Scientists fear that glaciers are being consumed by hot summers in New Zealand

Two hottest summers on record have consumed some of the southern regions smaller glaciers. Niwa climate scientists and glaciologists made this discovery last month during the annual long-term aerial Snowline Survey of the South Island's glaciers.

The information gathered over the past four decades has produced a unique and valuable data set that provides an independent measure of how climate changed and variability are affecting New Zealand's water resources. Project leader Dr Andrew Lorrey said it was not hard to miss the fact that some of the smaller glaciers at lower altitudes had now disappeared. "Its really sad to see that some of our smaller glaciers, particularly on the fringes of the Southern Alps, that are a little bit lower in altitude like North Canterbury and as you go south our of Queensland, are reducing to nothing." Dr Lorrey pointed out that there used to be a snow patch and glacier on the spine of the peak. He said a glacier on Mt Wilson in North Canterbury was also gone. "It is the sad reality of the changing climate of the region."

Dr Lorrey said global warming is not a farce, its today's reality and the disappearing glaciers were the evidence. "It's very hard to argue against physical evidence like this, where these glaciers are so acutely attuned to what's going on with the temperature. The fact that they are disappearing and they are largely driven by fluctuations in our temperature speaks volumes about what's going on."