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Glaciers ending in lakes lose ice 57% faster, study finds

glacier mass loss climate change Nature Communications glaciology sea level rise

A global study published in Nature Communications reveals that the terminal environment of a glacier significantly impacts its rate of mass loss. Researchers from the Universities of Birmingham and Leeds analyzed 216,502 glaciers worldwide, excluding the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets.

The findings indicate that glaciers terminating in lakes lose mass up to 57% faster relative to their size compared to those ending on land. While glaciers ending in lakes, oceans, or ice shelves represent only 3.2% of the world's total glaciers, they account for more than half of the total glacier mass loss recorded between 2000 and 2019, totaling approximately 134,000 million tons of ice per year.

Scientists suggest that lakes accelerate ice loss by causing ice fracturing and promoting subaqueous melting. Additionally, lake-terminating glaciers flow approximately 10% faster on average than land-terminating ones. The study highlights a critical gap in current climate models, as most projections do not fully account for the specific dynamics of glaciers that discharge into lakes.

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Nature Communications · University of Birmingham · University of Leeds

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Sources

Glaciares que terminan en lagos pierden hielo hasta un 57% más rápido [bairesparatodos.com.ar]
El final de un glaciar cambia su pérdida de hielo [ciencias.uy]
El preocupante deshielo del permafrost ártico [nuestroclima.com]
El pequeño grupo de glaciares que explica más de la mitad del hielo perdido - Infobae [www.infobae.com]