A recent survey carried out by the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) warned that glaciers are declining in all Norwegian counties due to climate change.
According to the NVE, Norway’s total glacier area now encompasses 2,328 square kilometers, a reduction of 14% compared with the 1999-2006 period.
Since the NVE’s previous survey, several glaciers have completely disappeared or are about to disappear (Breifonn in Rogaland and Vegdalsisen in Nordland are among the glaciers that are about to disappear).
Norway Today asked Liss M. Andreassen, a senior research scientist at the Section for Glaciers, Ice, and Snow at the NVE, to comment on the trend of declining glaciers in Norway.
– – –
NT: Do you see any chance for the trend of declining glaciers in Norway to halt or reverse?
LMA: Norway’s glaciers will continue to decrease due to the warming that has already taken place. They are not in equilibrium with the current climate.
NT: What consequences would you single out as the most serious in relation to declining glaciers in Norway and internationally?
LMA: Internationally, the most serious consequence is the increase in the global sea level. Locally, glacier melt has consequences for tourism, water supply, hydropower production, and safety due to glacier hazards.
In Norway, the retreat of glaciers has consequences for tourism, for hydropower production, and we’re losing a beautiful and fascinating element of our nature.
The landscape is changing as glaciers retreat. We monitor newly-created glacier lakes that might cause glacier outburst floods. Glaciers are so sensitive to climate change, and the changes are now visible to the general public, Andreassen told Norway Today via e-mail.
While the trend is somewhat discouraging, Andreassen hopes that ” the findings that glaciers are disappearing and shrinking can be an eyeopener to people on the ongoing climate change.”
Robin-Ivan Capar is a contributor and editor at Norway Today.
Source: #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews
Do you have a news tip for Norway Today? We want to hear it. Get in touch at [email protected]
Bottomline question:
How soon after it loses its ice cubes does Earth start to boil?
Meanwhile, we are wasting TIME let alone resources playing our even more terminally risky now Russian Roulette nuclear confrontation games with Russia (and China) instead of giving the Russians the fair and comprehensive peace and security treaty they need and we owe them after breaking our past security promises to them and our Budapest treaty breaking Kiev coup.