Scientists have recorded more snow on the South Island glaciers this year, but they warn it is simply a temporary break rather than any good news on the climate change front.
NIWA and Victoria University of Wellington scientists completed the annual end-of -summer snowline survey of 50 South Island glaciers yesterday, taking thousands of photographs to evaluate the snowline altitude and build 3D models of the glaciers. These will be used to assess how much of the previous winter’s snow has remained covering each glacier to contribute toward long-term glacial ice accumulation.
The scientists also documented widespread ash coverage on the glaciers as a result of the Australian bushfires.
The snowline survey began in 1977 and provides an incredibly valuable long-term record of how New Zealand’s glaciers have retreated over time due to climate change. Scientists estimate about 30 per cent of New Zealand’s ice that was catalogued in the late 1970s has been lost in the past 40 years.
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