The Effects of

Climate Change on
Glacial Ecosystems

Antarctic Glaciers (“Glaciers in Antarctica are Speeding Towards the Ocean.”)

An Environmental Protection Agency Report

Olivia Looper
Contents
Abstract 2

Threats to Glacial Ecosystems

Effects of Climate Change on Glacial Melting

2

Effects on Glacial Dependent Wildlife

3

Effects on Glacial Dependent Plants 4

Action Needed by Government Agencies

Raising Public Awareness

4

Partnership Between Countries for Environmental Regulation

5

How Government Agency Action Can Help Mitigate the Risk to Glacial
Ecosystems

Public and Corporate Regulation 5

Pollution Tax 5

Long Lasting Effects of Global Environmental Partnerships

6

Global Initiative Towards Green Energy 6

Public Focus on Sustainable Products and Energy

6

Conclusion 7

References 8

Figures

1
1: Antarctic Glacier Title Page

2: Boulder Glacier, Glacier National Park 2

3: Polar Bear in Melting Habitat 3

4: Green Energy and Climate Change 6

Abstract
Over the past decades, climate change has had an immense impact on the glacial
ecosystems across the globe. Glacial melting is one of the most significant side
effects of global warming, and, because of this, there has been a drastic impact on
the ecosystems that rely on glaciers for survival. Government agencies such as the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) were created as a way to combat the effects
of climate change, however, more action is needed in order to preserve these
unique and impactful glacial ecosystems. By initiating a call to action, agencies such
as the EPA and environmental protection programs in Europe, Asia, and Australia
can implement global programs and partnerships in order to reduce the effects of
climate change on these invaluable ecosystems in order to preserve these natural
wonders for future generations.

Threats to Glacial Ecosystems

Effects of Climate Change on Glacial Melting

Boulder Glacier Melt from 1932 to 1988 (Neal)

Climate Change is far from a new problem that the world is facing. As discovered by
scientists studying the effects of climate change, it is likely that the recent massive

2
glacial retreats began from the late 1700s to the late 1800s with the beginning of
the Industrial Revolution. Due to the innovation and creation of new technologies
and processes, the impact that mankind has had on the environment has only
caused the effects of climate change to worsen. This is due to increased carbon
emissions by large corporations, the burning of fossil fuels for energy, and neglect
by corporations and individuals to consider how their actions could impact the
environment (NSIDC, Glaciers and Climate Change).

Glacial Melting is one of the largest, most visible side effects of global warming. The
area most vulnerable to these effects on earth is the Arctic region. Since 1978, the
minimum summer sea-ice cover has drastically decreased by 40 percent, proving
that the Artic region is warming at a rate of two to three times faster than the
average of anywhere else on Earth. However, glacial melting is not only limited to
the arctic region. The effects of global warming on glaciers can be seen globally, in
places such as Glacier National Park in Montana U.S.A., Alaska U.S.A., the Middle
East, Europe, and Asia. A study led by Jean-Baptiste Bosson predicts that if current
carbon emission levels persist, glaciers could disappear from almost half of all
World Heritage Sites (a landmark or area legally protected by the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for having cultural,
historical, scientific, or other significance) by the year 2100 (National Geographic,
Unbalanced).

Effects on Glacial Dependent Wildlife

A large concern with glacial melting in the arctic region is the effect that it will have
on the glacial dependent wildlife in the surrounding ecosystem. Animals such as
Polar Bears rely on sea-ice coverage in order to hunt for food, as they are not able
to swim long distances without a platform to rest on. With decreasing sea-ice levels,
it is becoming increasingly more difficult for polar bears to hunt as normal, leading
to a shift in the balance of the food chain.

3
 Polar Bear in Melting Habitat (Shadow)

Many different species of animals such as polar bears, walruses, narwhals, and
penguins, are dependent on glaciers in order to maintain their way of life, and with
global warming increasing the rate at which these glaciers melt, these animals will
be forced to adapt to a new way of life or the entire ecosystem surrounding these
glaciers will be destroyed with no hope for recovery.

Effects on Glacial Dependent Plants

In a study of glacial ecosystems in the Italian Alps, researchers from Stanford
University found that global warming caused glaciers to retreat to higher altitudes
up a mountain. While in the short term this led to increased land where plant
species such as the glacier buttercup and purple saxifrage could expand their
growth, these species were quickly overrun by invasive plant species that rapidly
took over the newly deserted surface area of the mountain. According to this study,
approximately 51 percent of alpine plant species will be affected by glacial melting,
with only 29 percent flourishing and 22 percent likely facing local extinction. Due to
the glacial retreat in this region, plant species such as the creeping avens, purple
saxifrage, and glacier buttercup would be part of the 22 percent facing local
extinction, while species such as the alpine sedge, alpine meadow grass, and dwarf
yellow cinquefoil inhabit the 29 percent of dominant plants that would overrun the
open mountain landscape left by the glacial retreat. While this melting would
benefit the generalist plant species, the rarer, more specialist species would face
local extinction (The Guardian, Alpine Plants).

Action Needed by Government Agencies

4
Raising Public Awareness
In order to effectively fight and reduce the effects of climate change on glacial
ecosystems, it is highly important to raise public awareness of the issue at stake.
When the general public is not made fully aware of specific circumstances, if
regulations and laws are trying to be passed then there could be resistance against
the topic due to the unawareness of the situation at hand.

Raising public awareness of the effect that global warming has on glacial
ecosystems would give the general public the opportunity to do their part to
prevent the further deterioration of the Earth’s glaciers whether it be through
voting, fundraising, petitioning, or individual physical action.

Partnership Between Countries for Environmental Regulation

Along with making the public aware of the issue at hand, it is also important to
implement regulation at the government level. While regulations and programs
created by individual government agencies can be effective in the short term, these
implementations can only be so effective. It can easily become difficult to enforce
individual regulations when neighboring countries and regions have conflicting
regulations and programs in place. One solution to this would be to create
partnerships between different government agencies such as the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) in the United States and the European Environment Agency
(EEA) in the European Union. At the Environmental Protection Agency, we have
fought for protection against the effects of climate change for the past 5 decades. If
a partnership between the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the
Environmental Protection Agency were formed, radical progressive change has the
opportunity to be made in order to create a lasting impact on the state of climate
change on the global glacier population.

Partnerships between multiple government agencies can be a much more effective

way at implementing effective regulations to combat the effects of climate change
on glacial ecosystems. By creating common regulations across multiple large
regions, the long-lasting effects of these regulations and programs would be much
easier to enforce, implement, and adjust based on the continuing needs of the
environment. These partnerships would allow for less confusion when traveling
between different regions as well as common regulations across multiple areas,

5
which would make it easier and more effective to place blanket regulations on
manufacturers and carbon emissions.

How Government Agency Action Can Help Mitigate

Risk to Glacial Ecosystems
Public and Corporate Regulation
Pollution/Carbon Tax
One of the most effective forms of regulation that could be implemented to combat
climate change would be a pollution/carbon tax. By implementing a
pollution/carbon tax, it would be an extremely efficient way to regulate carbon
emissions within a region. In order to implement this, there would need to be a
baseline level of satisfactory emissions set, and if an individual or corporation
exceeded this limit, they would be taxed accordingly based on the amount by which
the limit was exceeded. Money collected from this tax would be plugged directly
back into continuous efforts to combat climate change.

Long Lasting Effects of Global Environmental Partnerships

Green Energy and Climate Change on Earth (Hsu)

Global Initiative Towards Green Energy

6
Combatting the effects of climate change must become a global effort to be
successful. One way to act on this issue is for partnering government agencies to
make a push towards green energy for all users in their regions. While the switch to
green energy might be slightly difficult for some individuals at first, the long-lasting
results will more than compensate for this in its efficiency in reducing carbon
emissions across the globe.

Public Focus on Sustainable Products and Energy

Bringing the public on board with issues such as climate change can have a very
noticeable impact if the subject is approached from the right perspective. Creating
a public focus on sustainable products and energy would be a very effective way of
having the public take physical action to combat climate change. While the use of
sustainable products and energy may not work for every individual or company,
having the option available and making it easily accessible to individuals can lead to
a very impactful result that they can take ownership of and have pride in.

Conclusion
Climate change has taken a drastic toll on the Earth’s glacial ecosystems. In Glacier
National Park alone, out of the 150 glaciers that were present in the late 19 th
century, only 26 remain to this day, and even they have diminished drastically in
size. Without action by the public and government agencies globally, these natural
wonders will continue to diminish in size until they are completely eradicated
across the globe. In order to protect these precious ecosystems that many lifeforms
are reliant on, humanity must come together as a singular unit to create innovative
and efficient ways of combatting the drastic effects of climate change.

7
References
“Alpine Plants Face Extinction as Melting Glaciers Force Them Higher, Warns Study.” The
Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 29 Jan. 2021,
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/29/global-heating-alpine-plants-
extinction-melting-glaciers-aoe.

EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, https://www.epa.gov/.

“European Environment Agency's Home Page.” European Environment Agency, 11 Mar. 2022,
https://www.eea.europa.eu/.

Glacial Melting and Marine Ecosystems. https://cordis.europa.eu/article/id/204477-glacial-

melting-and-marine-ecosystems.

Glacial Melting Put Animals on the Run | Science | AAAS.

https://www.science.org/content/article/glacial-melting-put-animals-run.

“Glaciers and Climate Change.” National Snow and Ice Data Center,
https://nsidc.org/cryosphere/glaciers/questions/climate.html.

“Glaciers in Antarctica Are Speeding towards the Ocean.” Earth.com, 9 Nov. 2020,
https://www.earth.com/news/glaciers-antarctica-ocean/.

Glick, Daniel. “Global Climate Change, Melting Glaciers.” Environment, National Geographic, 3
May 2021, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/big-thaw.

Hsu, Jeremy. “Renewable Power Tops Climate Change Solutions in Expert Survey.” IEEE
Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 24 June 2021, https://spectrum.ieee.org/renewable-power-tops-
climate-change-solutions-in-expert-survey.

National Geographic Society. “Unbalanced: How Climate Change Is Shifting Earth's

Ecosystems.” National Geographic Society, 25 June 2020,
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/article/unbalanced-how-climate-change-shifting-
earths-ecosystems/.

Neal, Dr. Ted. “Global Climate Change.” Elementary Science Methods, 31 Oct. 2019,
https://pressbooks.uiowa.edu/methodsii/chapter/effects-of-climate-change/.

Shadow. “Polar Bears Follow the Dodo into Extinction.” Nanook's Friends of the Planet, 1 Jan.
1970, https://nanooksfriendsoftheplanet.blogspot.com/2020/08/polar-bears-follong-dodo-
into-extinction.html.

“Us Glacier National Park Losing Its Glaciers with Just 26 of 150 Left.” The Guardian,
Guardian News and Media, 11 May 2017,

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 https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/may/11/us-glacier-national-park-is-
losing-its-glaciers-with-just-26-of-150-left.

“Why Are Glaciers Important and How Can We Protect Them?” IUCN, 9 Feb. 2021,
https://www.iucn.org/news/world-heritage/202102/why-are-glaciers-important-and-how-
can-we-protect-them.

“Wildlife: Polar Bears.” National Snow and Ice Data Center,

https://nsidc.org/cryosphere/seaice/environment/mammals_polar_bears.html.

“World Heritage Site.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Mar. 2022,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Heritage_Site.