Vivek+Kumar



** __The Extinction of Glaciers__ **


Glaciers are solid, slow-moving pieces of ice that are formed from tightly compacted layers of snow. These glaciers move at different speeds but usually at a slow moving pace. Due to friction, the bottom of the glacier will move much slower than the top part.

The extinction of glaciers is a serious problem. With warmer overall temperatures, the glaciers are receding at a faster rate than what was initially expected. This may cause many problems to many different parts of the world.

Billions of people in the world rely on the glaciers for their seasonal water supply. Also, glaciers keep many streams and rivers cold. If they were to melt up, the water temperature would change which would affect many different species.

Another threat about receding glaciers, is the rise in water level. Many countries are at risk of getting flooded if the water level were to increase. With glaciers melting at an alarming pace, the risk is real of the rising water levels.

Here is a table describing some of the different parts of the world and how the recession of glaciers are affecting them:


 * **__ AREA OF THE WORLD __** ||  **__ EFFECT OF GLACIER RECESSION __**  ||
 * < __Asia and South America__ ||< The meltwater from the glacier supports billions of people in this region. If the water melts too fast, their water supply may run out much sooner than it was originally going to. This will also affect the growth of crops since they will not have enough water to nourish their crops, which in turn will result in a chain of events leading to the possible starvation of humans. ||
 * __The Arctic and Alaska__ || The Polar bear is an endangered specie due to the melting of the glaciers. Also, the Arctic Ocean are becoming less salty due to the glaciers in Siberia and Eurasia which are releasing much more fresh water than they were in the 1930's. The change in the ocean will have a great affect on the animals living in and around the area. ||
 * __Norway and the Pacific Northwest of North America__ || They are dependent on the water from glacier in the summer months for hydropower. They have tried plastic sheeting the glaciers in order to reduce the amount that is melting. If they run out of glacial run off from the glaciers, then it will be much more expensive for them to produce hydropower, this may cause a problem and they may have to resort to burning a fossil fuel whicih will be harmful for the environment. ||
 * __Island Nations and Costal Cities__ || They are at risk of the sea level rising. This may cause whole islands to be covered by water and also costal cities may also be hit by severe flooding. People would no longer be able to live in these places if this was to occur. ||

rss url="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/rssfeeds/2647216.cms" title="The Economic Times - Global Warming" number="5" description="true" date="true" author="true" length="100" enclosure="true"

//Here are some videos of what happens when the glaciers start to melt and pieces fall into the water.//
media type="youtube" key="HbUIRELqowg" width="425" height="344" Note the size of the wave at 0:33. If anyone was around the area, the wave would have surely taken them into the water.

media type="youtube" key="XUfVZe7--0w" width="425" height="344"

Watch as this glacier turns into a chain-reaction effect.

My name is Vivek Kumar, and I'm a second year student in the Telfer School of Management. The specialization of my choice is Accouting. This is my first year in the University of Ottawa and I find the university and the city to be filled with lots of diverse and interesting things to do. This is my first time working on Wikispaces and I found this experience to be interesting, although it was frustrating at times as well.