b'Melting Glaciers areChanging Our WorldWritten byChris CushmanClimate change is impacting our planet in extraordinary ways.It is inextricably linked to extreme flooding and storm events, unprecedented drought, blistering heatwaves, and otherdisasters that have become all too common.According to the IPCCs Sixth Assessment ReportAlpine glaciersthose that originate high up in the (AR6) released in 2021, the global mean surfacemountainsalso feel the effects of a changing climate. temperature has increased by about 1 C (almost 2 F)Many of them have retreated as their ice melts faster since the 19th century. Some regions have been scorchedthan snowfall can accumulate and form new ice. The more than otherstemperatures in the Arctic have likelyMuir Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve increased by more than double the global average overis an excellent example of a glacier that has drastically the last two decades. 1 retreated over the last century.The striking increase in Arctic temperatures has resultedThe most recognized impact of melting glaciers is an in a transformation of this sensitive polar region. Betweenincrease in sea level, but there are other ways our1992 and 2020, the Greenland Ice Sheet lost nearly 5000world is changed, some of which you maygigatons (Gt) of ice, with human influence being the mainfind surprising. driver. Ice loss is not unique to the Arctic, as the Antarctic Ice Sheet lost over 2500 Gt of ice over during thesame period. 116 MISSION: WATER'