11-03-2025
The Glacier Graveyard in Iceland is a symbolic warning of a melting future
Glaciers around the world are vanishing at an unprecedented pace. A new study published in the journal "Nature" confirms that Iceland's glaciers alone have lost 8.3 billion tons of ice annually between 2000 and 2023.
Globally, glaciers have been shedding 273 billion tons of ice per year since the early 2000s, a rate that scientists say is only accelerating. The consequences are dire: rising sea levels, disrupted water supplies, and increased risks of flooding in coastal cities like Boston.
In the face of this crisis, two anthropologists from Rice University have created a chilling reminder of what's at stake: the Glacier Graveyard in Reykjavik, Iceland.
A Funeral for the world's glaciers
Fifteen gravestones, sculpted from ice, stood on a patch of land in Reykjavik, a temporary monument to glaciers that are disappearing before our eyes. Each headstone was carved with the name of a glacier on the brink of extinction.
"This is a global concern," said Cymene Howe, an anthropologist at Rice University. "It's a global phenomenon that we are losing glaciers everywhere on Earth."
Among those glaciers memorialized:
Pico Humboldt, the last of Venezuela's glaciers, now completely gone.
Kilimanjaro, the final remaining glacier on the continent of Africa.
Aujuittuq in the Arctic Circle, whose Inuit name means "A place that never thaws"—yet now, even it is disappearing.
"There's an irony that the place that never thaws is now losing its glacier," said Dominic Boyer, co-creator of the Glacier Graveyard.
While the headstones melted within hours, the message remains: without urgent action, the glaciers they represent will soon follow.
A wake-up call from scientists
The Nature study underscores how glacial melt is accelerating, particularly in Iceland, where glaciologists have tracked rapid ice loss.
WBZ visited Solheimajökull, a glacier on Iceland's south coast, in 2024. This once-massive ice sheet is shrinking by 40 meters per year, a staggering rate that is transforming the Icelandic landscape.
Glacial melt isn't just a problem for remote regions, it threatens water security for billions and exacerbates coastal flooding worldwide. In Boston and other major cities, rising sea levels could mean more frequent storm surges and infrastructure challenges in the coming decades.
"This is kind of a moment where we dig deep," said Boyer. "We just need to really commit to doing it faster so that we can save some of these beautiful glaciers."
The researchers behind the Glacier Graveyard have compiled a Global Glacier Casualty List, tracking glaciers that have vanished or are at risk of disappearing in the coming years.
2025: The International Year of Glaciers' Preservation
Recognizing the urgency of the crisis, the United Nations has declared 2025 the International Year of Glaciers' Preservation. The initiative, led by UNESCO and the World Meteorological Organization, aims to raise awareness and mobilize global action to protect these critical ice formations.
