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Climate Link to Glacier Retreat Now Irrefutable
By Tim Radford
The retreat of mountain glaciers nearly everywhere in the world over the last century can be put down to climate change. And scientists now think that they can say so with between 90 percent and 99 percent certainty in almost all cases.
They do so as a second research team analyze a set of devastating glacial collapses in Western Tibet—catastrophic events that killed at least nine herdsmen and sent 70 million cubic meters of ice hurtling down the mountainside to bury more than six kilometers of valley floor.
Local Landscapes and Climates
But attributing a cause has been tentative. Every glacier is a unique product of local climate and landscape. Each responds very slowly to changes in local climate, and there are variations from year to year. So one glacier is, on its own, a blunt statistical instrument, U.S. and European scientists report in Nature Geoscience.
It isn't easy to say why a glacier might retreat or whether that retreat is a product of global warming. But a team led by Gerard Roe of the University of Washington in Seattle has found a way to look at the big picture.
The scientists studied the pattern of behavior of 37 glaciers spread around the globe, in Austria, in Washington State in the U.S., in New Zealand, in Sweden and so on, and matched them with local meteorological trends.
Ideally, researchers would like to know about the changes in the mass of ice in a glacier, but measurements of these don't stretch very far back. But the retreat of the world's glaciers—their terminals now compared with where they ended many decades ago—is well documented in paintings, photographs and alpine records.
Prof. Roe and his colleagues said, "The centennial-scale retreat of the local glaciers does indeed constitute categorical evidence of climate change." In other words, glacial retreat is one of the purest signals of climate change yet measured by statistical techniques: It could be seen at work in 36 of the 37 cases.
"We evaluate glaciers that are hanging on at high altitudes in the deserts of Asia, as well as glaciers being beaten up by mid-latitude storms in maritime climate settings. The thickness, slope and area of the glaciers are different, and all of those things affect the size of the glacier length fluctuations," Prof. Roe said.
"Even though the scientific analysis arguably hasn't always been there, it now turns out that it really is true—we can look at glaciers all around us that we see retreating and see definitive evidence that the climate is changing," Prof. Roe said.
"That's why people have noticed it. These glaciers are stunningly far away from where they would have been in a pre-industrial climate," he added.
Meanwhile, in the Journal of Glaciology, Chinese scientists and a U.S. colleague have been studying two Tibetan glacier collapses that, they said, are unprecedented. In this case, the scientists are more concerned with understanding the collapse than ascribing a cause.
The two glaciers are in the remotest parts of Tibet and unusually heavy snowfalls may have had a role. But meltwater, too, may have played a part in the sudden, lethal slide of ice.
"It is all too easy to blame global warming for events such as these, but we know the temperature at the nearest weather station has risen by 1.5 C in the past 50 years," said Lonnie Thompson of Ohio State University's School of Earth Sciences, one of the authors.
"The warming may have raised previously frozen glacier beds to the melting point. If our thinking is along the right lines, there is no obvious reason why other frozen-bed glaciers in the area or elsewhere for that matter, should not collapse. As of today, unfortunately, we have no ability to predict such disasters," Thompson said.
Reposted with permission from our media associate Climate News Network.
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Cabin fever is often associated with being cooped up on a rainy weekend or stuck inside during a winter blizzard.
In reality, though, it can actually occur anytime you feel isolated or disconnected from the outside world.
What is cabin fever?<p>In popular expressions, cabin fever is used to explain feeling bored or listless because you've been stuck inside for a few hours or days. But that's not the reality of the symptoms.</p><p>Instead, cabin fever is a series of negative emotions and distressing sensations people may face if they're isolated or feeling cut off from the world.</p><p>These feelings of isolation and loneliness are more likely in times of <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health-news/yes-covid-19-cases-are-rising-why-you-still-need-to-practice-social-distancing" target="_blank">social distancing</a>, self-quarantining during a <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/what-is-a-pandemic" target="_blank">pandemic</a>, or sheltering in place because of severe weather.</p><p>Indeed, cabin fever can lead to a series of symptoms that can be difficult to manage without proper coping techniques.</p><p>Cabin fever isn't a recognized psychological disorder, but that doesn't mean the feelings aren't real. The distress is very real. It can make fulfilling the requirements of everyday life difficult.</p>
What are the symptoms?<p>Symptoms of cabin fever go far beyond feeling bored or "stuck" at home. They're rooted in an intense feeling of isolation and may include:</p><ul><li>restlessness</li><li>decreased motivation</li><li><a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/irritability" target="_blank">irritability</a></li><li>hopelessness</li><li><a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/unable-to-concentrate" target="_blank">difficulty concentrating</a></li><li><a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/irregular-sleep-wake-syndrome" target="_blank">irregular sleep patterns</a>, including sleepiness or sleeplessness</li><li>difficulty waking up</li><li><a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/lethargy" target="_blank">lethargy</a></li><li>distrust of people around you</li><li>lack of patience</li><li>persistent <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/depression-vs-sadness" target="_blank">sadness or depression<br></a></li></ul>
What can help you cope with cabin fever?<p>Because cabin fever isn't a recognized psychological condition, there's no standard "treatment." However, mental health professionals do recognize that the symptoms are very real.</p><p>The coping mechanism that works best for you will have a lot to do with your personal situation and the reason you're secluded in the first place.</p><p>Finding meaningful ways to engage your brain and occupy your time can help alleviate the distress and irritability that cabin fever brings.</p><p>The following ideas are a good place to start.</p>
When to get help<p>Cabin fever is often a fleeting feeling. You may feel irritable or frustrated for a few hours, but having a virtual chat with a friend or finding a task to distract your mind may help erase the frustrations you felt earlier.</p><p>Sometimes, however, the feelings may grow stronger, and no coping mechanisms may be able to successfully help you eliminate your feelings of isolation, sadness, or depression.</p><p>What's more, if your time indoors is prolonged by outside forces, like weather or extended shelter-in-place orders from your local government, feelings of <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/anxiety" target="_blank">anxiety</a> and fear are valid.</p><p>In fact, anxiety may be at the root of some cabin fever symptoms. This may make symptoms worse.</p><p>If you feel that your symptoms are getting worse, consider reaching out to a mental health professional who can help you understand what you're experiencing. Together, you can identify ways to overcome the feelings and anxiety.</p><p>Of course, if you're in isolation or practicing social distancing, you'll need to look for alternative means for seeing a mental health expert.</p><p>Telehealth options may be available to connect you with your therapist if you already have one. If you don't, reach out to your doctor for recommendations about mental health specialists who can connect with you online.</p><p>If you don't want to talk to a therapist, <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/top-iphone-android-apps" target="_blank">smartphone apps for depression</a> may provide a complementary option for addressing your cabin fever symptoms.</p>
The bottom line<p>Isolation isn't a natural state for many people. We are, for the most part, social animals. We enjoy each other's company. That's what can make staying at home for extended periods of time difficult.</p><p>However, whether you're sheltering at home to avoid dangerous weather conditions or heeding the guidelines to help minimize the spread of a disease, staying at home is often an important thing we must do for ourselves and our communities.</p><p>If and when it's necessary, finding ways to engage your brain and occupy your time may help bat back cabin fever and the feelings of isolation and restlessness that often accompany it.</p>
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