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Essay / Glaciers, Ice, and Global Warming - 561
Glaciers, Ice, and Global Warming Glaciers are one of the most fundamental phenomena on the planet, and much of their purpose and impact on Earth has been well documented and published. Ice sheets, ice caps and glaciers hold nearly 90% of the planet's fresh water and are replenished each year by snowfall. Their existence on this planet dates back 650,000,000 years and yet they are always moving, always moving and always melting. Before human existence and even during the brief era of humanity, ice dominated the entire landmass of the Earth and regulated, created and modified many landscapes across the world. The many documented ice ages on this planet that shaped its contours, give us incredible insight into many of the factors that shaped this planet as we see it today. But the advantage of glaciers and ice caps being much older than the human race is that scientists are able to distinguish a lot of information and features from the past. And by understanding the past, we gain a much better perspective of the future: what we want...