Visitors ignore extreme risks of advancing glaciers

[kenl01]

Visitors ignore extreme risks of advancing glaciers

12 Jan 06 - The New Zealand Department of Conservation is worried that someone will be killed as giant chunks of ice fall from rapidly advancing glaciers. The risk of ice collapse at the face of the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers is high and visitors are ignoring warning signs.

Both glaciers are advancing at the rate of about three feet (one meter) a week.

Up to 1000 people visit Fox Glacier daily, and 2700 visit Franz Josef.


http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/7/sto ... d=10363304

New Zealand glaciers growing - 30 August 2005 - The most recent survey of the 50 glaciers monitored annually by the National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research (NIWA) was undertaken in March of this year. Dr Jim Salinger of NIWA said today that the glaciers in New Zealand’s Southern Alps had gained much more ice than they had lost during the past glacier year.

This year’s gains are due to more snow in the Southern Alps , particularly from late winter to early summer 2004. During this five month period, temperatures were 0.6°C below average, producing more snow.

"Over the last three years, the glaciers have gained in mass, halting the declines seen between 1998 and 2002. This past year was the seventh largest gain since we started aerial surveys in 1977," said Dr Salinger.

http://www.niwascience.co.nz/pubs/mr/ar ... 05-08-30-1