Melting ice

Philip Porter, son of a friend of mine from the 1980s, has 30 years’ experience of studying why and how glaciers melt. He is shocked by the recent acceleration of this phenomenon, leading to a rise in sea levels and increased sediment in rivers, lakes and oceans. Nutrient delivery to nearby ecosystems is also affected by changing levels of salinity in the water. Around the globe, currents and energy systems are changing, as rainfall and warmer summers in the Arctic melt more ice. 

 This summer Phil was at a research station on Spitzbergen island in the Barentz Sea, at a latitude of >78° North, where the early 20th century Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen once stopped on his expedition to the North Pole in the ship called Fram (which I saw at its resting place in Oslo). 

On October 18th I hosted a meeting for my Environment Action group and guests at which Phil as the invited speaker told us how hydrologists monitor the flow of water through the Spitzbergen glaciers. 

 A fluorometer is used to detect the channels through which (purposely dyed) water flows underground and disperses overground. He described abseiling down a 60 metre deep “moulin” through a crevasse in the ice, a laser scanner helping his team to observe the formation of these underground channels — a terrifying but awe-inspiring experience! 

Phil has observed glaciers in the Arctic, the Hindu Kush, the Andes and the Alps. He explained how the phenomenon of glaciers surging forward is linked to the passage of water at their base. It does not mean that they are growing; many are drying up. It is sobering to think that, in the far east, a fifth of the world’s population directly relies on the water from ice-melt being predictable. Our imports of food and energy also depend on the reliability of these water sources. 

Rapidly melting glaciers are an indicator of “the biggest crisis humanity has ever had to face.” However, we should not be fatalistic and despairing. Education is essential; the best means of education is word of mouth. And the “first and quickest solution” to global warming is for each of us to reduce our consumption of unnecessary things. Phil said we should lobby our elected representatives more vigorously, as well. He finished his presentation by reminding us of the Serenity Prayer, adding a phrase of his own: “Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage and the energy to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.” This is a message we could all relate to.