melting glaciers Archives - State of the Planet

Chinese Scientists Are Combating a Glacier’s Melting By Covering It With a Blanket

Researchers at China’s Nanjing University are using a reflective blanket to stave off melting of the Dagu Glacier.

by Esha Karam |October 5, 2023
river valley

Landmark International Report: Current Emissions Path Threatens Two Billion People in Hindu Kush Himalayas

New international assessment finds emissions and climate policy falls short in the high mountain regions of Asia, threatening billions of people and species in the area.

by |June 20, 2023

Sediments That Tell a Story: Patagonian Ice Field Sediment Cores Reveal Glacial Waxing and Waning Over Thousands of Years

A recent study uses a sediment core to reconstruct paleoclimate in the early and middle Holocene and Neoglacial periods.

by |May 5, 2023

Changing Perspectives: How Bottom-Up Studies Can Improve Water Security

When monitoring melting glaciers, integrating scientific knowledge with local and Indigenous knowledge may improve data collection as well as local adaptation.

by |January 26, 2023

Two Degrees Too Many: Average Global Temperature Increase Will Trigger Climate Tipping Points

A recent study expands upon previously established tipping points, naming 16 total tipping points and their respective temperature triggers.

by |November 15, 2022

‘The Canary in the Coal Mine’: Most Olympic Peninsula Glaciers Will Disappear by 2070

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.

by |November 11, 2022
charts showing decline in sea ice under different emissions scenarios

Report Released at COP27 Gives a ‘Terminal Diagnosis’ for Summer Sea Ice

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.”

by |November 7, 2022

Greenland’s Long and Intense Melt Season Is a Worrying Sign for Sea Level

Summer melt across Greenland has broken records this year.

by |September 29, 2022

What Lies Beneath Melting Glaciers and Thawing Permafrost?

As the planet’s ice disappears, it’s exposing new surfaces, opportunities, and threats — including valuable mineral deposits, archaeological relics, novel viruses, and more.

by |September 13, 2022

Declining Salmon Lead Eagles to Seek Out Food in Washington’s Agricultural Areas

As warming streams reduce the populations of chum salmon in northwest Washington, bald eagles are exploring adjacent farmland for alternative foods.

by |August 30, 2022