Tropical Glaciers in Peril

Tropical glaciers – the term itself sounds like a contradiction.

And yet, in warm, equatorial locations like Indonesia, the Eternity Glacier lies high above sea level in the island province of Papua. On the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, ice formations coexist with the vast, dry savannas of East Africa. At least for now. With rapidly rising global temperatures, tropical glaciers are in danger of disappearing from the planet for good.

“Glaciers in general, and tropical glaciers in particular, are among the most sensitive indicators of a warming climate,” said Daniel Shain, professor of zoology in the Department of Biology at Rutgers University in Camden. “Their current rate of melting is alarming.”

Daniel Shain, a professor of zoology in the Department of Biology at Rutgers University in Camden

Daniel Shain, a professor of zoology in the Department of Biology at Rutgers University in Camden

Shain authored a chapter on tropical ice masses in a recently published textbook, Imperiled: The Encyclopedia of Conservation, which examines species and ecosystems that are threatened by humanity’s expanding footprint. Among the ecosystems currently in danger are glaciers: massive formations of slowly moving ice, snow, and water that have been compressed into solid masses over many centuries. Some date back as far as the last Ice Age, more than 10,000 years ago.

There are several distinct glacier types, Shain explained. “Maritime glaciers are typically close to the ocean, at lower elevations, and never freeze solid,” he said. “Compare them to continental glaciers, which are typically inland, at high elevations, and freeze solid over winter, so ice temperatures plummet.” Glaciers found along the slopes of mountain ranges near the equator are categorized as maritime glaciers and, because of their location, are often referred to as tropical glaciers.

Glaciers serve as massive freshwater reservoirs and are essential to life on Earth. Tropical glaciers are significant because they can sustain a surprisingly wide variety of life while supporting and shaping downstream ecosystems.

Fox Glacier in West Coast, New Zealand is an example of a maritime glacier

This Greenland ice sheet is an example of a continental glacier

“Tropical glaciers are critical for the microbial life within the ice, as well as the flora and fauna that live around it,” Shain said. “They serve as resources for animals and humans to cool off, and some small animals are known to stockpile their food in glaciers for long-term storage.” Tropical glaciers also help to moderate seasonal variations in the flow of mountain rivers and ensure a steady supply of fresh water for drinking, agriculture, and other uses.

More than one-sixth of the world’s people—as well as plants, animals, and other living organisms—have come to rely on these glaciers resources throughout South America, East Africa, and Southeast Asia. Yet climate change and global warming are set to permanently destroy the Earth’s tropical glaciers and complicate survival for all who rely on them.

According to climate scientists at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, the average global temperature on Earth has increased by nearly 1 degree Celsius (about 2 degrees Fahrenheit) since measurements began in 1880, with the past nine years being the warmest ever recorded. The results are already being felt by many across the globe, as extreme—and destructive—weather events are becoming more common.

Global Land-Ocean Temperature Index, source: NASA/GISS

Global Land-Ocean Temperature Index, source: NASA/GISS

The Andes Mountains of South America

The Tuni Condoriri glacier in Bolivia

For areas that depend on tropical glaciers, their rapid reduction portends the disappearance of a way of life. “Some glacial field sites that I started visiting as little as 20 years ago are completely melted, and life associated with these glaciers is gone,” Shain said, noting that the disappearance of these ecosystems can have wider catastrophic consequences.

For example, in the Andes Mountains of South America, tropical glaciers have long fed the rivers and tributaries that flow into the Amazon basin. They are also some of the most quickly melting glaciers in the world. The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization estimates that the region has lost between 30 and 50 percent of its ice cover in just the past 40 years. The result: once vibrant wetlands are now dry, and concerns around water shortages have increased.

The problem is at crisis levels in parts of Bolivia; a study by the Universidad Mayor de San Andrés predicts that the Tuni Condoriri glacier will fully melt in the next 30 years, leaving the surrounding region—home to nearly 4 million people—with limited drinking water and reduced ability to generate electricity through hydroelectric power.

Despite this, tropical glaciers are not classified as an endangered ecosystem by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a global authority on the status of different global environments and how to safeguard them. The IUCN maintains a “Red List of Ecosystems” that identifies the relative risks to various locations around the globe, which include the tidal flats of the Yellow Sea in Asia and the Great Mayan Reef in the Caribbean Sea.

“Tropical glaciers should be classified by the IUCN as endangered, without question,” Shain said. “The problem is that most people are unaware that tropical glaciers exist, so they are mostly ignored.”

Significantly reducing carbon dioxide emissions and other greenhouse gases to slow the warming of the planet is the surest way to fight the changes due to climate change, including the loss of tropical glaciers.

“I am concerned it may be too late for tropical glaciers, unfortunately,” Shain said. “The best approach is to educate the general public about the biological, economic, and cultural richness of glaciers in hopes that we will learn how important it is to reduce our carbon footprint and take the necessary steps to do so.”

Design: Karaamat Abdullah
Photography: Ron Downes Jr.