How to grow your own glacier - M Jackson
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0:07 - 0:08In the 13th Century,
-
0:08 - 0:12Genghis Khan embarked on a mission
to take over Eurasia, -
0:12 - 0:18swiftly conquering countries and drawing
them into his expanding Mongol Empire. -
0:18 - 0:22With his vast armies he became almost
unstoppable. -
0:22 - 0:25But, legend has it that there was
one obstacle -
0:25 - 0:28that even the impressive Khan couldn’t
overcome: -
0:28 - 0:30A towering wall of ice,
-
0:30 - 0:33grown by locals across a mountain pass
-
0:33 - 0:37to stop the Khan’s armies from
invading their territory. -
0:37 - 0:41No one knows how historically accurate
that particular story is, -
0:41 - 0:44but remarkably, it draws on fact:
-
0:44 - 0:48For centuries, in the Karakoram
and Himalayan mountain ranges, -
0:48 - 0:53people have been growing glaciers
and using these homemade bodies of ice -
0:53 - 0:57as sources of drinking water and
irrigation for their crops. -
0:57 - 0:59But before we get to that fascinating
phenomenon, -
0:59 - 1:02it’s important to understand the
difference between -
1:02 - 1:04glaciers that grow in the wild,
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1:04 - 1:06and those that humans create.
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1:06 - 1:07In the wild,
-
1:07 - 1:10glaciers require three conditions to grow:
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1:10 - 1:14Snowfall, cold temperatures, and time.
-
1:14 - 1:17First, a great deal of snow falls and
accumulates. -
1:17 - 1:20Cold temperatures then ensure that the
stacked up snow -
1:20 - 1:24persists throughout the winter, spring,
summer, and fall. -
1:24 - 1:28Over the following years, decades,
and centuries, -
1:28 - 1:30the pressure of the accumulated snow
-
1:30 - 1:35transforms layers into highly compacted
glacial ice. -
1:35 - 1:36Artificially growing a glacier,
-
1:36 - 1:39however, is completely different.
-
1:39 - 1:42At the confluence of three great
mountain ranges, -
1:42 - 1:45the Himalayas, Karakoram, and Hindu Kush,
-
1:45 - 1:50some local cultures have believed for
centuries that glaciers are alive. -
1:50 - 1:51And what’s more,
-
1:51 - 1:56that certain glaciers can have different
genders including male and female. -
1:56 - 2:01Local Glacier Growers ‘breed’ new glaciers
by grafting together—or marrying— -
2:01 - 2:05fragments of ice from male and
female glaciers, -
2:05 - 2:10then covering them with charcoal,
wheat husks, cloths, or willow branches -
2:10 - 2:12so they can reproduce.
-
2:12 - 2:14Under their protective coverings,
-
2:14 - 2:17these glacierets transform into fully
active glaciers -
2:17 - 2:21that grow each year with
additional snowfall. -
2:21 - 2:24Those then serve as lasting
reserves of water -
2:24 - 2:27that farmers can use
to irrigate their crops. -
2:27 - 2:29These practices have spread
to other cultures, -
2:29 - 2:32where people are creating their own
versions of glaciers -
2:32 - 2:37and applying them to solve serious
modern challenges around water supplies. -
2:37 - 2:42Take Ladakh, a high-altitude desert region
in northern India. -
2:42 - 2:44It sits in the rain shadow of the
Himalayas -
2:44 - 2:49and receives on average fewer than ten
centimeters of rain per year. -
2:49 - 2:52As local glaciers shrink because
of climate change, -
2:52 - 2:54regional water scarcity is increasing.
-
2:54 - 2:58And so, local people have started growing
their own glaciers -
2:58 - 3:00as insurance against this uncertainty.
-
3:00 - 3:05These glaciers come in two types:
horizontal, and vertical. -
3:05 - 3:09Horizontal glaciers are formed when
farmers redirect glacier meltwater -
3:09 - 3:11into channels and pipes,
-
3:11 - 3:17then carefully siphon it off into a series
of basins made from stones and earth. -
3:17 - 3:22Villagers minutely control the release of
water into these reservoirs, -
3:22 - 3:24waiting for each new layer to freeze
-
3:24 - 3:27before filling the basin
with another wave. -
3:27 - 3:28In early spring,
-
3:28 - 3:31these frozen pools begin to melt,
-
3:31 - 3:34supplying villagers with
irrigation for their fields. -
3:34 - 3:37Local people make vertical glaciers using
the meltwater -
3:37 - 3:41from already-existing glaciers
high above their villages. -
3:41 - 3:45The meltwater enters channels
that run downhill, -
3:45 - 3:47flowing until it reaches a crop site
-
3:47 - 3:51where it bursts forth from a pipe pointing
straight into the air. -
3:51 - 3:53When winter temperatures dip,
-
3:53 - 3:56this water freezes as it arcs
out of the pipe, -
3:56 - 4:00ultimately forming a 50 meter ice
sculpture called a stupa, -
4:00 - 4:03shaped like an upside-down ice cream cone.
-
4:03 - 4:09This inverted form minimizes the amount
of surface area it exposes to the sun -
4:09 - 4:10in the spring and summer.
-
4:10 - 4:13That ensures that the mini-glacier
melts slowly -
4:13 - 4:18and provides a reliable supply of water
to feed the farmers’ crops. -
4:18 - 4:20These methods may be ancient,
-
4:20 - 4:22but they’re becoming more relevant
-
4:22 - 4:25as climate change takes its
toll on our planet. -
4:25 - 4:30In fact, people are now growing their own
glaciers in many regions beyond Ladakh. -
4:30 - 4:34Swiss people, utilizing modern glacier
growing technology, -
4:34 - 4:38created their first stupa in 2016
in the Swiss Alps. -
4:38 - 4:42There are plans for over 100 more in
villages in Pakistan, -
4:42 - 4:45Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.
-
4:45 - 4:49Perhaps one day we’ll be able to harness
our homegrown glaciers -
4:49 - 4:52well enough to build whole walls of ice–
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4:52 - 4:54this time not for keeping people out,
-
4:54 - 4:59but to enable life in some of the planet’s
harshest landscapes.
- Title:
- How to grow your own glacier - M Jackson
- Speaker:
- M Jackson
- Description:
-
View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-to-grow-your-own-glacier-m-jackson
In the 13th century, Genghis Khan embarked on a mission to take over Eurasia, swiftly conquering countries and drawing them into his empire. But, legend has it that there was one obstacle that even he couldn't overcome: a towering wall of ice, grown by locals across a mountain pass. M Jackson explores the ancient methods of growing glaciers and how they can be used to combat climate change.
Lesson by M Jackson, directed by Artrake Studio.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TED-Ed
- Duration:
- 04:59
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