Heard Island, an independent Australian territory located in the Southern Ocean. What’s happened to its glaciers over the last seven decades should raise serious alarm bells. By comparison, new studies indicate that the island’s glaciers have been reduced by almost a fourth. This ecosystem loss aligns with an increasing regional temperature of 0.7 degrees Celsius. Heard Island’s role is vital to our global climate system. Its state is a major bellwether for the planet’s overall health, making it a major cause for alarm among climate scientists.
By combining historic topographic maps with modern remote-sensed satellite imagery, the team were able to analyse 29 of Heard Island’s 39 glaciers. It followed the trends from 1947-2019. During the summer months, the five-month survey research team found that the glaciers have receded by 64 square kilometers. This is a dramatic 22 percent reduction in total glacier area since the mid-20th century. In fact, ice loss has more than doubled in speed since 1988. Now, the new normal is double what we used to see in previous years.
Importance of Heard Island’s Glaciers
Heard Island is home to Big Ben, a stunning 2,745-meter active volcano famous for its eruptions. This impressive summit holds the record as the highest mountain in Australia’s external territories, excluding Antarctica. This new peak is an impressive 517 meters taller than Australia’s mainland highest point, Mt Kosciuszko. The glaciers on Heard Island are incredibly important ecosystems and biodiversity hot spots, such as the King penguins thriving on Heard Island. They play an important role in our understanding of climate trends.
Dr. Levan Tielidze, a member of the research team, emphasized the importance of these findings:
“These findings are a bellwether of change for our global climate system.”
Heard Island’s glaciers are an essential barometer of global climate health. Retreating them—even if it could be done—would have cascading impacts on ecosystems and weather patterns in far-flung areas.
Consequences of Climate Warming
In 2020, the research found that climate change has dramatically affected even the most remote places on the planet. It surely highlights the wrenching impacts of this international disaster. Dr. Tielidze stated:
“While Heard Island is just about as remote as it’s possible to be on Earth, it has still suffered profound consequences from climate warming, which is almost certainly due to rising greenhouse gas emissions in the 20th and 21st centuries.”
These changes are concerning not just for their alarming geographical spread, but for their short-term effects on local ecosystems. Yet, they have transformative implications for climate health worldwide. The stark glacier retreat observed raises questions about future biodiversity and environmental stability.
Options for the Future
Scientists are still working furiously to analyze that data. In it, they illustrate two possible futures for our planet, based on where we’re headed with greenhouse gas emissions right now. Professor Andrew Mackintosh remarked:
“We’ll explore two possible futures — one where strong action is taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and another where little is done and emissions continue as usual.”
Dr. Tielidze noted that while further ice loss appears inevitable, the trajectory could change depending on human actions:
“Although this mapping shows stark glacier retreat and further ice loss is unavoidable, whether we retain glaciers or lose most of them entirely is up to humans and the greenhouse gas emission pathway we follow.”
The lessons from Heard Island are an important imperative calling on humanity to take aggressive action to combat climate change. The decisions made today regarding emissions can significantly influence not only local environments but the health of ecosystems worldwide.
