Global
Glaciers in the Himalayas
The Himalayan mountains are home to the second largest body of ice in the world, these glaciers are extremely important to the lives of many people, animals and ecosystems.The Himalayan range includes about 15,000 glaciers, which store about 12,000 km3 (3000 cubic miles) of freshwater. The Himalayan mountains are located in the northeastern part of India and pass through several countries including Pakistan, China, Afghanistan, Nepal and Bhutan. The glaciers in the Himalayan mountains are at the headwaters of many essential and large rivers throughout the himalayan and asian countries. Over the last 30 years some glaciers in the Himalayas have retreated one kilometre. The negative effects of CO2 and global warming on the glaciers have caused the glaciers to melt, or retreat having a lot of drastic effects. Over time, as a result of glacier shrinkage, normal glacier melt will not be able to contribute to the Himalayan region's water supply each year. Water availability will not be affected at low elevations because they are mostly dependent on monsoon rains, however at higher elevations glacier retreats will result in streamflow alterations in some basins.
GLOF or Glacial Lake Outburst flood is when lakes, formed by the melting of glaciers overflow causing floods. This a very serious issue in the Himalayas as these lakes are near large rivers which are densely populated with villages and farms. Tsho Rolpa glacial lake is located in Dolakha district of Nepal and is one of the biggest glacial lakes in the Himalayas, has been categorised by scientists as the most potentially dangerous glacial lake in the country. Tsho Rolpa was made by the melting of several glaciers in the valleys above it. If the ...
... middle of paper ...
...om Victoria University says “a 70-metre chunk of ice broke off the terminal face of Tasman glacier”, therefore releasing an estimated seven million cubic metres of ice into Tasman Lake.
The retreat of the Tasman Glacier will have a large effect on tourism which is a very important industry to New Zealands people and economy. At the moments there are services available to go skiing on the Tasman Glacier however in the future because of the retreat of the glacier these tourism opportunities will not be able to keep going because of dangers and the eventual disappearance of the glacier. Steepening ice slopes, an increase in the rockfall hazard and increased debris cover are all challenges faced by tourism operators in the glacial sector. Climate change will affect the survival of small towns in the area because most of the jobs are involved with tourists and tourism.
The Impact of Tourism on Betws-y-Coed Having compiled my knowledge and research into this piece of coursework, I hope to have addressed the following questions regarding Betws-y-Coed: How has tourism impacted on the economy? What visitor management is currently in place? What are the drawbacks to tourism? In my work, I hope to discover what exactly are the positive and negative aspects of tourism in the honeypot Betws-y-Coed by relating to Snowdonia National Park. It is important to contemplate the features the region has to offer, and why they are so appealing.
Impacts of Tourism in Swanage Tourism has the potential to create impacts on the environment and communities that it relies on to accommodate visitors. Its impacts are mitigated by the long history of tourism activity. Communities have become used to tourism activity, and management measures to limit some areas of environmental damage have been implemented. Nevertheless, some impacts are far ranging, and they are set out below: * Inappropriate Development An increase in visitors can lead to pressure for new developments to serve and capitilise on their needs, eg. Caravan parks, visitor centres, cafes, signs, car parks, and additional accommodation.
“‘Glaciers covering China’s Qinghai Tibet plateau are shrinking 7% a year due to global warming and the environment consequences may be dire…’” (Doc A) I believe that this proves my statement because if the glaciers are shrinking 7% per year every year soon China will have no more water to flow from the glaciers into the rivers during the dry season. Another piece of evidence I believe supports my claim is that “The glaciers seasonal melting keeps the rivers flowing during the dry season but as the glaciers retreat more and more every year, there will be less water during the dry season.” (Doc A) this proves my claim because if there is no more water to flow into the rivers during the dry season the people of China would have to go an unsurvivable time without water.
Glaciers can be classified into many categories. First they are divided into either Alpine or Continental. Alpine glaciers are those that are found in mountainous regions and Continental, such as Greenland,...
... Kristovich. "Observations of the Cross-Lake Cloud and Snow Evolution in a Lake-Effect Snow Event." Monthly Weather Review 139.8 (2011): 2386-398. Print.
“How Dangerous are Glaciers?: Glaciers Have Their Own Warning Signs.” Alaska Satellite Facility. University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2014. Web. 17. Feb. 2014.
People are responsible for higher carbon dioxide atmosphere emissions, while the Earth is now into the Little Ice Age, or just behind it. These factors together cause many years discussions of the main sources of climate changes and the temperature increasing as a result of human been or natural changes and its consequences; even if its lead to the global warming, or to the Earth’s cooling. In their articles, “Global Warming Is Eroding Glacial Ice” by Andrew C. Revkin and “Global Warming Is Not a Threat to Polar Ice” by Philip Stott, both authors discuss these two theories (Revkin 340; Stott 344). Revkin is right that global warming is taking place. Significant increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is due to human activities combined with natural factors such as volcanic emissions and solar radiation – all together they lead to climate changes and temperatures rising. At the same time, other factors such as deforestation contribute to environmental changes for some glaciers not less than air pollution. However, during global warming not all regions of the planet are affected in the same way, local warming and cooling are both possible during these changes.
Lake Tahoe, an enormous expanse of clear, blue, fresh water surrounded by meadows and dense forests and rimmed by snow-capped peaks, is one of the world's great scenic and ecological wonders. Tahoe's water is world famous for its amazing clarity. Even today, one can see objects 70 feet below the surface, a clarity matched almost nowhere in the world. The Tahoe Basin had a slowly evolving and essentially balanced environment for thousands of years, with surrounding forests, meadows and marshlands helping to maintain the clarity and purity of the lake.
... environmental degradation. In this paper the impacts of human activity on the communities of the Himalayas and Mt. Everest proved to increase environmental degradation at the cost of the Himalayan communities. The World-Systems Theory was used to explain the issue of core countries and peripheral countries and how their different roles in the world system have shaped environmental impacts. There is great certainty that our growing population has disrupted the ecosystem in many negative ways, it is just a matter of time before the majestic Mt. Everest is destroyed forever. But for now, as the world continues to grow and Mount Everest continues to be a beacon for those who seek adventure or thrill it will continue to be degraded unless regulation is developed. Until then Mount Everest will continue to be “the highest junkyard on the face of the Earth.” (Barry Bishop)
Tourism Research Australia, Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism. Tourism contribution to the Australian Economy, 1997-98 to 2009-10., [Online. Available at: [Accessed 7 March 2012].
The following report provides an accurate and informative overview of the nature of tourism, its history and growth, the structure of the New Zealand industry and the impact of tourism from a New Zealand perspective. The report will draw a conclusion which Highlights area of consideration in tourism planning.
A proportion of these visitors are 96% ‘likely’ to recommend New Zealand in future, this has remained unchanged. USA, UK and Germany are most satisfied with their New Zealand Holiday experience. It has been observed that Japanese travellers are significantly more satisfied with their experience compared to past years. Visitors to New Zealand are also highly satisfied with the natural environment. It has been rated a high 9.0 out of ten and receives this high rating across all markets. With 78% believing New Zealand’s environmental practices are better than other countries. It has been found that experiencing natural scenery is a favourite amongst visitors to New Zealand. A decrease has been observed in the past year however, in the average number of activities being participated in, dropping 6.5% in the last year. Price has been seen as a problem in the current state of tourism results, it has been driven by lower satisfaction with price over quality. This has been especially so in the accommodation and food and beverage sector. Both of these are rated as high importance to visitors attributing 29% to the New Zealand holiday experience. Looking more into these sectors it has been observed that food and beverage has rated 8.1 out of ten and accounts for 10% of importance to the New Zealand holiday experience. The quality of food
Water Issues in South Asia If there is any single most important issue that mars bilateral relations among the countries of the subcontinent, it is water. The issues of cross-border water distribution, utilisation, management and mega irrigation/hydro-electric power projects affecting the upper and lower riparian countries are gradually taking centre-stage in defining interstate relations as water scarcity increases and both drought and floods make life too often miserable. Thanks to its location, size and contiguous borders with other South Asian countries, it is India, in its capacity as both upper and lower riparian, that has come into conflict with most of its neighbours, except Bhutan, on the cross-border water issues. Given an atmosphere of mistrust, an upper riparian India has serious issues to resolve with lower riparian Pakistan and Bangladesh and, despite being lower riparian, with the upper riparian Nepal.
Therefore any change in the earth’s temperature that causes the level of the oceans to rise would seriously affect the flooding of the delta area of Bangladesh. A fifth to a third of the country is annually flooded by the river Ganges and there are many factors both human and physical which encourage the river Ganges and Brahmaputra to overflow its river banks. The obvious physical cause of flooding in Bangladesh is that about 90% of the land is below sea level, therefore any changes in the sea level would cause serious problems for Bangladesh. Another physical cause includes the snow melting in the Himalayas, caused by global warming. The Himalayas are one of the few places in the world that retain permanent glaciers.
Glaciers have disappeared due to increasing in global temperatures because of which the water level had drastically increased and its causing flood all over the world