Cryosat, the decommissioned satellite of the European Space Agency (ESA), tracked 200,000 or more glaciers in 2010-2020. Global research has been done on the state of glaciers by examining images from the Cryosat.
In the research, which concluded that climate change caused the melting of 2 billion 720 million tons of ice in 10 years, it was determined that the lost glacier mass corresponds to 2 percent of the glaciers in the world.
89 PERCENT MELTED DUE TO HIGH ATMOSPHERE TEMPERATURE
In the study, it was determined that 89 percent of the glaciers melted due to high atmospheric temperature and 11 percent due to warm ocean or lake water.
In the research, which stated that more than 80 thousand tons of glaciers melted in Alaska, where the most glacier loss was experienced, it was pointed out that this was caused by hot weather.
Pointing out the importance of observing the rapidity of the change in glaciers, which millions of people depend on for drinking water and irrigation in agriculture, it was stated that the light color of the glaciers, which is considered close to white, reflects the sun’s rays and supports the cooling of the world.
Equipped with a “radar altimeter” that collects data on changing ice height and mass, the Cryosat was used to measure the extent of global warming and polar ice caps.
The results of the research have been published in “Geophysical Research Letters”. (AA)