Accelerating glacial melting is causing the world’s oceans to rise year after year and is causing a loss of regional freshwater, new research led by scientists at the University of Zürich shows.
The world’s glaciers have been losing 273 billion tonnes of ice mass annually, causing oceans to rise by nearly a millimeter per year, which has been accelerating in recent years, the study finds.
“To put this in perspective, the 273 billion tonnes of ice lost in one single year amounts to what the entire global population consumes in 30 years, assuming three litres per person and day,” lead author Michael Zemp said in a press release.
The researchers also found that the rate at which glaciers are melting is accelerating fairly rapidly. The second half of the period studied (from 2012 to 2023) saw a 36% increase in ice loss compared to the first half.
“For some regions, we’re finding a profound change in how quickly that sea ice is disappearing,” Brian Menounos, one of the study authors, a geography professor at the University of Northern British Columbia whose work focuses on the impacts of climate change in western Canada, told EcoWatch on a video call. “In the lower 48 and western Canada,” he added, “we’ve lost something like 23% of the (glacier) volume since 2000,” he said.
The research was a collaborative effort under the World Glacier Monitoring Service and led by researchers at the University of Zürich. The researchers used the Glacier Mass Balance Intercomparison Exercise (GlaMBIE) to collect and analyze huge amounts of data from multiple sources to determine the rate of glacial melting and sea level rise since 2000.
The scientists used several methods to measure glacial ice loss, from the traditional method of manually comparing the amount of snow that accumulates on top of a glacier against the amount of water melting off of it, to much more advanced methods using satellites.
Tyler Sutterley, one of the study authors and senior research scientist at the Applied Physics Lab at the University of Washington, explained over email that one method the researchers used was photogrammetry, where they created 3D models of the glaciers over time from repeated satellite photos in a process called photogrammetry.
The researchers also used radar and laser ranging instruments from NASA’s Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellites (ICESat and ICESat-2) and the European Space Agency’s CryoSat-2 missions to “measure changes in surface topography,” in a process called altimetry, Sutterley wrote, the measurements from which were “combined with estimates of the snow density change to estimate the glacier’s total mass change.”
Glaciers in the Chugach Mountains of Alaska: This image, recorded by the Sentinel-2 satellite on 6 Oct. 6, 2017 shows the melting Scott (left), Sheridan (middle), and Childs (right) glaciers feeding lakes and rivers in their forefields. Copernicus Sentinel data 2017
The last technique the researchers used involved measuring changes in Earth’s gravitational field using data from NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and its successor, GRACE-FO, which allowed for the researchers to estimate glacial mass changes over wide areas.
Using each of these methods, the researchers created the “most comprehensive assessment of glacier change to date,” Sutterley wrote.
While the research didn’t delve into the causes behind ice loss, the biggest factors are almost certainly continued greenhouse gas emissions, along with a loss of ice and snow that reflects heat outward to space. With both of these factors increasing, we can expect both glacial melting and sea level rise to continue accelerating, Sutterley told EcoWatch on a video call.
“The Earth is tricky, but with our mountain glaciers, I think overall, they are expected to continue to shrink — in some regions, yes, shrink faster and faster — but overall, the going trend is that we are losing our glaciated regions, and it is happening faster and faster,” he said.
A 2021 study found that over 400 million people globally are vulnerable to sea level rise as sea level encroaches on the world’s coasts.
“Sea level rise affects all of us,” Sutterley said. “Most of the world’s population lives near water, whether it’s rivers or coasts, and so starting to lose coastline, as it moves further inland based on sea level rise, is going to affect a lot of people.”
“There’s regions in the South Pacific that live on low-lying islands, and it’s going to take a massive humanitarian effort to deal with what is going to be a humanitarian crisis as we start losing places that are habitable just due to sea level rise,” he said.
“Glaciers are one of the key metrics of climate change,” Sutterley said. “If you look at the big picture, you zoom out and you look at the tens of thousands of glaciers altogether, there you get a picture that is related to the energy balance of the planet, and where this energy is going. It’s going into the ocean. It’s melting ice, it’s heating our soils. And so having this broad view gives you this look on where this is going [and] what’s the cost.”
“We will directly notice the melting of these glaciers. Because they are located where many people live, it will affect drinking water supplies, in particular in South America and Asia. And the risk of flooding after the melt season also poses a danger,” Bert Wouters, one of the researchers and associate professor of geoscience and remote sensing at Delft University of Technology, wrote in a press release.
Menounos said that the research will likely continue in the future with a successor to the GLaMBIE project.
“The next steps are for the collaborators of GlaMBIE, 1.0, if you want to call it that, to reach out to the community and propose a follow-up study. And that will take several years for people to get together, to meet at conferences, have workshops, and really sort of dive into perhaps things or aspects that we didn’t have time or we didn’t have data to look at specific regions or look at try to reduce biases in some regions.”
The post Glacial Melting Is Accelerating, Driving Sea Level Rise and Depleting Freshwater: Study appeared first on EcoWatch.
https://www.ecowatch.com/glaciers-melting-sea-level-rise-freshwater-depletion.html
Thoreau wrote in Walden that “Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in,” which reminds us that life is short and nature fills it beautifully. What are you looking for that can’t be found during an afternoon in nature?
Earth911 inspirations. Post them, share your desire to help people think of the planet first, every day. Click the poster to get a larger image.
The post Earth911 Inspiration: Time Is but the Stream appeared first on Earth911.
https://earth911.com/inspire/earth911-inspiration-time-is-but-the-stream/
Green Living
Classic Sustainability In Your Ear: The Ocean River Institute’s Natural Lawn Challenge for Climate Action
Turn back the clock with this classic interview that will get you ready for Spring yard care planning. A lawn may be beautiful but it can take a heavy toll on the environment, accounting for between 30% and 60% of residential water use in the United States. Rob Moir, Ph.D., is president and executive director of the Ocean River Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts. ORI works with residential lawn owners to heal damaged ecosystems by restoring coastal areas to lessen the destructive impacts of climate change. The benefits of a natural lawn reach far beyond reduced local water pollution, eliminating chemicals that can contribute to cancers, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and other cellular diseases. Natural lawns are also better for local pollinators and store much more carbon than heavily fertilized lawns. If you considered removing your lawn to play a part in the battle against climate change, this interview may change your mind — a healthy lawn is a powerful carbon sink.
The Ocean River Institute is recruiting Massachusetts communities, town by town, to take a pledge to follow natural lawn practices in the Healthy Soils for Climate Restoration Challenge. You don’t need to live in Massachusetts to participate and learn about the alternatives to the traditional, chemical-intensive lawn practices that use Roundup, a source of glyphosates that kills soil-dwelling fungi and local pollinators, and fast-acting nitrogen fertilizers. You can learn more about the Ocean River Institute at www.oceanriver.org.
Rob has contributed many articles about climate change and the history of environmental change since this interview, including:
- Finding a Northwest Passage to the Sea
- Turning the Tide—How Land and Water Shape Our Climate Future
- Learning from Captain Scoresby’s Ten-gallon Fir-Cask
- Earth Savvy?
- Let the Ground Keep Falling Rainwater
- The Sultans of Swag Versus Looking at Clouds from Both Sides Now
- Subscribe to Sustainability in Your Ear on iTunes and Apple Podcasts.
- Follow Sustainability in Your Ear on Spreaker, iHeartRadio, or YouTube
Editor’s Note: This episode originally aired on May 30, 2022.
The post Classic Sustainability In Your Ear: The Ocean River Institute’s Natural Lawn Challenge for Climate Action appeared first on Earth911.
https://earth911.com/podcast/earth911-podcast-the-ocean-river-institutes-natural-lawn-challenge-for-climate-action/
Choosing your perfect gown can be one of the most exciting decisions for your special day, but for the eco fashionista, it can be a challenge to find a dress that fits your values and style — but these brands have exceptional sustainable wedding dresses you’ll swoon over!
Using earth-minded materials like hemp, cruelty-free peace silk, deadstock recycled fabrics and vintage lace, and producing consciously, either in small batches or handcrafting each individual piece made-to-order, the brands below meet high standards for transparency, ecological sustainability, and fair labor.
[For more sustainable wedding dresses, check out this guide to secondhand wedding dress sites!]
Note that the guide contains affiliate links. As always, we only feature brands that meet strict criteria for sustainability we love, that we think you’ll love too!
1. Christy Dawn
Dreamy dress brand Christy Dawn does not disappoint with their romantic bridal collection! Each piece is more swoon-worthy than the next.
Their three sustainable bridal gowns are made from regenerative silk charmeuse —sourced through BOMBYX, an innovative silk producer using best practices — and colored in a beautiful pearl silk with non-toxic dyes. Each dress is ethically cut and sewn by makers in Los Angeles earning living wages, as with the rest of Christy Dawn’s collections.
The Britta Dress and Fitzgerald Dress are 1920s inspired while the Athena Dress is a more modern (but equally romantic) option. All of these dresses are made-to-order with an estimated timeline of 4 weeks.
Conscious Qualities: Regenerative silk and organic non-toxic dyes, ethically made-to-order in Los Angeles
Price Range: $2,500 – $3,000
Size Range: XS – XL
2. Pure Magnolia
Blending the traditional with the modern, Pure Magnolia designs classic-inspired sustainable wedding dresses with contemporary touches. And each dress is made in their Canadian studio by seamstresses earning fair wages from eco-fabrics, such as organic cotton and hemp silk.
The brand sources recycled fabrics whenever possible as well, and recycles their scrap fabric through FABCYCLE.
Conscious Qualities: Eco-friendly fabrics, locally and fairly made, recycles scrap fabrics
Price Range: $845 – $3,300 CAD
Size Range: 0 – 28
3. Lost in Paris
Lost in Paris crafts each of their creatively designed bohemian-inspired gowns ethically in their Sydney, Australia studio. Unconventional yet undeniably striking, Lost in Paris’ dresses are made from vintage lace and cotton.
Investing in a dress from Lost in Paris is seamless — the brand offers at-home sample try-ons, offers train and sleeve adjustments on several styles, ships their dresses worldwide for free, and even accepts returns. Oh, and, if one of their ready-made sizes doesn’t work for you, you can get a dress designed to your measurements.
Conscious Qualities: Made-to-order model, uses vintage lace, locally made
Price Range: $950 – $3900 AUD
Size Range: XXS – XXL + custom sizing options
For More Slow Fashion Content:
4. Wear Your Love
Wear Your Love creates feminine, effortless dresses in their Northern California studio that are — in contrast to the majority of wedding dresses on the market — actually comfortable! The brand’s free-spirited designs are made with soft, earth-minded fabrics like organic cotton and each dress is made to order for each bride to their exact measurements.
There are also customizations available for each eco-friendly wedding dress such as train or no train, skirt or sleeve linings, back coverage, skirt style, and more.
Conscious Qualities: Eco-friendly fabrics, made-to-order model, locally and transparently made
Price Range: $680 – $1,700
Size Range: N/A; dresses are made to your measurements
5. Larimeloom
Based in Reggio Emilia, Italy, Larimeloom crafts exceptional custom-made dresses by hand in their atelier. The brand creates comfortable minimalist dresses from durable natural fabrics and colors them with natural or non-toxic dyes.
Larimeloom has also implemented zero waste design techniques, cutting their patterns strategically in order to minimize fabric waste.
Conscious Qualities: Made-to-order model, zero-waste designs, natural fabrics and dyes
Price Range: 650€ – 2,650€
Size Range: XS – XL
6. Sister Organics
Sourcing quality earth-friendly natural fabrics like organic hemp and cotton, Sister Organics creates classic, eco-friendly wedding dresses for UK-based brides.
Each dress is made to order in England, so you can select a pre-defined size, customize the length of a size, or get an entirely different dress made for your measurements.
Conscious Qualities: Eco-friendly fabrics, made-to-order model
Price Range: £125 – £390
Size Range: XXS – XXL + custom sizing
7. Indiebride London
Indiebride’s vintage-inspired sustainable wedding dresses are delicate and romantic yet free-spirited, offering a unique collection for the bride that wants to skip the conventional wedding gown and choose a piece that fits their individual style.
The brand’s conscious wedding dresses are handmade in London using majority natural fibers and can be altered or customized to your specifications.
Conscious Qualities: Made-to-order model, uses many natural fabrics, locally made
Price Range: £1,200 – £1,700
Size Range: 8 – 16 (UK sizes)
More Resources For Your Eco Wedding:
10 Secondhand Wedding Dress Sites for the Eco Bride
7 Ethical Lab-Grown Diamond Engagement and Wedding Rings
17 Brands with Conscious Dresses (great options for bridesmaid dresses in here!)
The post 7 Best Sustainable Wedding Dresses for Your Special Day appeared first on Conscious Life & Style.
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