New Zealand glaciers continuously shrinking: snowline survey

WELLINGTON, March 25 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand's latest snowline survey revealed "continued shrinkage" of glaciers in the country.

New Zealand's glaciers appear "smashed and shattered" due to enduring ice loss, the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) said on Monday.

NIWA has been flying over New Zealand's mountain ranges to conduct their end-of-summer snowline survey, observing the state of glaciers and the elevation of the snowline since the 1970s.

The research paints a picture of how New Zealand's stunning landscape is transforming, said Andrew Lorrey, the program lead and NIWA's principal scientist.

Overall, the snowline has been rising and in the most recent years the rise has accelerated, so New Zealand is experiencing a continued trend of glacial ice loss, Lorrey said.

Lorrey attributed it to the global rising temperature, with the past decade seeing eight of the 10 warmest years that New Zealand has experienced since records began.

2023 was the second warmest year on record -- a trend that followed the rest of the world, with 86 percent of the planet having above-average temperatures that year, Lorrey said.

"Even if we got a few cooler seasons, they wouldn't be enough to undo the damage that's already been done," he said.

Glaciers form a significant part of New Zealand's environment, economy, and culture. They are important sources of meltwater, which sustains stream habitats and delivers nutrients into lakes, rivers, and oceans. They also feed hydroelectric lakes, impacting the availability of renewable energy, and contribute millions of dollars to New Zealand's economy through tourism, the scientist said.

New Zealand is one of the few mid-latitude places where people live near glaciers, where people can see and visit them easily. But this is getting tougher. Tourism operators have to penetrate further and further into the mountains to reach them, he said.