A growing number of the world’s glaciers are expected to disappear each year as global temperatures rise, with losses projected to peak by the middle of the century, according to a new study published on December 15 in Nature Climate Change.
The study estimates that if global warming is limited to 1.5°C (34.7°F), annual glacier losses could reach about 2,000 by 2041. Under a more extreme 4°C (39.2°F) warming scenario, the period of greatest loss would come later, with stronger and more prolonged melting leading to roughly 4,000 glaciers disappearing each year by the mid-2050s.
Scientists warn that continued glacier melt will have serious global consequences, particularly for sea levels. The World Economic Forum estimates glaciers would still lose at least 39% of their mass even if warming stabilized today, while the US Geological Survey says the complete melting of Earth’s glaciers would raise sea levels by about 230 feet (70 meters), dramatically reshaping coastlines worldwide.
Our planet is no stranger to changes. Ever since the world was formed more than four billion years ago, it has seen a number of mass extinctions that have almost decimated life, not to mention the countless other natural events that have altered the face of the Earth. But whenever we think of a mass extinction, our minds conjure up images of dinosaurs being blasted away by asteroids. We certainly don’t picture ourselves in the equation!
Yet science tells us a different story, and it might be possible that the next extinction event is already underway. Curious? Click through this gallery to find out more.