Researchers sound alarm as concerning phenomenon threatens water supply for more than 90 million people: 'The situation is serious'
The glaciers of the Andes Mountains are melting at alarming rates, which could lead to permanent water loss, threatening the water supply of over 90 million people, Cosmos magazine reported.
Scientists at the University of Sheffield, England, who have been studying the reduction of Andes glaciers, found that the glaciers have been receding at a rate of 0.7 meters (about 2.3 feet) per year, as relayed by Phys.org. That is 35% quicker than the global average.
Burning dirty energy sources releases harmful heat-trapping gases, such as carbon and methane, that contribute to rising global temperatures and melting glaciers.
Warmer temperatures also mean that during the region's wet season (typically around December to April), the precipitation that falls is rain and less snowfall, resulting in less snowpack on the glaciers.
The Andes mountain communities depend on snowmelt runoff during the dry season (around May to October) for freshwater supply, which is threatened by rising global temperatures and the subsequent lack of snow. This loss is compounded by the shrinking glaciers, which lead to permanent water losses in the region.
While the immediate, short-term effect of melting glaciers is an increase in water flow from the mountains to the rivers, that water supply runs off freely to the lower areas of the mountains.
Unusually fast-melting snow could become dangerous for nearby mountain communities, which may experience destructive flooding downstream, per the National Snow and Ice Data Center.
Without water catchment systems to catch and store the melting snow runoff, mountain communities may see their fresh water supply decrease and permanently disappear from the region. Communities with fewer resources to build these water catchment systems have no agency in securing their water supply.
As the glaciers melt, too, the darker rock face on the mountains becomes exposed, absorbing more of the sun's heat, which becomes a hopeless cycle for rapid glacier melting.
Scientists have also studied the harmful effects of glacier melting on the environment. For example, melting glaciers release the ancient methane gas trapped in underground reservoirs in the Arctic, which were capped by permafrost glaciers. As the glaciers melt, the trapped gas gets released back into the atmosphere, acting as a bubble, trapping heat on the planet.
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Morocco recently celebrated a remarkable recovery from significant water supply loss in the nation. Taking advantage of the increased rainfall in the region, Morocco built 130 dams to increase the nation's water storage capacity — which has since increased by 700%.
Communities living by the ocean may soon be able to take advantage of the water supply near them. Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign developed a new electrode for battery-based water desalination, which may make water desalination more efficient and viable for coastal communities.
"The situation is serious, and it will take global cooperation to tackle climate change and make a meaningful difference for the communities around the world most vulnerable from the effects of climate change," said Dr. Jeremy Ely, senior lecturer at the University of Sheffield's School of Geography and Planning, per Cosmos magazine.
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