The biggest glacier in the Alps is melting fast
Listen to the story (Irish accent)
Scientists in Switzerland say that we can still save the biggest glacier in the Alps.
This glacier is called the Great Aletsch Glacier. It is 20 kilometers long and weighs 10 billion metric tons. More than one million people visit it every year.
A UN report says glaciers around the world are melting fast. The last three years had the most ice loss ever recorded.
The Great Aletsch Glacier is like a huge river of ice. It is made of three parts that join together. If the Earth gets hotter by two degrees Celsius, this glacier could disappear.
If temperatures do not increase more than two degrees Celsius, the glacier can be saved. However, it will be shorter and thinner than it is now.
Scientists say glaciers high up in the mountains might stay frozen if the Earth doesn’t heat too much.
Most of the glaciers in the Alps are in Switzerland. The air in the Swiss Alps is getting warmer faster than in other places in the world. Since the year 2000, almost 40 percent of the ice in Switzerland’s glaciers has melted.
Vocabulary24 words
- Scientist
- a person who studies science or the natural world; researcher; ?????
- Save
- To protect someone/something from harm or danger; to stop someone/something from being killed, injured, or destroyed
- Glacier
- a large, slow moving river or body of ice; a giant piece of ice, usually in mountains or on land
- The Alps
- A large group of high mountains in Europe
- Weigh
- To find out how heavy something is
- Billion
- 1,000,000,000 = one-billion
- Metric ton
- 1,000 kilograms (kg)
- Million
- 1,000,000 = one million
- UN (The United Nations)
- a large group of countries working together
- Report
- a written description of an event; story; article; the results of a study or project
- Around the world
- worldwide; in many places in the world; in many countries
- Melt
- to turn from solid to liquid (ice melts into water)
- Ice
- frozen water; hard, cold water
- Ever
- At any time; in history; in your life
- Record
- To save information for later; to keep information for the future, by writing it down or storing it on a computer
- Huge
- very, very large
- Join
- To become a part of; to be included in a group or organization; to connect; to come together
- Earth
- the planet/world we live on ?
- Degree
- A unit we use to measure temperature; °
- Celsius
- A unit for measuring temperature
- Disappear
- can’t be found; vanish; not able to be seen
- Temperature
- A measure of how hot or cold something is; we usually measure temperature in degrees Celcius or Farenheit
- Swiss
- related to or coming from Switzerland ??
- Swiss Alps
- The part of the Alps mountains that are in Switzerland
Quiz
Answer key
1. Great Aletsch Glacier 2. The glacier could disappear. 3. True
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Scientists in _____ say that we can still save the biggest glacier in the Alps.
_____ glacier is called the Great Aletsch Glacier. It is _____ kilometers long and weighs 10 billion metric tons. More than _____ million people visit it every year.
A UN _____ says glaciers around the world are melting fast. The last _____ years had the most ice loss ever recorded.
The _____ Aletsch Glacier is like a huge river of ice. It is _____ of three parts that join together. If the Earth gets hotter _____ two degrees Celsius, this glacier could disappear.
_____ temperatures do not increase more than two degrees Celsius, _____ glacier can be saved. However, it will be shorter and thinner than _____ is now.
Scientists say glaciers _____ up in the mountains might stay frozen if the Earth doesn’t _____ too much.
Most of the glaciers in _____ Alps are in Switzerland. The air in the Swiss Alps is _____ warmer faster than in other places in the world. Since the year _____, almost 40 percent of the ice in Switzerland’s glaciers _____ melted.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think it is important to save glaciers like the Great Aletsch Glacier?
- What are some things people can do to help stop the Earth from getting hotter?
- How do you think melting glaciers will affect people who live near them?
- Do you think it's possible for the world to stop temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius? Why or why not?
- Why do you think so many people visit the Great Aletsch Glacier?
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