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Global Glacier Extinction Explorer maps future of 200,000 glaciers
Researchers from ETH Zurich and Vrije Universiteit Brussel have launched the Global Glacier Extinction Explorer, an interactive map designed to project the future of over 200,000 glaciers worldwide. Based on a study published in Nature Climate Change, the tool uses glaciological models to estimate when individual glaciers might disappear under various global warming scenarios.
The platform simulates four temperature increase levels relative to pre-industrial times: 1.5 °C, 2 °C, 2.7 °C, and 4 °C. Projections indicate that if warming is limited to 1.5 °C, the peak period for glacier loss could occur around 2041, with approximately 2,000 glaciers vanishing in that year. However, under a 4 °C warming scenario, the annual loss could exceed 4,000 glaciers.
In the Alps, many small glaciers are highly sensitive to temperature changes, with the most critical period for loss estimated to fall between the 2030s and 2040s. The tool defines a glacier as extinct when its surface area drops below 0.01 square kilometers or its volume falls below 1% of its original size. The map provides scientific projections with uncertainty intervals rather than exact dates, accounting for local climate and altitude factors.
Entities
Alps · Bella Tola Glacier · ETH Zurich · European Alps · Global Glacier Extinction Explorer · Nature Climate Change · Switzerland · Urirotstock Glacier · Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 3 SOURCES] The tool is based on a study published in Nature Climate Change. www.focusjunior.it · www.greenme.it · intriper.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] The map estimates the disappearance of over 200,000 glaciers. www.focusjunior.it · www.greenme.it · intriper.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] In the Alps, the most critical period for glacier loss could occur between the 2030s and 2040s. www.focusjunior.it
- [● 3 SOURCES] The tool simulates four warming scenarios: 1.5 °C, 2 °C, 2.7 °C, and 4 °C above pre-industrial levels. www.focusjunior.it · www.greenme.it · intriper.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] Researchers developed the Global Glacier Extinction Explorer interactive map. www.focusjunior.it · www.greenme.it · intriper.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] A glacier is considered extinct if its surface area falls below 0.01 square kilometers or its volume is less than 1% of its original size. www.greenme.it
- [○ 1 SOURCE] At 4 °C warming, the peak loss could exceed 4,000 glaciers per year. www.focusjunior.it
- [○ 1 SOURCE] At 1.5 °C warming, the peak loss of glaciers could occur around 2041, with approximately 2,000 losses in a single year. www.focusjunior.it