New Zealand: Glacier melts enough ice to provide drinking water for country

A glacier in New Zealand has lost enough water through ice melt over three years to provide drinking water to every citizen for the same period. Scientists say many glaciers are in danger of disappearing completely.


A glacier in New Zealand is believed to have lost so much ice over the last three years that it could provide drinking water for every resident of the country over the same period, a research institute announced Wednesday.

Scientists say the Brewster Glacier on the South Island lost 13 million cubic meters of ice between 2016 and 2019, the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) said.

"Over the past few years, our observations of extreme and variable conditions highlight strong impacts on water — which is arguably our most precious natural resource," said NIWA climate scientist Andrew Lorrey.

The Southern Alps range has lost more than 15.9 trillion liters of water, which is about the amount today's population of New Zealand would use in 40 years. This constitutes around 30% of the range's ice volume.

Read more: Antarctica experiences first known heat wave

'The path to extinction'

Damage sustained by some glaciers between 2018 and 2019 may place them on the path to extinction, Lorrey explained.

Marine heatwaves and record temperatures impacted snow lines. Ash from the recent Australian bush fires also blanketed some of the ice, increasing the potential for more melting as the ash absorbs more solar radiation.

Read more: Iceland holds ceremony for first glacier lost to climate change

It could take 20 or 30 years of improvement in snow cover before scientists could "even start to consider whether the recent damage can be reversed to any degree," Lorrey said.

DW RECOMMENDS


Almost all glaciers in the Alps could disappear by 2100: study

A study has found climate change may cause 90 percent of glaciers in the Alps to melt by the end of the century. It comes after a handful of European states agreed to better protect the Alps against climate change. (09.04.2019)

Himalayan ice melting at 'scary' levels

Using old spy images, scientists have revealed that glaciers are melting at an alarming rate. The only way to avert a huge natural disaster, they warn, would be to cool the earth's temperatures. (20.06.2019)