![\\"Knack](\\" ![\\"Knack](\\" ![\\"Knack\\"](\\" * Knack Club & Benefits * Shop Subscribe * ![\\"Knack\\"](\\"data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\\' \\'0%200%200%200\\'%3E%3C/svg%3E\\"/) * News * Belgium * World * Science * Health * Culture * Environment * The Climate Optimists * History * Car * Opinion * Fact check * Elections 2024 * Municipal elections * US Elections * Federal and Flemish formation * Education * Sports * Football * Cycling * Other sports *Magazine *Video * Podcasts * ![\\"Knack\\"](\\"data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\\' \\'0%200%200%200\\'%3E%3C/svg%3E\\"/) * News * Opinion * Fact check * Elections 2024 * Education * Sports *Magazine * Subscribe * ![\\"Knack](\\"data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\\' 0%200%200%200\\'%3E%3C/svg%3E\\"/) * ![\\"Knack](\\"data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\\' 0%200%200%200\\'%3E%3C/svg%3E\\"/) * * Belgium * World * Science * Health * Culture * Environment * The Climate Optimists * History * Car News * Opinion * Fact check * * Municipal elections * US Elections * Federal and Flemish formation Elections 2024 * Education * * Football * Cycling * Other sports Sport *Magazine *Video * Podcasts * Knack Club & Benefits * Shop Subscribe Fact check # Fact check: in 1948 the number of glaciers could not yet be measured ![\\"\\"](\\" rmg.be/a/view/q75/w962/h503/5263725/fvehlo0x0aef5aw-jpg.jpg\\"/) * Share this article: * * * * * * * ![\\"Brecht](\\" pink-jpg.jpg\\"/) Brecht Castel 11-05-2023, 17:01 On Al Gore's birthday there would have been 130,000 glaciers earth, as much as today. That's not right. In 1948 the number of glaciers could increase are not measured. In 2023, the number of glaciers is estimated at more than 300,000. Although they are losing ice mass due to global warming. This fact check was carried out based on the information available on the date of publication. Read more about how we work here. On May 1, someone posts an image on Twitter (archived here) with the English text 'The day Al Gore was born, there were 130,000 glaciers Earth. Today, 130,000 remain.' The tweet grew to more than 12,000 shared times and reached 670,000 people. ![\\"\\"](\\"data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\\' '0%200%20330%20665\\'%3E%3C/svg%3E\\") Is the statement that the number of glaciers on Al Gore's birthday even was big as today? We load the image into Google Lens and that tool indeed recognizes Al Gore, the former vice president (1993-2001) of the United States. Gore is also known as a climate activist through his presentation of the documentary An Inconvenient Truth (2006). The photo appears to be from the official website of the House of Representatives. ![\\"\\"](\\"data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\\' '0%200%200%200\\'%3E%3C/svg%3E\\"/) On that page we read that Al Gore was born on March 31, 1948. Were there when 130,000 glaciers on earth? Fact checkers from Reuters, Politifact and AFP were already examining the claim. Most estimates of the number of glaciers are made with the help of scientists of satellite images. These were not yet available in 1948. This causes it to fall It is impossible to find out how many glaciers there were at the time. Climate scientist Ben Marzeion from the University of Bremen confirms this: 'We don't know how much glaciers were there in 1948," he told Reuters. 'So we can't either know whether there are more or less.' A first estimate of the number of glaciers on Earth was published in 2012 by the Randolph Glacier Inventory. There are now about 300,000 glaciers in their database. According to Marzeion, the actual number is probably even higher. He does emphasize that glacier counts are essentially are irrelevant to understanding climate change: 'Often a large glacier melts apart into a number of smaller glaciers, which increases the number of glaciers.” What is relevant is the amount of ice the glaciers contain. The French AFP news agency contacted World Glacier Monitoring about this Service (WGMS). The spokesperson for that institution stated that glaciers are more than 9 trillion tons of ice lost between 1961/62 and 2015/16, making it sea ​​water level rose by 27 millimeters. According to the WGMS spokesperson, it is coming global mass loss of glaciers corresponds to an ice block 'with the area of ​​Germany and a thickness of 30 meters. The graph below from the WGMS illustrates the annual loss of glacial ice mass since 1950. From the late 1940s, the ice mass of some 'reference glaciers' were closely monitored. There are none for this satellite images needed. The global values ​​in the graph are calculated at using averages of glaciers in 19 mountain areas worldwide, read we on the WGMS site. ![\\"\\"](\\"data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\\' '0%200%20728%20553\\'%3E%3C/svg%3E\\") Conclusion According to a post on social media, on Al Gore's birthday in 1948 there were as many glaciers as there are today, namely 130,000. There is no evidence for this: in 1948 there were no satellite images showing it made it possible to estimate the number of glaciers in the world. Today the number of glaciers is estimated at 300,000. Sources In the article you will find links to all sources used. All sources were last consulted on May 11, 2023. Read more about: * Al Gore *Twitter * Reuters * Political fact * AFP * Ben Marzeion *University of Bremen *World Glacier Monitoring Service *WGMS _ More information about the fact checks can be found on the _Knack_ website. You will also find our fact checks at deCheckers, together with reliable ones fact checks from other Flemish editors. _Knack_ is a recognized member of the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) and European Fact-Checking Standards Network (EFCSN). Have you seen a bold statement, penalty or ditto fact in current events? Enter your question on the Checkers website with exact source information quote or send it to factcheck@knack.be. _ ![\\"Roularta](\\"data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\\' %200%20818%20215\\'%3E%3C/svg%3E\\") © Roularta Media Group Knack is part of Roularta Media Group. ### More fact checks ![\\"\\"](\\"data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\\' '0%200%200%200\\'%3E%3C/svg%3E\\"/) Fact check: no, these images do not show the Iranian attack on Israel ![\\"\\"](\\"data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\\' '0%200%200%200\\'%3E%3C/svg%3E\\"/) Fact check: boat trip off the coast of Gaza was not made by Israel, but by extremist settlers organized ![\\"\\"](\\"data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\\' '0%200%200%200\\'%3E%3C/svg%3E\\"/) Fact check: No, these images do not show a solar farm in Nebraska being destroyed was caused by a hail storm ![\\"\\"](\\"data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\\' '0%200%200%200\\'%3E%3C/svg%3E\\"/) Fact check: no, this ChatGPT conversation is not proof of existence of chemtrails ![\\"\\"](\\"data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\\' '0%200%200%200\\'%3E%3C/svg%3E\\"/) Fact check: playing more cannot prevent ADHD Read all articles about Factcheck * Share this article: * * * * * * * ##Partner Content ![\\"\\"](\\"data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\\' '0%200%200%200\\'%3E%3C/svg%3E\\") ![\\"\\"](\\"data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\\' '0%200%200%200\\'%3E%3C/svg%3E\\") ![\\"\\"](\\"data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\\' '0%200%200%200\\'%3E%3C/svg%3E\\") Knack is for people with a flexible mind. 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On Al Gore's birthday there were 130000 glaciers on Earth the same number as today