Climate Change on Kilimanjaro
by: Robert
Total views: 207
Word Count: 765
The likely impacts of climate change on Mount Kilimanjaro
The reduction in snowfall on Mount Kilimanjaro causes an increased risk of evaporation for the remaining snow. The older the snow or ice the darker the surface (due to environmental contaminants, dust etc). With no fresh snow falling, the darker surfaces absorb more radiation (lighter ones reflect more).
Global warming apparently began to take effect in East Africa by the early 20th century, and it is thought by some that the increased humidity itself inhibits evaporation. The specific latent heat of fusion of water is smaller than the specific latent heat of vaporization. As more energy is needed to evaporate water than to melt ice, and this energy is no longer being used for evaporation it melts about 8 times more moles of ice than it would have evaporated water
With the retreating ice on Mount Kilimanjaro it is possible that the only source of tropical ice core records for Africa may be lost. Mt Kenya does not provide as good a record and much of its ice has already disappeared.
The glacial core samples hold atmospheric, pollen and climatic records for the last millennia. This information is critical to understanding tropical weather patterns. The oldest layer of the ice records air and climate data as far back as the last major Ice Age (about 11,500 years ago).
With the increased melting on many glaciers, surface water is filtering into the ice below, through a honeycomb of tiny channels, and effectively corrupting these weather archives.
Will tourist interest decline with the loss of the glaciers? Kilimanjaro is of great economic importance to the surrounding villages and Tanzania as a whole and its glaciers are described as one of its most beautiful features. Each tourist climbing Mount Kilimanjaro is accompanied by at least 3 porters and a guide. Then there are the hotels that they stay in before and after the climb, not to mention the supplies which they purchase locally and consume voraciously whilst upon the ‘roof of Africa’.
Another issue related to the melting of the glaciers is the increased incidence of rock fall. Boulders that were previously trapped in the ice are released in the thaw and come hurtling down the mountain at high speed. This has already led to several deaths on the mountain and the closure of the Western Breach route to the summit.
Tourism brings the majority of foreign currency into Tanzania. Significantly more than any other industry. Mount Kilimanjaro's glittering, ice-covered peak is a major attraction for East Africa. In fact Tanzania promotes itself as ‘the land of Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar’.
Can anything be done to save the remains of the Furtwängler Glacier that recently explosively crumbled? It seems unlikely. There have been fanciful schemes involving placing a white, shiny membrane over the glaciers. But these are likely to be just pipe dreams. Furtwanger is predicted to disappear well ahead of the other glaciers.
In 2000 the Furtwängler glacier was drilled for core samples and found to be saturated with water. Some scientists attribute blame this melting on volcanic vents melting the base of the glacier. The explosive collapse of a large section of the front of this glacier was probably due to high water pressure.
The Furtwängler Glacier will probably continue to disappear in massive chunks. The rest of the ice on Kilimanjaro ice will also disappear (though probably less dramatically). It seems apparent that Mount Kilimanjaro went through a warm period and previously lost much of its ice, consequently it becomes difficult to justify using Mt Kilimanjaro as a case for the consequences of human influences on global temperatures. Has the inertial stability of the ecosystem been exceeded? Is this just another part of an age old cycle that keeps repeating itself?
It seems ironic that the very data that could give use the answers to these questions is disappearing at an alarming rate. Indeed it may be the case that in a few years the only remaining ice from Mount Kilimanjaro may be core rods left in the freezers of various research institutes.
My recommendation to anyone who has an interest in Mount Kilimanjaro is to climb it sooner rather than later as the spectacular glaciers are rapidy retreating and the rate of this retraction is ever increasing. For more information contact Mountain Kingdom Safaris.
About the Author
Roy J. Hinde M.Sc. Is a former research scientist who is a director of Wild Things Safaris and is is an environmental consultant for Mountain Kingdom Safaris.
Rating: Not yet rated