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Glaciology and Global Warming

Explore the relationship between glaciology and global warming, including the impact of climate change on glaciers, the measurements and research methods used, and the predictions for the future. Urgent action is needed to save our planet.

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Glaciology and Global Warming

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  1. Glaciology and Global Warming What is the connection? QualityTime-ESL

  2. Climate Change: Today vs Tomorrow • Average temperature today = 15° C • Without the greenhouse effect: -18°C • Over the past century: A rise of 0.7° C • Predictions (The most catastrophic!) • A rise of up to 6° C • Over the next 100 years QualityTime-ESL

  3. The Procedure • Measurements? • Traces of the ancient atmosphere? • Answer: the world’s archives • A huge refrigerator QualityTime-ESL

  4. Midnight Sun Over Antarctica QualityTime-ESL

  5. Antarctica QualityTime-ESL

  6. EPICA European Project of Ice Coring in Antarctica QualityTime-ESL.com

  7. Drilling for Ice Samples QualityTime-ESL

  8. Antarctica • Continent • Twice size of the USA • Driest place on earth • Winds up to 320 km/h • Among the highest mountains QualityTime-ESL.com

  9. The Transarctic Mountains QualityTime-ESL

  10. The Long Trip of a Tiny Snowflake • Story of a snowflake • Compression • Entrapped air • Bubbles of air in the ice • Vectorial forces • Movement (center to the shore) • Fresh water icebergs! • 65% of the world’s drinking water • 95% of the world’s ice • Yet a desert - very little precipitation QualityTime-ESL.com

  11. An Iceberg! QualityTime-ESL

  12. The Initial Project: Vostok Station • Engineers drilled down to 3,270 m • Ice core represents: 400,000 years of compacted ice • Ancient atmosphere Vostok-Russian base QualityTime-ESL.com

  13. Ice Core Samples QualityTime-ESL

  14. Evolution of the Atmosphere Over the Last 400,000 years A shaft: roughly 3,200 m in depth Taking the “samples back” … “the easy part”, but first… They have to …drill “straight” down (through moving ice) After that they have to take the “carrots” of ice up to the surface Carrying out an engineering feat! QualityTime-ESL

  15. An Engineering Feat QualityTime-ESL

  16. Research • After Dating the ice samples (Carbon 14) • Measurements of radioactivity (visible traces of nuclear bombs) • Correlation with identifiable volcanic eruptions in the past • Study of marine sediments • Analysis of the entrapped air • Deuterium • Ratio 18 Oto 16 O (isotopes) to determine the temperature at formation • Greenhouse gases CO2 and methane (in bubbles) • Variation of gases over the years • Correlation between the quantity of these greenhouse gases and the temperature • Temperature  climate prevailing at different periods of time… QualityTime-ESL.com

  17. Predictions …over the next 100 years: The least catastrophic: + 1.5° C The most catastrophic: up to + 6° C…! QualityTime-ESL

  18. Conclusion • A rise of 0.7°C over the past century • Up to 21°C by 3000 (from 15°C today) • Kyoto Protocol of 1997: a first step – several COP* meetings since then (*Conference of Parties) • Urgent measures needed to limit production of harmful greenhouse gases • Responsibility of both governments and citizens • Only way to save our planet for the generations to come! QualityTime-ESL.com

  19. Acknowledgements We wish to thank the Laboratoire de Glaciologie de Grenoble and its researchers, who participate in EPICA European Project of Ice Coring in Antarctica QualityTime-ESL

  20. Thank you for your attention!  QualityTime-ESL

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