Man Travels the World to Photograph Melting Glaciers

Not too long ago, 41-year-old Garrett Fisher flew in a small airplane close to the surface of Europe's largest glacier¹, which is in Norway.

A glacier is a huge area of snow and ice that moves slowly down a mountain side.

In that environment, the plane carrying a man who chases glaciers² seemed almost like a toy.

Fisher combines two activities he loves, flying and photography, trying to photograph every glacier on Earth. He wants his photos to show the beauty of glaciers before some of them disappear.

Scientists say many glaciers are melting or getting smaller because the Earth's average temperature is increasing. Information from the European Environmental Agency, or EEA, says glaciers in the Alps Mountains have lost about half of their volume since 1900. The melting has gotten faster since the 1980s.

The EEA said that by 2100, the size of European glaciers could decrease by between 22 percent and 84 percent. Another EEA estimate suggests that up to 89 percent could melt. The EEA also says nearly all small glaciers in Norway will likely disappear.

Roderik van de Wal is a glacier expert at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. He said that scientists have good historical records of the size of glaciers in Europe and New Zealand. He added that those records show that glaciers are now melting faster.

For Fisher, this means that time is running out. The melting pushes him to try to photograph the glaciers before it is too late.

As a child, Fisher lived next door to a small airport in the state of New York. His grandfather was a pilot and took Fisher on plane rides when he was a young child. The older man would tell him: "Whatever you set your mind to, you can do."

In the late 1990s, a friend told Fisher that the world's glaciers were disappearing. This pushed him to combine his love of flying and photography to photograph the Earth's remaining glaciers. He believed he was in a race against time.

He believes his photographs could be of great value to future generations. So, he has launched Global Glacier Initiative³, a non-profit group to support and show his work. He plans to open his photos to the public for research.

Fisher flies a small plane called a Piper Super Cub⁴ which can carry two people. The plane smells of oil and feels like an old car. It is his choice for the dangerous flying over the glaciers.

"The weather's bad, extremely cold, the winds are very strong and the flying's extremely technically⁵ challenging," Fisher said. "And to photograph glaciers, we're getting very close to all of this action. So, it requires a lot of skill, time and determination."

He added: "I've been told by many pilots that I'm crazy."

He has detailed⁶ plans in case of a crash on a glacier. He estimates he can survive for about 24 hours if he goes down. And he has measured the tail of the plane to be sure he can stay inside it while waiting for help.

Some people would ask, why risk flying over glaciers when satellites already give pictures of them? Fisher said that satellite images don't capture the beauty of glaciers the way his photos can. His photos show the colors, shapes, and shadows as the light from the sun hits the glaciers.

"Science has all of the data we need...The problem is, it's not beautiful," he said.

Fisher has paid for his glacier photography with his own money. But it is costly⁷. Money is running out and Fisher is looking for people who will help support his work.

He hopes his photos will make people care more about glaciers. He is chasing the perfect image; one so beautiful it can make people and policymakers act.

"We can live without them. We will live without them," Fisher says. "However, it hurts us to lose them."

Words in This Story

crazy –adj. not sane⁸ or not thinking clearly

volume –n. the length, width and height of an object

challenging –adj. difficult in a way that is interesting

determination –n. a quality that makes someone continue doing something although it is difficult

1 glacier   

n.冰川，冰河

参考例句：

• The glacier calved a large iceberg.冰河崩解而形成一个大冰山。
• The upper surface of glacier is riven by crevasses.冰川的上表面已裂成冰隙。

2 glaciers   

冰河，冰川( glacier的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Glaciers gouged out valleys from the hills. 冰川把丘陵地带冲出一条条山谷。
• It has ice and snow glaciers, rainforests and beautiful mountains. 既有冰川，又有雨林和秀丽的山峰。 来自英语晨读30分（高一）

3 initiative   

n.主动性，首创精神，主动权（的行动），倡议

参考例句：

• He went to see the headmaster on his own initiative.他主动去看望校长。
• His employer had described him as lacking in initiative and drive.雇主说他缺乏进取心和干劲。

4 cub   

n.幼兽，年轻无经验的人

参考例句：

• The lion cub's mother was hunting for what she needs. 这只幼师的母亲正在捕猎。
• The cub licked the milk from its mother's breast. 这头幼兽吸吮着它妈妈的奶水。

5 technically   

adv.专门地，技术上地

参考例句：

• Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说，这是最先进的设备。
• The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说，西红柿是一种水果，尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。

6 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

7 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

8 sane   

adj.心智健全的，神志清醒的，明智的，稳健的

参考例句：

• He was sane at the time of the murder.在凶杀案发生时他的神志是清醒的。
• He is a very sane person.他是一个很有头脑的人。