Who doesn’t admire the beauty of freshly fallen snow or the ice-capped mountains? Even if someone doesn’t like cold weather, there is no way they could resist the breathtaking charm of snowy landscapes. Alas! These landscapes are melting away. The planet is witnessing drastic global warming effects on glaciers and ice caps – from Antarctica to the Himalayas.
With rising global temperatures, the glaciers, ice sheets, and other ice caps are melting; so much so that the planet has lost 28 trillion tons of ice mass in the past 23 years. A study has estimated ice loss on land in 24 years on mountain glaciers at 6.1 trillion tons, followed by Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets at 3.8 trillion tons and 2.5 trillion tons, respectively. Moreover, a total loss of 7.6 trillion tons of Arctic sea ice and 6.5 trillion tons of Antarctic ice shelves was estimated.
Alarming images of climate change and global warming effects on glaciers and ice caps around the world
We have compiled a photolog of 50+ alarming images of climate change and global warming effects on glaciers and ice caps around the world. From Greenland to Antarctica, from the Arctic to the Himalayas – the earth is losing ice caps at a rapid rate, which threatens to increase sea level dramatically and devour the coastal areas.
Polar bears are immensely threatened by global warming effects on glaciers, as they are not only losing their natural habitat but their food sources as well.
Image: Polar Bears International/BJ Kirschhoffer/AFP
This glacial lake in Alaska didn’t exist in 1950, but now broken iceberg fragments float in it. Global warming effects on glaciers could not be more obvious.
Image: NBC News
Global warming effects on glaciers causing to melt of these ice masses and are expected to increase the sea levels dramatically, which could lead to the destruction and annihilation of coastal regions across the globe.
Image: Gui Bortolotto
A pair of penguins playing on a giant piece of ice mass on the seashore, while no iceberg or ice caps are to be seen anywhere around.
Image: Quartz
A mother and cub polar bear on barely existent snow patch as melting ice makes a puddle of water around them.
Image: Katharina M Miller/Polar Bears International
Global warming effects on glaciers are leading to cracks in the Pine Island Glacier in Antarctica.
Image: Ian Joughin
A research ship in the North Pole, where glaciers are seen split with puddles of water formed over them.
Image: Steffen Graupner
Crevasses in the ice stretch on the Pine Island Glacier in Antarctica.
Image: Ian Joughin
Cracks on glaciers often lead to the breakage of ice caps and provide entries for warm waters that further the melting of ice sheets.
Image: Ian Joughin
An iceberg in Disko Bay, Greenland, where icebergs calving into the sea are a major contributor to Greenland’s ice loss.
Image: Ian Joughin
A stream of meltwater flows over frozen mass in Greenland, triggering further ice melting.
Image: Ian Joughin
60-foot deep meltwater riverine has been created in this polar ice sheet.
Image: Ian Joughin
This meltwater riverine calves on the sides of the ice sheet, causing the breaking of ice caps.
Image: Ian Joughin
Supraglacial lakes usually surfaced during the summer seasonal melt, but they are becoming much common as Greenland as global warming effects on glaciers lead to melting.
Image: Ian Joughin
Moulins in ice caps drip warm water to the base of the ice, triggering a chain reaction of melting.
Image: Ian Joughin
Crevasses scar ice caps on the Pine Island Glacier in Antarctica as far as the eye can see.
Image: Ian Joughin
Signs of climate change can be observed across Antarctica – melting of landscapes and affected species that live here.
Image: Kelly Levin/WRI
Rising temperatures are resulting in ice loss and warmer waters surrounding the continent of Antarctica.
Image: Kelly Levin/WRI
The past four decades have witnessed immense ice loss from the Antarctic Ice Sheet.
Image: Kelly Levin/WRI
The warming of waters under the glaciers has exacerbated the global warming effects on glaciers and ice caps.
Image: Kelly Levin/WRI
Due to habitat loss, some penguin populations have been pushed to the edge of extinction, while others have adapted to the warming climate.
Image: Kelly Levin/WRI
The changing climatic conditions have shrunk the food sources for penguins, leading the species to adapt.
Image: Kelly Levin/WRI
Once snowy hills are now covered in more vegetation as ice caps are melting amid the effects of global warming and the underlying soil is releasing nitrogen to help grow grass.
Image: Kelly Levin/WRI
Arctic seabirds are adapting as climate change decreases ice caps, bringing warmer weather and shifting food sources.
Image: Allan Hopkins
Beauty in Chaos – A beautiful ice cap is floating in Greenland, where ice loss has increased dramatically in the past few years.
Image: Albert Dros
With global warming issues getting severe, the ice caps in Greenland are taking heavy losses.
Image: Albert Dros
With the midnight sun’s colors hitting the ice and a beautiful palette in the sky in Ilulissat, one might forget the hard-hitting reality of global warming for a moment.
Image: Albert Dros
Scientists are worried as the Arctic permafrost melts, exposing soils with high levels of carbon deposits which could upset the carbon balance and magnify the effects of global warming on glaciers if defrosted sufficiently.
Image: Jeremy Potter/NOAA
Moving icebergs in the sea are more perceptible to escalated ice melting.
Image: Albert Dros
An aerial shot of the Greenland Ice Sheet, with a multitude of meltwater riverine flowing through it.
Image: Albert Dros
The photographer aimed to capture the impact of global warming through this image of a giant iceberg floating in the sea with small fragments of ice swirling around it.
Image: Albert Dros
A Polar Landscape in Antarctica, with fragments of ice floating in the water.
Image: Momatiuk /Eastcott/Corbis
The Bhutan-Himalaya region is observing the formation of glacial lakes amid rising temperatures.
Image: NASA
A rising moon behind the icebergs even beautifies the chaotic situation of melting ice caps owing to the effects of global warming.
Image: Albert Dros
The increasing global temperatures are causing a catastrophic meltdown of the Greenland Ice Sheet, along with other icy landscapes losing ice caps.
Image: Albert Dros
Broken pieces of ice caps and glaciers floating in the seas have become a common appearance due to global warming.
Image: Albert Dros
The oceans around ice sheets are getting warmer, instigating the melting of ice caps and further contributing to global warming.
Image: Albert Dros
The ice fjord at Ilulissat, with multiple crevices and meltwater puddles.
Image: Albert Dros
Over the past four decades, satellite data has shown more rapid water flow into the ocean from glaciers, raising concerns over sea level rise.
Image: Albert Dros
Hot temperatures have melted the ice and formed a glacial lake on top of an iceberg, with a waterfall falling in the ocean.
Image: Albert Dros
Large cracks in giant icebergs often lead to the breaking and melting of ice caps amid global warming.
Image: Albert Dros
A lone polar bear lying on a small floating iceberg. The species is threatened by the rapid melting of ice caps and glaciers.
Image: WWF-Aus / Chris Johnson
As the planet warms up, glaciers all over Antarctica are melting rapidly, which threatens the existence of the entire planet and all of its inhabitants.
Image: HO/Reuters
Pieces broken from ice caps and glaciers swirl around in the oceans.
Image: Felipe Dana/AP
Two small icebergs floating in the sea, covered by clouds near Kulusuk, Greenland, where ice melting has been particularly dramatic.
Image: Felipe Dana/AP
A huge iceberg in eastern Greenland with a hole at the bottom, which could allow warm waters to calve at the ice.
Image: Felipe Dana/APA
A multitude of icebergs floating through the sea, a clear indication of the effects of global warming on glaciers and ice caps.
Image: Felipe Dana/AP
Three icebergs floating in waters near Kulusuk, Greenland, where scientists are hard at work, trying to understand the alarmingly rapid melting of the ice.
Image: Felipe Dana/AP
This image depicts the Greenland glaciers on the edge of collapse, an iceberg with multiple meltwater lakes amid rising temperatures.
Image: Felipe Dana/AP
Climatic changes have exacerbated global warming, leading to massive meltdowns of ice caps around the globe.
Image: Felipe Dana/AP
An iceberg is seen at the horizon, wobbling around in the ocean.
Image: Felipe Dana/AP
Scientists studying the icy landscape, meltwater riverine and lakes can be seen in this picture of Greenland.
Image: Felipe Dana/AP
Ice is lost by melting rather than iceberg calving near Illusitat as here the glaciers meet the sea, inducing melting.
Image: Ian Joughin
Broken pieces of a glacier can be seen floating around in the waters, a clear sign of global warming effects on glaciers and ice caps of the planet.
Image: Ian Joughin
An iceberg in the Ilulissat Fjord, carved by wind and water, furthering the melting of ice caps.
Image: Ian Joughin