Latest news with #UniversityofInnsbruck
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Science
- Indian Express
Study: Only 24% present-day glaciers will remain if world gets warmer by 2.7°C
If the world gets warmer by 2.7°C due to the current trajectory of climate policies, only 24% of the world's present-day glaciers will remain, said a new study published in Science signalling that glaciers are more sensitive to global warming than had been previously estimated. Limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C — as adopted in the Paris climate agreement — could preserve up to 54% or twice as much glacier mass, the study said. The study comes just a day after a huge portion of a glacier in the Swiss village of Blatten, in the Alps, collapsed into the valley, burying most of a mountain village in the foothills. The projected figures in the study were for global scenarios, and skewed by the very large glaciers around Antarctica and Greenland. The study cautioned that even if temperatures stopped rising today, the world's glaciers would still lose 39% of their mass, compared to 2020 levels, and that would lead to a sea level rise of 113 mm. Among the most vulnerable regions, as per the study, were glaciers in Scandinavia, Rockies in Western Canada and the US, and European Alps. In Scandinavia, no glacier ice would be left at 2°C warming while Rockies and European Alps would see only 10-15% glaciers left at the same levels of warming. Even at a level of 1°C warming, these regions will lose half their ice, the study noted. 'Our study makes it painfully clear that every fraction of a degree matters,' says co-lead author Dr Harry Zekollari from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. 'The choices we make today will resonate for centuries, determining how much of our glaciers can be preserved,' he said. 'Glaciers are good indicators of climate change because their retreat allows us to see with our own eyes how climate is changing…[but] the situation for glaciers is actually far worse than visible in the mountains today,' says co-lead author Dr Lilian Schuster from the University of Innsbruck. Though Indian glaciers — particularly those in western South Asia — show a lower projected loss of 5% under current warming, the study underscores that these regions are highly sensitive to additional warming. For every extra 0.1°C increase in global temperatures between 1.5°C and 3°C, glacier loss accelerates rapidly — by about 2% globally, with even steeper losses in Indian sub-regions. India's key river basins – Ganga, Indus and Brahmaputra – support millions of livelihoods in north India, north east and the Indo-Gangetic plains. In the Hindu Kush Himalayas, only 25% of ice from 2020 levels will be left at 2°C of warming. To get these results, a team of 21 scientists from 10 countries used eight glacier models to calculate the potential ice loss of the more than 200,000 glaciers worldwide, under a wide range of global temperature scenarios. The study used advanced simulations over multi-centennial timescales, revealing that some glacier systems — particularly in the polar regions — might take up to a thousand years to fully respond to today's climate.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Can glaciers regrow if global warming is reversed? Not in our lifetimes, scientists warn
Mountain glaciers won't recover for centuries if the world temporarily exceeds 1.5°C of global heating, new research shows. It is the first study to simulate glacier change up to 2500 under 'overshoot scenarios' - where the planet surpasses the 1.5°C limit up to 3°C before cooling back down. Since current climate policies put Earth on track for closer to 3°C of warming, the research led by the UK's University of Bristol and Austria's University of Innsbruck provides a timely glimpse into a possible future. And presents another urgent plea to correct the course we are on. 'It's clear that such a world is far worse for glaciers than one where the 1.5°C limit is held,' says corresponding author Dr Fabien Maussion, Associate Professor in Polar Environmental Change at the University of Bristol. Related Glaciers are losing more water each year than the world will consume in three decades, study warns 'We aimed to discover whether glaciers can recover if the planet cools again. It's a question many people ask - will glaciers regrow in our lifetime, or that of our children? Our findings indicate sadly not.' 2024 was the hottest year on record and the first calendar year to exceed the 1.5°C limit. The Paris Agreement target of limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels - beyond which climate disasters will escalate - is based on long-term averages, so we haven't crossed the line just yet. But it's looking increasingly likely, with the UN weather agency warning last year that there is a near 50 per cent chance that average global temperatures between 2024-2028 could top 1.5°C. To confront what this means for the world's frozen rivers of ice, scientists simulated a strong overshoot scenario in which global warming continues rising to 3°C by around 2150, before falling back to 1.5°C by 2300 and stabilising. Under these conditions, glaciers could lose up to 16 per cent more of their mass by 2200, compared to a world that never crosses the 1.5°C threshold, and 11 per cent more by 2500. That's on top of the 35 per cent already committed to melting even at 1.5°C. The thawing of glacial ice since 2000 has already raised sea levels by almost 2 centimetres, making glacier melt the second biggest contributor to sea level rise after the expansion of water due to warming oceans. Related The Arctic's glaciers are retreating, exposing new coastlines that could trigger tsunamis 83 per cent of 5-year-olds will be exposed to 'unprecedented' extreme heat in their lifetime 'Our models show it would take many centuries, if not millennia, for the large polar glaciers to recover from a 3°C overshoot,' says Dr Lilian Schuster, lead author of the study published today in the journal Nature Climate Change, and a researcher at the University of Innsbruck. The research excludes the world's two polar ice sheets. 'For smaller glaciers such as those in the Alps, the Himalaya and the Tropical Andes, recovery won't be seen by the next generations but is possible by 2500.' The fluctuations of glacier meltwater in these mountain regions have a huge impact on downstream communities. In basins where glaciers regrow after peak temperatures, glacier runoff reduces further than if they stabilise, a phenomenon the scientists call 'trough water'. Related COPs are struggling to keep 1.5C alive. Are there better forms of climate diplomacy? 'We found that roughly half of the basins we studied will experience some form of trough water beyond 2100,' explains Dr Lilian Schuster. 'It's too early to say how much impact this will have, but our study is a first step toward understanding the many and complex consequences of climate overshoots for glacier-fed water systems and sea-level rise.' 'Overshooting 1.5°C, even temporarily, locks in glacier loss for centuries. Our study shows that much of this damage cannot simply be undone - even if temperatures later return to safer levels,' concludes Dr Maussion. 'The longer we delay emissions cuts, the more we burden future generations with irreversible change.'
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Can glaciers regrow if global warming is reversed? Not in our lifetimes, scientists warn
Mountain glaciers won't recover for centuries if the world temporarily exceeds 1.5°C of global heating, new research shows. It is the first study to simulate glacier change up to 2500 under 'overshoot scenarios' - where the planet surpasses the 1.5°C limit up to 3°C before cooling back down. Since current climate policies put Earth on track for closer to 3°C of warming, the research led by the UK's University of Bristol and Austria's University of Innsbruck provides a timely glimpse into a possible future. And presents another urgent plea to correct the course we are on. 'It's clear that such a world is far worse for glaciers than one where the 1.5°C limit is held,' says corresponding author Dr Fabien Maussion, Associate Professor in Polar Environmental Change at the University of Bristol. Related Glaciers are losing more water each year than the world will consume in three decades, study warns 'We aimed to discover whether glaciers can recover if the planet cools again. It's a question many people ask - will glaciers regrow in our lifetime, or that of our children? Our findings indicate sadly not.' 2024 was the hottest year on record and the first calendar year to exceed the 1.5°C limit. The Paris Agreement target of limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels - beyond which climate disasters will escalate - is based on long-term averages, so we haven't crossed the line just yet. But it's looking increasingly likely, with the UN weather agency warning last year that there is a near 50 per cent chance that average global temperatures between 2024-2028 could top 1.5°C. To confront what this means for the world's frozen rivers of ice, scientists simulated a strong overshoot scenario in which global warming continues rising to 3°C by around 2150, before falling back to 1.5°C by 2300 and stabilising. Under these conditions, glaciers could lose up to 16 per cent more of their mass by 2200, compared to a world that never crosses the 1.5°C threshold, and 11 per cent more by 2500. That's on top of the 35 per cent already committed to melting even at 1.5°C. The thawing of glacial ice since 2000 has already raised sea levels by almost 2 centimetres, making glacier melt the second biggest contributor to sea level rise after the expansion of water due to warming oceans. Related The Arctic's glaciers are retreating, exposing new coastlines that could trigger tsunamis 83 per cent of 5-year-olds will be exposed to 'unprecedented' extreme heat in their lifetime 'Our models show it would take many centuries, if not millennia, for the large polar glaciers to recover from a 3°C overshoot,' says Dr Lilian Schuster, lead author of the study published today in the journal Nature Climate Change, and a researcher at the University of Innsbruck. The research excludes the world's two polar ice sheets. 'For smaller glaciers such as those in the Alps, the Himalaya and the Tropical Andes, recovery won't be seen by the next generations but is possible by 2500.' The fluctuations of glacier meltwater in these mountain regions have a huge impact on downstream communities. In basins where glaciers regrow after peak temperatures, glacier runoff reduces further than if they stabilise, a phenomenon the scientists call 'trough water'. Related COPs are struggling to keep 1.5C alive. Are there better forms of climate diplomacy? 'We found that roughly half of the basins we studied will experience some form of trough water beyond 2100,' explains Dr Lilian Schuster. 'It's too early to say how much impact this will have, but our study is a first step toward understanding the many and complex consequences of climate overshoots for glacier-fed water systems and sea-level rise.' 'Overshooting 1.5°C, even temporarily, locks in glacier loss for centuries. Our study shows that much of this damage cannot simply be undone - even if temperatures later return to safer levels,' concludes Dr Maussion. 'The longer we delay emissions cuts, the more we burden future generations with irreversible change.'
Euronews
19-05-2025
- Science
- Euronews
Overshooting 1.5°C will cause irreversible glacier loss, study shows
Mountain glaciers won't recover for centuries if the world temporarily exceeds 1.5°C of global heating, new research shows. It is the first study to simulate glacier change up to 2500 under 'overshoot scenarios' - where the planet surpasses the 1.5°C limit up to 3°C before cooling back down. Since current climate policies put Earth on track for closer to 3°C of warming, the research led by the UK's University of Bristol and Austria's University of Innsbruck provides a timely glimpse into a possible future. And presents another urgent plea to correct the course we are on. 'It's clear that such a world is far worse for glaciers than one where the 1.5°C limit is held,' says corresponding author Dr Fabien Maussion, Associate Professor in Polar Environmental Change at the University of Bristol. 'We aimed to discover whether glaciers can recover if the planet cools again. It's a question many people ask - will glaciers regrow in our lifetime, or that of our children? Our findings indicate sadly not.' 2024 was the hottest year on record and the first calendar year to exceed the 1.5°C limit. The Paris Agreement target of limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels - beyond which climate disasters will escalate - is based on long-term averages, so we haven't crossed the line just yet. But it's looking increasingly likely, with the UN weather agency warning last year that there is a near 50 per cent chance that average global temperatures between 2024-2028 could top 1.5°C. To confront what this means for the world's frozen rivers of ice, scientists simulated a strong overshoot scenario in which global warming continues rising to 3°C by around 2150, before falling back to 1.5°C by 2300 and stabilising. Under these conditions, glaciers could lose up to 16 per cent more of their mass by 2200, compared to a world that never crosses the 1.5°C threshold, and 11 per cent more by 2500. That's on top of the 35 per centalready committed to melting even at 1.5°C. The thawing of glacial ice since 2000 has already raised sea levels by almost 2 centimetres, making glacier melt the second biggest contributor to sea level rise after the expansion of water due to warming oceans. 'Our models show it would take many centuries, if not millennia, for the large polar glaciers to recover from a 3°C overshoot,' says Dr Lilian Schuster, lead author of the study published today in the journal Nature Climate Change, and a researcher at the University of Innsbruck. The research excludes the world's two polar ice sheets. 'For smaller glaciers such as those in the Alps, the Himalaya and the Tropical Andes, recovery won't be seen by the next generations but is possible by 2500.' The fluctuations of glacier meltwater in these mountain regions have a huge impact on downstream communities. In basins where glaciers regrow after peak temperatures, glacier runoff reduces further than if they stabilise, a phenomenon the scientists call 'trough water'. 'We found that roughly half of the basins we studied will experience some form of trough water beyond 2100,' explains Dr Lilian Schuster. 'It's too early to say how much impact this will have, but our study is a first step toward understanding the many and complex consequences of climate overshoots for glacier-fed water systems and sea-level rise.' 'Overshooting 1.5°C, even temporarily, locks in glacier loss for centuries. Our study shows that much of this damage cannot simply be undone - even if temperatures later return to safer levels,' concludes Dr Maussion. 'The longer we delay emissions cuts, the more we burden future generations with irreversible change.'
The Star
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Heart And Soul: The best man from Belize
The writer and Ilse's (couple seated in the centre) wedding in October 1988, at the Registry of Marriage, Innsbruck, flanked by the writer's best man, Frenchie (right) and Andre, the bridesmaid (left). — PETER REIFINGER Do you have any real-life, heart-warming stories to share with readers? We'd love to hear from you. Please keep your story within 900 words. Photos are optional and should be in JPEG format (file size about 1MB, with caption and photo credit). There is no payment for stories, and we reserve the right to edit all submissions. Email your story to: lifestyle@ with the subject "Heart and Soul". I was married in Innsbruck, Austria, 37 years ago. My best man was Frenchie, a charismatic dive instructor from the island of Caye Caulker, Belize. We met at summer school at the University of Innsbruck, where we were learning German. Both of us had Austrian girlfriends at the time – now our wives. Frenchie was unmistakable: tall, dark, shoulder-length hair, with a magnetic personality and a wacky sense of humour. He spoke English, Spanish and Belizean Creole. He met his wife, Gertraud, when she went diving in Belize. They fell in love, and he followed her to Austria to marry. Gertraud and my wife Ilse had studied nursing at the same school and later worked at the same hospital. They reconnected by chance at the university, delighted to find their boyfriends were classmates. From that moment, the four of us became inseparable. We shared many wonderful times together during that summer. Frenchie, always the joker, kept the class in stitches. Once, when asked how people travelled back home, he replied with a straight face, 'We swim.' He explained that people on Caye Caulker swam between islands. The class erupted with laughter, and even the teacher couldn't help but join in. Outside class, I spent time with Frenchie and Joseph, a Kenyan priest studying German for agriculture. We explored Innsbruck, shared meals, and I even did chalk drawings for spare change – a carefree summer of 1988. Frenchie and Gertraud married in September 1988 in her hometown. Ilse and I decided to tie the knot in October 1988. Having only been in Austria for 10 months and knowing few people, I asked Frenchie to be my best man. He happily accepted. The following month, Frenchie and Gertraud returned to Belize. Ilse and I stayed another year before heading back to Malaysia. We kept in touch over the years, drifting apart until social media reconnected us. In 2017, we heard Frenchie had suffered a stroke, though details were sparse. This February, we went on a month-long trip through Mexico and Guatemala, ending in Belize to visit him and his wife. It was heart-warming to reunite after 37 years. Gertraud now runs a charming hotel where we stayed. Frenchie shared that the stroke had initially left him unable to speak and sensitive to sound. To recover in peace, he built a secluded home beside a swamp, guarded by his dog, Kaiser – and two crocodiles! Nothing, not even a stroke, can hold him down. He now lives with discipline: rising at 3am to meditate, do yoga, and weld barbeque grills from discarded oxygen tanks. He runs his home on solar power and is modifying his golf buggy to do the same. Though older and slower now, Frenchie remains the same spirited soul I once knew. His son runs the dive shop now and he helps out now and then. Business has been successful, and he has a fleet of diving and chartered fishing boats. On our last night, he cooked a delicious Creole seafood stew – lobster, crab, fish, vegetables and chillies in coconut milk. I had multiple helpings. We invited them to visit us in Malaysia, and we wait eagerly.
