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TUNDRA AND POLAR
• Arctic Sea Ice• Ninnis Glacier, Antarctica• Drygalski Ice Tongue Antarctica• Filchner Ice Shelf, Antarctica• Breidamerkurjökull, Iceland• Kolka Glacier, Russia• Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania • Hubbard Glacier, United States• Prudhoe Bay, United States
TUNDRA AND POLAR FACTS
• The Earth’s tundra and polar regions are the world’s least populated regions
• Arctic Tundra is in the Northern hemisphere, while Alpine Tundra is found on mountains throughout the world
• Most of the world’s freshwater is locked up in polar ice caps
• Earth’s polar regions are the Arctic and the Antarctic: the Arctic is frozen ocean surrounded by land and the Antarctic is frozen continent surrounded by ocean
• Arctic sea ice is melting at an alarming rate of 8.5% per decade
• 87% of the 244 marine glaciers in Antarctic Peninsula have retreated over the last 50 years
Earth Observatory, UNEP 2005
Dramatic changes in Artic Sea Ice
1979-2003: Progressive Loss of Arctic Ice
Imagine an ice-free Arctic
Calving of Ninnis Glacier, Antarctica
22 January 2000: Shows Ninnis Glacier Tongue soon after the initial calving
5 February 2002: Iceberg split into two sections and started moving away from Ninnis Glacier
Cracks on Drygalski Ice Tongue Antarctica
The ice tongue was discovered in 1902
21 February 2005: Drygalski calved an iceberg
Image shows cracks formed by time and ocean currents
Filchner Ice Shelf is the largest ice shelf on the planet
In 1986, the front edge of the Ice Shelf broke off into three enormous icebergs
Filchner Ice Shelf – largest by volumeAntarctica
Breidamerkurjökull glacier has been shrinking
1973-2000: Images show glacier has receded and the glacial lake at its tip has enlarged
Shrinking Breidamerkrjökull Glacier Iceland
Collapse of Kolka Glacier, Russia
Around Mt. Kazbek, dormant volcano glaciers intermittently collapse, burying the landscape below
20 September 2002: Kolka shattered, setting off a massive avalanche of ice, snow and rocks
This before and after image shows the vast extent of the disaster, following the glacier’s collapse
Extent of disaster in Kolka Glacier Russia
Disappearing ice cap of Mt. KilimanjaroTanzania
Africa’s highest mountain with a forest belt containing a rich diversity of ecosystems
• 1976: Glaciers covered most of the summit
• 2000: The glaciers had receded alarmingly
North America: Angangueo
• 1986: Images show Degradation of forest area
• 2001: Between 1984 and 1999, 38 per cent of forests were degraded
Calving of Hubbard GlacierUnited States
•1986 – Hubbard Glacier blocks Russell Fjord
•2002 – Hubbard Glacier blocks Russell Fjord again
• 2003 – Glacier has retreated
•1999 – Hubbard Glacier during the formation of the ice dam
North America: Angangueo
• 1986: Images show Degradation of forest area
• 2001: Between 1984 and 1999, 38 per cent of forests were degraded
14 Aug 2002
10 Aug 2002
Hubbard Glacier AdvanceUnited States
Sprawling oil fields along Prudhoe BayUnited States
• 1974-1999: After the discovery of oil fields in 1968, the Bay has undergone dramatic changes
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