Southern Patagonian Ice Field Essay

Prior to watching Chasing Ice, I felt like I was well informed on the issue of climate change as well as itʻs ecological effects. Although, I also cannot recall actually spending time to understand the severity of the issue or learning of decisions that I could make as an individual that would alleviate it. After watching Chasing Ice, I realized that ignorance and the general unawareness of the public is the first component of the issue that must be addressed in order to combat it. When facts and warnings of climate change are communicated through articles and other media outlets, people are often inclined to avoid the issue. As a result, the issue does not seem as urgent as it actually is and does not receive the attention it deserves. It

The Arctic Sea Ice is melting or slowly disappearing and it is said to be one of the reasons of global warming. What is happens is that the Arctic Ice it melts a little and gets smaller during the summer season and than during the winter season the ice gets bigger and expands over the Arctic Ocean, “a freeze-thaw cycle that in the Arctic has been dramatically altered by global warming (Global Warming Effects).” The Arctic Sea Ice in the past could grow up to 3 meters, which is around 10 feet, but now the average thick ness is becoming much less, and some scientist are afraid that in a few decades there might not be any sea ice during the summer (Global Warming Effects). Another major thing that has been discovered is that the amount of ice

Imagine a world with no trees, no healthy grass, no glaciers, or no living creatures at all. The cause of this tragedy could be the increase in heat in the Earth’s atmosphere due to global warming. If global warming continues to increase, the world will be left empty. The Earth has been around for a long time, and many feet have walked on it, but no one has walked on this Earth without trees, grass, or creatures. With global warming, the Earth’s meteorology gets too warm, and all of the glaciers will start to melt. Global warming occurs when an increase in the carbon dioxide levels causes the temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere to rise. The Earth’s meteorology is often a subject explored in literature. For example, “Chronicles of Ice” talks

Remote sensing has become a very valuable tool for documenting the response of glacier to changing climate (Bamber and Kwok, 2003; Kuhn, 2007; Pellikka, 2007; Solomon et al, 2007) because the rugged terrain, inaccessibility and legendary poor weather of glacier areas has resulted in relatively few field- based studies. Indeed, in order to use glaciers and their changes as indicators of climate change, or as an early warning signal for sea level rise, remote sensing is the only tool to provide glacier change information from all the continents and from a large number of glaciers and ice sheets. On the other hands, because space borne and airborne remote sensing data provide superior cost- effective and area effective data and methods for monitoring the glaciers and their changes, part of this monitoring can be carried out by it.

Antarctica has one of the only two polar ice caps on the planet Earth. It is called the Antarctic ice sheet and it covers about 98% of the Antarctic continent. Wikipedia says this is the largest ice mass on Earth; it covers about 5.4 million square miles, and is

The Athabasca River originates from the Columbia Ice-field and flows in a north-easterly direction about 1500 km to the Athabasca Delta and Lake Athabasca. Throughout its course, the river flows through (or adjacent to) many communities, including Jasper, Hinton, Athabasca, Fort McMurray, and Fort MacKay (with a combined population of more than 155,000 people). Due to its rich natural resources, Athabasca river basin is host of many mining and forestry industries and agricultural activities along the river (MRBB 2004). Particularly, there is an ongoing oil sands development in the region adjacent to the lower reach of the Athabasca River, north of Fort McMurray. All of these activities, in conjunction with the natural watershed geology, effluents from wastewater treatment plants (point sources) and runoff from both natural and altered landscapes (non-point source), have the potential to affect water quality in the lower Athabasca River (Hebben 2009).

Collaborating on an international level remains important for conducting ice patch research due to the rapid melting of alpine ice and decay of valuable artifacts. The work conducted for this thesis included cooperation from Parks Canada. Ice patch research was conducted not only on the U.S. side of the international border, but also on the Canadian side of Chilkoot Pass. Parks Canada allowed me and KLGO archaeologists to use the Canadian warden cabin at the summit of Chilkoot Pass as a basecamp for the ice patch study (Figure 1.4). Working between two sovereign countries emphasizes the matter of climate change as a global issue and the importance in maintaining international relations. Maintaining international relations benefits the scientific community on a global scale and provides significant research opportunities.

One of nature's most powerful and influential forces is also one of nature's coldest and slowest processes. These great icy rivers are called glaciers and have formed some of the most beautiful scenery on this planet. These enormous frozen bodies of water are often thousands of feet wide and deep and many miles long. They cover millions of acres of land and drastically change the land into beautiful mountains with many amazing features. One of the areas where glaciers have been most influential is in Yosemite National Park in California. Here almost every glacial feature is shown. However, before this information about glaciers in Yosemite was clear, there was the Yosemite Controversy with

What does it mean to be a leader? Is a leader someone who can take control when a firm hand is needed? Or perhaps it is the man who is willing to stand up for what he believes in. I used to think of leaders as impressive and impeccable meta-humans. They were men and women who I thought were simply cut from a different cloth and beyond someone like me. Now I believe that a true leader, is that special someone who is willing to get up early and start making breakfast. I believe the hero takes the two-minute walk to find fresh water. During my time at NOLS Patagonia I was able to tune into what it truly meant to lead your peers. When I entered college with the mindset of tackling freshman year, I found myself unprepared for the workload.

Over the years, the topic of climate change is discussed more frequently, and virtually everyone has their own stance on it. The source of the changing climate is believed to be from the excess carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere. Since climate change is such a complex topic, experts are often consulted for their vast knowledge in their respected fields. Climate change can be seen in many different parts of nature, but the documentary Chasing Ice focuses mainly on the glacial movement of various patches of ice in many different locations. The documentary is directed by Jeff Orlowski and follows the journey of photographer James Balog and his crew attempting to obtain evidence of climate change. Balog and his team trek through treacherous terrain and environments in order to set up time-lapse stations that take pictures of glaciers. The pictures were stitched together to create presentations that would show the effects of climate change. Orlowski uses elements of rhetoric in Chasing Ice through the use of facts, data, experts, and the overcoming major roadblocks in an attempt to influence global warming skeptics. Even though the use of these methods connect well, the lack of focus on a specific topic, the absence of acknowledgement of other perspectives, and the dreary delivery of the content prevented the documentary from having any real impact on the intended audience of elderly. As a result, the documentary just

The most interesting thing to know about Los Glaciares is that it is the third largest ice field in the world after Antartica and Greenland. Another thing is that the ice reflects blue lights but it is actually transparent. Awesome to know that is the special feature when talking about Los Glaciares. At the end of the video, the aerial view really capture the beauty of the glacier.

One man's trash is another man's treasure as the old adage goes, but what about when one man's trash is another species pandemic. Pollution has been plaguing humans for centuries, and as a result, the accumulation of this garbage has begun to significantly affect populations other than human beings. A striking example of this is found in Arctic Polar bear populations which as of recently are beginning to display some eerie side effects. Most individuals tend not to think about where their trash goes the second it leaves their hands, but it has to go somewhere. This somewhere is often times the ocean where the trash congregates and migrates around the world where it is consumed by the various species which dwell in its depths. The concentration of these toxins builds slowly within the various species that are exposed to it. Consequently, these concentrations increase as one moves up the food web, and at the top of the Arctic food web sits the beloved polar bear which bears the brunt of these ever increasing concentrations expressed through various health complications.

~ Glaciers are formed when snow builds up for several years from snowfall that exceeds snow melt. Over time, as new snow compresses the existing snow, the weight causes the snow underneath to turn to ice. The hardening effect is similar to what happens when you pack a snowball in your hand. The pressure from additional layers of snow builds for up to thousands of years. Glaciers can grow and shrink as a result of changes in the amount of snowfall or changes in the amount of melting because of

A research scientist stands on a sheet of ice. He looks right, then left, more ice. Off in the distance are mountains of ice. There are open patches of water in the middle of this great land of ice reflecting the vibrant and glowing sun. Waiting with patience around one patch is a polar bear, white and skinny. Skinny, as the polar bear has not eaten in days. It stands watch with hopeful eyes that a big, juicy seal will pop its head out just enough to get a bite and haul the seal on shore to feed itself and the bear’s two cubs. This area is known as the arctic, and it is home to many animals, such as the polar bear, but they are in danger of losing their home due to the melting ice caps. At the beginning of the article “The geopolitics of Arctic melt”, Charles K. Ebinger, the director of the Energy Security and Climate Initiative at Brookings Institution, as well as Evie Zambetakis, a Senior Research Assistant at Brookings Institute in 2009, asserts their credence of how the thawing Arctic, due to Global warming, increased the interest of the area worldwide.

Glaciers are one of the most fundamental phenomenon on the planet, and much of their purpose and impact on earth has been well documented and published. Ice sheets, Ice Caps and Glaciers trap nearly 90% of the world's fresh water, and are replenished by snowfall each year. Their existence on this planet dates back 650,000,000 years and yet they are always moving, always shifting and always melting. Before, human existence and even during the brief era of humans, ice dominated all of the earth's landmass and have regulated, created and altered many of the landscapes around the world.