This is an interesting a short article from a hydrologist.
Melting mountains called a water 'time bomb'
VIENNA - Glaciers and mountain snow are melting earlier in the year than usual, meaning the water has already gone when millions of people need it during the summer when rainfall is lower, scientists warned on Monday.
"This is just a time bomb," hydrologist Wouter Buytaert said at a meeting of geoscientists in Vienna.
Those areas most at risk from a lack of water for drinking and agriculture include parts of the Middle East, southern Africa, the United States, South America and the Mediterranean.
Link to the article.
Interesting article and subject to discuss. Along with just having enough drinking water available, agriculture will be a majour concern.
There is already talk here of exporting our mountain water around the world one day, but I know there will be a lot of local opposition to this. But if there is money to be made then likely whatever government is in power will certainly approve it.
There is already talk here of exporting our mountain water around the world one day, but I know there will be a lot of local opposition to this. But if there is money to be made then likely whatever government is in power will certainly approve it.
Yes, I agree they will probably approve water sales.
There is already bickering between Canada and the US on water. There has even been trouble between a couple of States on the same issue. In the future you can count on water becoming much more of a problem.
Considering the water 'footprints' of commodities it's obvious the quantity of water required to keep the system going.
As an example, some water footprints.
1 apple, 70 liters water
1 kg wheat, 1300 liters water
1 kg barley, 1300 liters water
1 cup coffee, 140 liters water
1 kg beef, 15,500 liters water
1 egg 200, liters water
1 hamburg, 2400 liters water
1 sheet A4 paper, 10 liters water
1 kg sugar cane, 1500 liters water
1 kg rice, 3400 liters water
1 kg chicken meat, 3900 liters water
Edit:
There are many sites to water footprints
I'll link one here.
As glaciers melt there will probably be much more heard on water footprints as there is now with carbon footprints.
Water Footprint
I'll have to agree with this article also. I climb mountains alot during the summer months here in Alberta and it is very noticable. The front ranges of the Alberta are nearly empty of glaciation. There a few in these ranges but they are so small you might confuse them with pockets of snow. Along the Continental Divide is where most of the major glaciers are located, with small glaciers located in the ranges outlining the Continental Divide. I know that there are next to no glaciers left in Colorado which is surprising since their mountains are much larger than ours. The ones that are left are so small they can be mistaken for nothing more than small snowfields.
If you ever get the chance to goto the Athabasca Glacier along side the famous Icefields Parkway here in Alberta you'll see. It's alot easier than hiking into the backcountry where alot of the glaciers still reside. Along the trail that leads to this glacier, there are marks which read the date when the "toe" of the glacier was touching this point. The last one reads "1992" and is probably 50 yards from were the toe of the glacier is today.
On interesting fact on the importance of glaciers and their water. Snow Dome (11,322ft), a large mountain located in the Columbia Icefield is the hydrographic apex of North America. It's melt water flows into the Pacific Ocean via the Columbia River, Atlantic via the N.Saskatchewan and the Arctic via the Athabasca.
What will happen when this glacier surrounding Snow Dome disappears?