Glaciers on the move

More than one-tenth of our land surface is permanently covered by ice. Utilization of even part of this enormous reserve of "solid" water would solve the growing world shortage of fresh water. But can we accelerate the melting rate of certain glaciers without disturbing their normal regime with possible unforeseen effects? This is one of many problems which scientists are studying in the glaciological research programme of the International Hydrological Decade.

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