On
the South Island of New Zealand lies the approximately 12 km long
Franz-Josef-Glacier. Its foot reaches a sea level of 400 m and its ice
masses move downwards with a speed of up to 70 cm per day. The reason
for this exceptionally high speed for a glacier is the extremely high
precipitation of up to 6,500 mm per year which ensures a constant
supply of snow and ice on the 20 kmĀ² snowfield on the top of the
glacier. But this glacier also shrinks as a result of global warming
and is expected to have lost 5 km of its length by the turn of the
century. |