THEMATIC SLIDES

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

One Planet Many People: Atlas of Our Changing Environment

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TUNDRA AND POLAR