Glaciers

Assessment versions

Published (reviewed and quality assured)

• Glaciers (CLIM 007) - Assessment published Nov 2012

Justification for indicator selection

Glaciers are particularly sensitive to changes in the global climate because their surface temperature is close to the freezing/melting point. When the loss of ice, mainly from melting and calving in summer, is larger than the accumulation from snowfall in winter, the mass balance of the glacier turns negative and the glacier shrinks.

Glaciers are an important freshwater resource and act as ‘water towers’ for lower-lying regions. The water from melting glaciers contributes to water flow in rivers during summer months and thus helps maintain water levels for irrigation, hydropower production, cooling water and navigation. The effects of a reduction in glaciers are, however, complex and vary from location to location. Glacier melting also contributes to global sea-level rise. 

Scientific references:

• OECD, 2007. Climate Change in the European Alps OECD publishing; Paris, France.
• UNEP, 2008. Meltdown in the Mountains UNEP Zürich/ Nairobi.

Indicator definition

• Cumulative specific net mass balance of European glaciers
• Projected changes in the volume of all mountain glaciers and ice caps in the European glaciated regions

Units

• mm water equivalent
• km³

Policy context and targets

Context description

In April 2009 the European Commission presented a White Paper on the framework for adaptation policies and measures to reduce the European Union's vulnerability to the impacts of climate change. The White Paper stresses the need to improve the knowledge base and to mainstream adaptation into existing and new EU policies. The European Commission will be publishing an EU Adaptation Strategy in 2013. A number of Member States have already taken action, and several have prepared national adaptation plans.

The European Commission and the European Environment Agency have developed the European Climate Adaptation Platform (Climate-ADAPT, http://climate-adapt.eea.europa.eu/) to share knowledge on observed and projected climate change and its impacts on environmental and social systems and on human health; on relevant research; on EU, national and subnational adaptation strategies and plans; and on adaptation case studies.

Targets

No targets have been specified.

Related policy documents

• Climate-ADAPT: Mainstreaming adaptation in EU sector policies
  Overview of EU sector policies in which mainstreaming of adaptation to climate change is ongoing or explored
• Climate-ADAPT: National adaptation strategies
  Overview of activities of EEA member countries in preparing, developing and implementing adaptation strategies
• DG Climate Action: What is the EU doing about climate change?
  Activities of the EU regarding climate change (both mitigation and adaptation)
• White paper - Adapting to climate change: towards a European framework for action
  EU framework for adaptation to climate change, leading to a comprehensive EU adaptation strategy by 2013

Methodology

Methodology for indicator calculation

Various methods are used to estimate mass balances. A literature overview can be found under http://www.wgms.ch/literature.html .

Projections of volume changes are based on melt in response to transient, spatially differentiated twenty-first century projections of temperature and precipitation from ten global climate models.

Methodology for gap filling

Not applicable

Methodology references

• Radić & Hock (2011): Regionally differentiated contribution of mountain glaciers and ice caps to future sea-level rise Nature Geoscience 4 , 91–94 doi:10.1038/ngeo1052

Data specifications

EEA data references

• No datasets have been specified here.

External data references

• Fluctuation of Glaciers Database (FoG)
• Projected changes in the volume of all mountain glaciers and ice caps in the European glaciated regions

Data sources in latest figures

Uncertainties

Methodology uncertainty

Not applicable

Data sets uncertainty

Data on the cryosphere vary significantly with regard to availability and quality. Snow and ice cover have been monitored globally since satellite measurements started in the 1970s. Improvements in technology allow for more detailed observations and higher resolution.

Further information on uncertainties is provided in Section 1.7 of the EEA report on Climate change, impacts, and vulnerability in Europe 2012 (http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/climate-impacts-and-vulnerability-2012/)

Rationale uncertainty

No uncertainty has been specified