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Recent Climatic Change and Deglacierization of the TropicsRaymond S. BradleyClimate System Research Center, Dept of Geosciences Although glaciers and ice caps in the Tropics are relatively small compared to those at higher latitudes, they play an important role in the regional hydrology, supplying water for cities and towns, agriculture, industry and hydroelectric power production in some regions. Glaciers have been receding since their late neoglacial maxima in the Little Ice Age, but in recent years the rate of recession appears to have accelerated, with the complete loss of glacial ice in some places. These changes are related to a combination of changes in atmospheric conditions, including a steady rise in atmospheric freezing levels related to rising sea surface temperatures across the Tropics, and a reduction in precipitation in some areas. Future climate scenarios from GCM simulations point to enhanced warming at high elevations in tropical mountains, which will likely lead to widespread mass losses from the remaining glaciers. However, these changes are expected to occur in areas that are virtually devoid of instrumental measurements; more extensive monitoring of climatic conditions at high elevations in the mountains of the Tropics is urgently needed. Examples will be considered, from South America (Venezuela to Bolivia) and East Africa (Kilimanjaro). About the Lecturer More Information |
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