About 69 percent of Earth’s fresh water is frozen in glaciers. These huge masses of ice are found in the world’s coldest spots, like mountaintops, but they are shrinking. Scientists at the International Union for Conservation of Nature recently found that hundreds of glaciers could soon disappear.
The researchers analyzed the size of 19,000 glaciers in 46 protected areas known as World Heritage sites. They used computer programs to predict what will happen to the glaciers if global temperatures continue to rise. The results: Twenty-one of the sites could be ice-free by 2100.
Glaciers supply water to rivers people use for drinking. If they melt completely, that water source will be gone. “Everything is going to change if they disappear,” says study leader Jean-Baptiste Bosson.