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Glaciers
At the earth's frozen poles, glaciers conserve water, re- leasing it seasonally to cool the oceans and sustain temperature balance. Mountain glaciers' melt irrigates. crops, generates electrical power, and provides drinking water. As greenhouse gases raise temperatures, glaciers. are melting too rapidly, calving into the sea and retreating on land. Scientists predict a serious scarcity of fresh water in coming years.
The Rongbuk Glacier, in southern Tibet near Mount Everest, is a primary water source for major Asian rivers. As the glacier melts, its ice-filled basins are drying up, causing massive water shortages and crop failures that affect millions of people in India and China.
Burko's Main Rongbuk Triptych 1 is based on a 1921 photograph by the pioneer photographer George Mallory. Triptych 2 is based on American mountaineer David Breashears' 2009 documentation of the effects of climate change on this glacier in the interval. In Triptych 3, Burko takes the trajectory into the future. |