Glaciers may seem remote from the concerns of most people in the world. Their location atop high mountains makes them distant from population centers. Yet they bring new insights at the present time, since they lie at the frontlines of climate change. The mountain communities who take steps to address changing water supplies and natural hazards provide lessons for others who seek new forms of adaptation, policy and advocacy. The researchers who integrate geoscience and ecology in the study of landscapes guide research in sustainability in other areas as well. And the sheer beauty and majesty of glaciers inspire Indigenous peoples, climbers, artists and others, showing the depth of human connection to the natural world. Each week, GlacierHub offers these stories and images, showing the relevance of the world’s high icy places for all humanity.
The GlacierHub blog is managed by Ben Orlove, an anthropologist at the Columbia Climate School and the Center for Research on Environmental Decisions at Columbia University. Writers Aliyah Elfar, Emily Denny, Jaden Hill, Pria Mahadevan, Shea Strippel, and Tymesha-Elizabeth Kindell are currently enrolled at, or recently graduated from, Columbia University. Jenna Travers is a student at the University of Oregon. Lily Roberts is a recent graduate of the University of Exeter. Elza Bouhassira, a current Duke Law student and graduate of the Sciences Po-Columbia University Dual BA Program, is senior editor.
Check out GlacierHub’s archival content here.
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Glacier-saving campaigns are becoming more popular as ice across the globe disappears at an alarming pace. A new analysis examines the actors, motives, and implications of these campaigns in the fight against climate change.
Unsteady funding streams have caused Mount Everest’s “Pyramid” monitoring station to unravel at the seams. It may be an opportunity to re-envision the station’s purpose.
A conservation biologist writes about his trips to Pakistan over the last 30 years, reflecting on challenges, growth, and connections made over time.
A recent study expands upon previously established tipping points, naming 16 total tipping points and their respective temperature triggers.
A recent study projects that climate change will cause most glaciers on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State to disappear by 2070, threatening water resources, ecosystems, and tourism.
The COP27 State of the Cryosphere 2022 Report has stated that summer sea ice will melt completely, likely before 2050. This outcome is deemed “inevitable.”
Researchers at the University of Oregon have created a portable tool that uses lasers to study glacier retreat in remote areas that are typically difficult to reach.
In early September, Chileans voted against adopting a new constitution that, among other wide-ranging provisions, would have provided greater protections for the country’s glaciers.
Summer melt across Greenland has broken records this year.
Europe’s deadly summer 2022 heat waves caused two dramatic glacier collapses and fueled the melting of a third.
