Many of New Zealand’s glaciers may be gone in a decade, that’s the stark prediction by NIWA following their annual end of summer survey to monitor glacier health.
Thousands of aerial photographs were taken last week to help track the loss of snow and ice as part of an ongoing assessment of 50 South Island glaciers.
NIWA says that many of New Zealand’s glaciers are suffering thanks to exceedingly warm summer temperatures, which have been exacerbated by a marine heatwave.
"Based on what I saw during the 2022 survey, it looks like our glaciers have struggled compared to last year,” says NIWA climate scientist Gregor Macara.
“The snowline elevations this year were high, meaning much of the winter snows had melted, leaving a lot of glacial ice exposed. It appears to be yet another poor year for our ice, continuing the trend from recent years, and it is disheartening to see the ongoing decline in extent of the glaciers we monitor.”
A snowline is the boundary between a snow-covered surface and a snow-free one. The bigger the glacier, the lower the snowline.
"What we’re seeing is a clear retreat, which is no doubt thanks to climate change,” says NIWA principal scientist Dr Andrew Lorrey.
“In a decade, we predict that many of our beloved and important glaciers will be gone.”
“This will have far reaching impacts, such as altering our beautiful landscape, affecting the livelihoods of people who rely on these natural wonders for tourism, and flow on effects from decreased meltwater during periods of drought.”
NIWA’s findings come just a week after extreme temperatures were recorded in Antarctica.
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