The phrase
"glacier extent" refers to the size or area covered by a glacier. It indicates how far and wide the ice stretches across the land.
Full definition
Eventually the resulting decline
in glacier extent reduces the area available for melting causing a decrease in glacier runoff.
In the last few decades, satellite imagery has provided a means to monitor
glacier extent changes worldwide, greatly expanding the areas of ice that scientists can examine.
There is a threshold
of glacier extent reduction dependent on the magnitude of ablation rate increase, where glacier runoff declines, the few examples suggest this is in the 10 - 20 % areal extent loss.
The most recent work in this regard comes from the scientific team of Fountain et al. (2017), who analyzed changes in
glacier extent along the western Ross Sea in Antarctica over the past 60 years.
More than one - sixth of the world's population live in glacier - or snowmelt - fed river basins and will be affected by the seasonal shift in streamflow, an increase in the ratio of winter to annual flows, and possibly the reduction in low flows caused by
decreased glacier extent or snow water storage (high confidence)[3.4.1, 3.4.3].
His study, based on carbon - dated tree remains, which were recovered under receding alpine glaciers, gives a clear picture of
smaller glacier extent than today in several periods over the past 10,000 years.
Palaeoclimatic studies make use of measurements of past change derived from borehole temperatures, ocean sediment pore - water change and
glacier extent changes, as well as proxy measurements involving the changes in chemical, physical and biological parameters that reflect past changes in the environment where the proxy grew or existed.
In this study (from 40 ° to 56 ° South), we used geomorphological evidence of
glacier extent during the LIA (~ AD 1870) and satellite images to map glacier extent across the Andes over the last 140 years, in 1870, 1975, 1986, 2001 and 2011.
The initial response is an increase in glacier melt rate enhancing glacier runoff, while
the glacier extent is still substantial in comparison to previous size.