It isn't 'Ok' anymore. Iceland's first glacier completely lost to climate change.
Images from Earthobservatory.nasa.gov
The once massive Okjökull or also know as "Ok" glacier of west Iceland has completely melted. People attended a monument on August 18, 2019 where the glacier was once located.
A commemorative plaque was placed. It reads:
“A letter to the future. Ok is the first Icelandic glacier to lose its status as a glacier. In the next 200 years all our glaciers are expected to follow the same path. This monument is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it.”
According to Rice anthropologist Cymene Howe, from an article via QZ.com, "With this memorial, we want to underscore that it is up to us, the living, to collectively respond to the rapid loss of glaciers and the ongoing impacts of climate change."
Global temperatures are rising at a rapid and very alarming rate. The predicted rise in global temperature is said to take effect not this early...not this year 2019. "In Greenland, scientists were stunned by how rapidly the ice sheet is melting, as it was revealed the ice there was not expected to melt like this until 2070," according to an article via Truthout.org.
We can expect more glacier memorials in the next years, plus we can expect sea and ocean levels to rise as well. Thanks to us.
