These glaciers are located near Aoraki Mount Cook and are estimated to hold the same amount of water as Lake Te Anau. If these glaciers were to melt completely, it could have a great impact on us.
The glaciers have already melted by nearly a third - valley walls are weakening, alpine flora and insects are losing their protection and NZ’s iconic landscapes and status as a skiing destination are being compromised. Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury Associate Professor Heather Purdie discusses the pertinence of change for helping our glaciers on The Conversation: NZ’s glaciers have already lost nearly a third of their ice – as more vanishes, landscapes and lives change