Less ice, more ice

 

A study came out last week that indicated many of the world's glaciers (but not all) have less ice than previously estimated. The "not all" category included the Himalayan mountain glaciers, which had more;  South American glaciers had less.  That's not great news, because more people in South America directly depend on glaciers for water supplies than people in the Himalaya glacier watersheds.

Here's the Washington Post article about the study:

Mountain glaciers may have less ice than estimated, straining freshwater supply

Glaciers could be tapped dry sooner than expected as climate change melts ice fields faster

"The scientists concluded global glacial ice content was lower than previously thought, but it varied by region. In the tropical Andes mountains, the researchers found nearly a quarter less glacial ice, translating to nearly a quarter less freshwater. Extreme heat waves in the region, like the one last month, make these smaller stores of ice dwindle faster and leave even less for future generations."

And for the people living where water supplies depend on glaciers, this could be somewhat of a scary and uncertain future.