Global Warming's Canary in the Coal Mine
In the early days of deep coal mining, miners
would take a caged bird, often a Canary, into the tunnels with them.
Wiktionary explains the reasoning behind this: "If dangerous gases
such as methane or carbon monoxide leaked into the mine, the gases would kill
the canary before killing the miners, thus providing a warning to exit the
tunnels immediately." Furthermore, when people use the phrase "the
canary in the coal mine" they are suggesting "something which warns
of the coming of greater danger or trouble by a deterioration in its health or
welfare". ("canary in a coal mine ") When it comes
to global climate change, glaciers serve as a “canary in the coal mine” or in
other words an indicator that global climate change is occurring.
|
Glaciers, the world’s frozen reservoirs of
water, are shrinking. The basic concept is that as the Earth’s
temperature continues to increase, due increased human produced greenhouse gas
emissions (see Figure 1), the glaciers melt faster than they can accumulate
water, ice, and snow. The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) contends
that: “The volume of ice in a glacier and correspondingly its surface area,
thickness, and length is determined by the balance between inputs (accumulation
of snow and ice) and outputs (melting and calving)” (“Early Warning Signs”). How
much are the world’s glaciers shrinking? The UCS's online article
provides this example: “Since 1850 the glaciers of the European Alps have lost
about 30 to 40% of their surface area and about half of their volume.” (“Early
Warning Signs”).
 |
| Photo: High in the Andes Mountains of South America lies the glacier filled mountain Taulliraju in Huascarán National Park in Peru. (Ederer) |
“Mountain regions cover
approximately 25% of the Earths’ land surface and source between 60% and 80% of
Earths’ fresh water. All of Earths rivers have their headwaters and origins in
them. They are also known as the ‘Water Towers’ of the world. They provide
critical storage of fresh water in the form of glaciers, ice and snow. Many
streams and rivers would cease to flow entirely if their headwaters and
watersheds were not fed by the seasonal melting of these snows. Such valuable
storage of fresh water is vital for all life on Earth. However nowadays
glaciers and mountain snows are retreating, shrinking and thinning rapidly in
all regions of world, threatening the fresh water and food supply for
all.” (Joy, and Joy)
The fact that the Earth's glaciers are
shrinking surely "warns of the coming of greater danger or
trouble". ("canary in a coal mine ") That trouble or
danger is the threat of losing the source of 60% of the Earth's fresh water
supply. Currently, there are a handful of organizations that are
dedicated to research, conservation, and awareness of the condition of the
remaining mountain glaciers. One such organization is the American
Climber Science Program
(ACSP). Because mountainous regions,
particularly glaciers, can be treacherous, the ACSP combines groups of
experienced mountain climbers with climate scientists for a series of annual
research expeditions. As it is stated on
the American Climber Science Program webpage,
“The ACSP works
to link scientists and climbers to help provide the knowledge necessary to
preserve the alpine environment.” ("Empowering Climber Scientists") More information on
the American Climber Science Program (ACSP) can be accessed on
their webpage:
https://americanalpineclub.org/p/climber-scientists
or
http://climberscience.wordpress.com/
 |
| American
Climber Science Program (ACSP) ("Empowering Climber Scientists") |
References
"canary in a coal mine ." http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/canary_in_a_coal_mine.
Wiktionary, 31 Mar 2013. Web. 28 May 2013.
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/canary_in_a_coal_mine>.
Kirby, Alex, and . Is Global Warming
Cooler than Expected? . 2013. Photograph. Scientific AmericanWeb. 28 May
2013.
<http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=is-global-warming-cooler-than-expected>.
Joy, Stella, and Tara Joy. "Fresh Water
& Forest Report- Protecting and Sustaining the Global Fresh Water
Cycle." Active Remedy. Web. 28 May 2013.
<http://activeremedy.org.uk/pages/?s=watercycle_paper>.
“Early Warning Signs of Global Warming: Glaciers Melting.” Union of Concerned Scientists: Citizens and Scientists for Environmental Solutions. Union of Concerned Scientists, 10 Nov 2003. Web. 23 May 2013.
Ederer, Florian. Taulliraju. 2006. Photograph. wikimedia.orgWeb. 23 May 2013. <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Taulliraju.JPG>.
"Empowering Climber Scientists- Conservation and
Advocacy." American Alpine Club. American Alpine Club. Web. 28 May
2013. <https://americanalpineclub.org/p/climber-scientists>.
Use the following resources:
MLA In-Text Citations: The Basics
