Satellite maps reveal global glacier warming impact.
Originally Published 2 years ago — by BBC
Europe's Cryosat satellite has provided the best satellite assessment yet of the status of the world's glaciers, tracking the 200,000 or so glaciers on Earth and finding they have lost 2,720bn tonnes of ice in 10 years due to climate change. Monitoring how quickly glaciers are changing is important because millions of people rely on them for water and farming. More than 20% of the world's population is thought to be dependent in some way on summer melt waters that flow from glaciers - for drinking, for agriculture and to drive hydropower stations.