Glasgow Glacier

The Glasgow glacier is located in the Getz coast of Antarctica. The glacier was named after the city of Glasgow to mark its hosting of COP26 climate conference.

About Glasgow glacier

The Glasgow glacier is 100-km long. Its surface area is 2,630 square kilometres. It is currently experiencing rapid melting. It is located on the Getz coast of Antarctica. The Getz coast has lost 315 million tonnes of ice in the past 25 years. Several other glaciers in the Getz coast have also been named similarly. They are Geneva, Rio, Berlin, Kyoto, Bali, Stockholm, Paris and Incheon.

Newly named glaciers

The other recently named glaciers in the Getz coast of Antarctica are as follows:

• Geneva glacier: It was named during the first UNFCCC in 1979. During this conference, the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) was established.
• Rio glacier: In 1992, the first Earth Summit was held in Rio. Thus, the glacier was named after Rio.
• Berlin glacier: In 1995, the UNFCCC was held in Berlin. During the conference, the progress of dealing with the climate change was assessed.
• Kyoto glacier: In 1997, the UNFCCC was held in Kyoto. During the conference, the developed countries established the emission reduction targets.
• Bali glacier: In 2007, the UNFCCC was held in Bali. During the conference, the IPCC fourth assessment report was released. It was during this time, the climate science entered into popular consciousness.
• Stockholm glacier: In 2014, the UNFCCC was held in Stockholm. During the conference, IPCC released the fifth assessment report.
• Paris glacier: In 2015, the UNFCCC was held in Paris. The most popular “Paris Agreement” was signed during this conference. It aimed to limit the global temperature rise below 1.5 degree Celsius.
• Incheon glacier: In 2018, the UNFCCC was held in Incheon. During the conference, the IPCC released a special report on the impact of 1.5-degree Celsius temperature rise. It also pointed out the risks of going with 2 degrees Celsius global temperature rise.
• Glasgow glacier: It was named during the UNFCCC COP26 held in October 2021. The conference was held in Glasgow. The main objective of the conference was to secure the global net zero emissions by the middle of the century, to keep the goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius, protect natural habitats and accelerate the actions to tackle climate change.

Starting from Geneva, the glaciers are located from west to east along the Getz coast of Antarctica.

Significance

The glaciers in the Getz coast of Antarctica are melting rapidly. Between 1994 and 2018, their melting rate increased by 25%.