Earth Day 2022: Google Doodle Shows Impact Of Climate Change Across Four Regions Through Time-Lapse Imagery

The four regions are Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa; Sermersooq in Greenland; the Great Barrier Reef in Australia; and the Harz Forests in Elend, Germany.

New Delhi: This year, on the occasion of Earth Day, Google has made a Doodle which highlights the impact of climate change on our planet over several years. Earth Day is observed annually on April 22 to diversify, educate, and activate the environmental movement worldwide. The theme for Earth Day 2022 is 'Invest In Our Planet'. 

The Google Doodle for Earth Day 2022 shows the impact of climate change across four different regions on the planet, using real time-lapse imagery from Google Earth Timelapse and other sources. 

The four regions are famous locations on Earth, which have been impacted due to climate change over the years. The locales are Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa; Sermersooq in Greenland; the Great Barrier Reef in Australia; and the Harz Forests in Elend, Germany.

Mount Kilimanjaro In Tanzania, Africa

The time-lapse imagery from Mount Kilimanjaro includes images taken each December from 1986 to 2020, according to Google. 

The Furtwangler Glacier lies near the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. The glacier is rapidly receding, and was once part of an ice cap at the summit of Kilimanjaro. In the time-lapse imagery, the change from snow-covered peaks to barren land can be observed. In the past century, nearly 85 per cent of the glacier has disappeared, according to Google Earth.

Sermersooq In Greenland

The time-lapse imagery from Sermersooq shows images taken each December annually from 2000 to 2020.

There are two different types of ice melting in the Arctic. Northern Greenland's melting ice sheets contribute directly to the global rise in sea level. One can notice in the time-lapse that much of Greenland's ice sits on land and melts into the ocean. 

Toward the north, there has been a steady decline of floating ice sheets over three decades. According to Google Earth, warming temperatures have accelerated both the melting of sea ice and Greenland's ice sheets.

Despite the fact that some of Greenland's glaciers have grown in recent years, scientists attribute the gain to colder water temperatures at the base of the glacier. This is the region where the glacial runoff meets the ocean. According to NASA scientists, the rate of melting of sea ice and ice sheets still surpasses the rate of glacial growth.

The Great Barrier Reef In Australia

The time-lapse imagery from the Great Barrier Reef includes images taken each month from March to May 2016.

The ocean absorbs 93 per cent of climate change heat. In 2014, researchers observed that Corals at Airport Reef, a famous reef in American Samoa, were bleaching. When water temperatures get too hot for too long, coral bleaching occurs.

Corals expel tiny, plant-like cells that provide the Cora with food. This leaves the coral's white skeleton visible. According to The Ocean Agency, this was the beginning of the world's longest and most severe bleaching event ever recorded, known as the 3rd Global Coral Bleaching Event. 

Harz Forests In Germany

The time-lapse imagery from the Harz Forests in Germany includes images taken each December annually from 1995 to 2020.

In the European Union, Germany is one of the countries richest in forests. However, drought and bark beetles are harming forests in Germany, particularly spruce forests.

The forests are being destroyed by bark beetle infestation due to rising temperatures and severe drought. Over 300,000 hectares of forests have died due to drought, storms, and pests. 

Many trees are becoming increasingly weak due to extreme summers and sparse rain in recent years. Strong storms not only make the trees fall but also serve as ideal conditions for bark beetles to multiply. The Harz Forests have suffered the most because 80 per cent of the trees there are spruce, some varieties of which are exclusively attacked by bark beetles.

People can view the time-lapse imagery of all four locales by staying tuned throughout the day because each imagery will remain on the Google homepage for several hours at a time.

EarthDay.org, the world's largest recruiter to the environmental movement, has urged everyone to act boldly, innovate broadly, and implement equitably in order to ensure a green, prosperous, and sustainable future.