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- European Atlas of the Seas
World Day for Glaciers, happening every year on 21 March, is a day where the global community turns to glaciers, recognising their role as guardians of the Earth’s future. A glacier is a moving body of ice on land that gradually moves downhill due to gravity. They are found near the poles and on all the world’s continents except Australia. Most are found in regions with high snowfall in winter and low temperatures in summer (Alaska, Patagonia, and the Himalayas). [1,2]
Glaciers are formed when snow piles up over time, meaning that each year more snow remains than the amount that melts. You may know snowflakes as soft and light, but when they fall on a forming glacier, the snow compresses and becomes denser. When new snow falls, the underlying denser snow becomes even more compressed, and it is called ‘firn’. Firn is the layer that is in the process of snow-becoming-ice! As years go by, firn layers build on top of each other until they fuse into solid glacier ice. Did you know glaciers move through the landscape because of their own weight? The world’s fastest glacier moves more than 40 meters per day! [2,3,4,5]
Wondering why glaciers are important? They are essential to Earth’s ecosystem, providing critical freshwater reservoirs and indicating the planet’s health. More than 2 billion people depend on glaciers and snowmelt for freshwater. By 2030, global water demand is expected to exceed available resources by 40%. Glaciers also regulate sea levels and support biodiversity. The ongoing decline of glaciers contributes to rising sea levels, and projections suggest by 2050 one-third of current glacier sites will vanish.[1,6]
Luckily there are many projects and initiatives that aim to safeguard glaciers for the future. The European Union is tackling this challenge through a variety of initiatives. The Water Wise EU campaign raises awareness about the water cycle and the nature and ecosystems that are part of it. Europe’s water systems are under increasing stress, and the campaign points us to solutions. The European Commission’s Water Resilience Strategy lays out objectives on restoring and protecting the water cycle, building a water-smart economy and ensuring access to clean and affordable water for all. The strategy contains 50 key actions that can be monitored using the Water Resilience Strategy Actions Tracker.
These efforts are strengthened by the Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences (2025-2034), a UNESCO initiative to be launched on 18-19 March 2026 at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. While the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation 2025 comes to an end, the work to safeguard glaciers continues.
Curious to explore more about glaciers? Have a look at these sources below.
- Have a look at UNESCO’s video Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences;
- Join the Water Wise EU campaign by submitting your success story, and explore the adaptable campaign toolkit;
- Have a look at the World Meteorological Organization’s webpage on Glaciers and Ice Caps;
- Learn more about global water systems through the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health’s report Global Water Bankruptcy: Living Beyond Our Hydrological Means in the Post-Crisis Era.
The data in the map is provided by EMODnet Physics.
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[1] https://www.un.org/en/observances/world-glaciers-day
[2]https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/8/209/2014/tc-8-209-2014.html
[3] https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/glacier-moving-rivers-ice/
[4] https://wmo.int/topics/glaciers-and-ice-caps
[5]https://www.earthdata.nasa.gov/topics/cryosphere/glaciers/glacier-power/how-do-glaciers-form