国家地理-2008-01-01 Glacier Melt - 冰川融化（在线收听）

Some are remains of the last ice-age, and alpine glaciers are quickly disappearing. There is hard strong evidence that Europe's rising temperatures are melting away Austria's gold-berg glacier. Records here date back to the 19th century, and document drastic changes in the landscape, and as recently as 1979, this valley was filled by the glacier, solid ice 300 feet thick. Now bare rock and a small river are evidence of the glacier’s retreat. Scientist Wolfgang Schoener studies the changes here. He pounded this pole 18 feet into the glacier one month ago, now a third of it is exposed. He's brought his young son to see what he describes as the tangible effects of global warming.

If you are speaking about aspects of climate change, it’s very hard to show something where you can see it. The glaciers are the most important possibility to show it that something it happens.

The melting of polar ice shelves has scientist worrying about  rising sea levels. But as Europe's glaciers vanish, the primary concern is the flow of / rivers throughout the continent. Glaciers hold precipitation in the winter and slowly release it during the hot dry summer. Shrinking glaciers could exaggerate seasonal flooding and droughts. And icy lakes sit at the foot of / gold-berg glacier, it’s the source for a small river that eventually ends up as part of the Danube. Schoener’s team collects data to calculate how much of the glacier/ is flowing downstream. Millions of gallons a day during the summer and this is a small glacier. Higher up the mountain where not long ago the ice was 30 feet thick. Runoff has carved a cavernous tunnel. This tunnel has since collapsed and a new one has formed nearby.

So the glaciers are loosing miles from one year to the next, then they will be, er, will go smaller and smaller. For this glacier, I think it could happen that this lower part will completely disappear.

As long as gold-berg glacier survives, Schoener and his team will continue to gather data, hoping for insight into what rising temperatures might mean for Europe and the rest of the world.