Human induced climate change is real. It feels weird that I have to say that, but the overwhelming body of evidence suggest human activity post the industrial revolution is having irrevocable damage on our environment. One of the major implications of climate change is the loss of the polar glaciers (and subsequent sea level rise).
Danish researchers from the University of Copenhagen and Aarhus University photographed glaciers in east Greenland in 2010 from the same vantage point used by scientists in 1933. Below you can contrast the images from the Mittivakkat and Tunu glaciers to see how much the two glaciers have retreated due to the warming climate (Photo Credit: Natural History Museum of Denmark; Hans Henrik Tholstrup/Natural History Museum of Denmark).
The Mittivakkat Glacier
The Mittivakkat Glacier in 1933.
The Mittivakkat Glacier in 2010.
The Tunu Glacier
The Tunu Glacier in 1933.
The Tunu Glacier in 2010.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. This glacial loss is astonishing, but even more depressing is realizing that the glacial retreat represented in these photographs is only going to continue. Much like the major damage suffered by the Great Barrier Reef earlier this year, it is sad to watch one of natures magnificent structures suffer devastation due to human negligence and irresponsibility.
A cool short video of the project to document glacial lost can be viewed below: