Global warming-induced glacier retreat could create novel ecosystems

Matthias Huss bohrt eine Messstange zur Bestimmung der Schmelze nach. Die Daten helfen den Massenverlust der Gletscher besser zu dokumentieren und zu verstehen. (Bild: Clara Streule) Climate change caused by human activity under a high-emissions scenario may halve the area covered by glaciers outside the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets by the end of the century, reports a study. This retreat could create novel ecosystems covering an area between the size of Nepal and Finland by the year 2100. Understanding these post-glacial ecosystems creates a new focus for researchers that sits alongside continued efforts to mitigate further glacial decline. One of the consequences of human-caused climate change is the shrinkage of glaciers, which causes a rapid ecological shift as novel ecosystems develop to fill emerging new habitat. However, analyses of this change at a global scale are lacking.