impacts resulting from melting glaciers. Firstly, they function in a similar manner to sea ice by reflecting the sunlight that would otherwise contribute to the rise in ocean temperatures. When glaciers melt, this protection is gone, as well as the melted glacier water that raises the sea level even further. According to the WWF, higher sea levels “increase coastal erosion and elevate storm surge as warming air and ocean temperatures create more frequent and intense coastal storms like hurricanes and typhoons.” In addition to long term issues, calving glaciers pose imminent threats to those in nearby communities. For example, on February 7, a CBS News article by Arshad R. Zargar reported on a Himalayan glacier in northern India calving, “triggering an avalanche and a massive deluge that washed away dams, hydroelectric power plants and several bridges and roads.” This incident killed almost 30 people and left close to 200 missing.

In order to reverse these tragic and dangerous effects, it is imperative that we as a society make some fundamental changes. Although it is unrealistic to expect the world’s population to completely change their lifestyles, it is a reasonable goal for individuals and businesses to make small sacrifices by selecting a few changes to their daily routines in order to help preserve the Earth’s natural ice. 

For example, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions resulting from transportation, individuals can look into hybrid and electric cars, and companies can work to reduce aircraft taxi time or improve weather routing in order to consume less fuel. According to the EPA, “Coal combustion is more carbon intensive than burning natural gas or petroleum for electricity. Although coal use accounted for about 65.8 percent of CO2 emissions from the sector, it represented only 28.4 percent of the electricity generated in the United States in 2018.” Taking this into account, electricity companies can work (and have worked) to reduce the percentage (19%) of U.S. electricity generation from coal that occurred in 2020. Industrial companies can also look towards transitioning farther away from coal as a fuel. Individuals can look towards renewable energy, reducing their water waste, refraining from wasting food, investing in more efficient bulbs such as LED light bulbs, carpooling, and much more. Those in the agricultural sector can fertilize their crops with soil containing smaller concentrations of nitrogen, as well as feeding their livestock specific diets to reduce methane emissions from enteric fermentation.

Although these changes can appear overwhelming, something needs to be done before the world’s ice melts away and becomes nothing more than a memory or a picture in a history textbook. For me, it took witnessing glacial calving up close in order to fully grasp the severity of this issue.