How to grow a glacier - M Jackson

Prevodilac: Ivana Krivokuća Lektor: Tijana Mihajlović

In the 13th Century,

U 13. veku,

Genghis Khan embarked on a mission to take over Eurasia,

Džingis-kan je krenuo u misiju da osvoji Evroaziju,

swiftly conquering countries and drawing them into his expanding Mongol Empire.

brzo je pokorio zemlje i ucrtao ih u okvire sve većeg Mongolskog carstva.

With his vast armies he became almost unstoppable.

Postao je gotovo nezaustavljiv sa svojim ogromnim vojskama.

But, legend has it that there was one obstacle

Ali, legenda kaže da je postojala jedna prepreka

that even the impressive Khan couldn’t overcome:

koju čak ni impresivni kan nije mogao da prevaziđe:

A towering wall of ice,

visok zid leda

grown by locals across a mountain pass

koji su napravili meštani preko planinskog prevoja

to stop the Khan’s armies from invading their territory.

da bi sprečili kanovu vojsku da napadne njihovu teritoriju.

No one knows how historically accurate that particular story is,

Niko ne zna koliko je ta priča istorijski tačna,

but remarkably, it draws on fact:

ali neverovatna stvar je da se oslanja na činjenice.

For centuries, in the Karakoram and Himalayan mountain ranges,

Vekovima, u planinskim vencima Karakoruma i Himalaja,

people have been growing glaciers and using these homemade bodies of ice

ljudi su pravili glečere i koristili ta domaća ledena tela

as sources of drinking water and irrigation for their crops.

kao izvore pijaće vode i navodnjavanja za useve.

But before we get to that fascinating phenomenon,

Pre nego što pređemo na taj fascinantni fenomen,

it’s important to understand the difference between

važno je da shvatimo razliku

glaciers that grow in the wild,

između glečera koji rastu u divljini

and those that humans create.

i onih koje stvaraju ljudi.

In the wild,

U divljini,

glaciers require three conditions to grow:

glečerima su potrebna tri uslova za rast:

Snowfall, cold temperatures, and time.

snežne padavine, niske temperature i vreme.

First, a great deal of snow falls and accumulates.

Prvo, veliki deo snega pada i gomila se.

Cold temperatures then ensure that the stacked up snow

Niske temperature se zatim postaraju da nagomilani sneg

persists throughout the winter, spring, summer, and fall.

opstane tokom zime, proleća, leta i jeseni.

Over the following years, decades, and centuries,

Tokom narednih godina, decenija i vekova,

the pressure of the accumulated snow

pritisak nagomilanog snega

transforms layers into highly compacted glacial ice.

pretvara slojeve u visoko sabijeni led glečera.

Artificially growing a glacier,

Veštačko pravljenje glečera,

however, is completely different.

međutim, potpuno je drugačije.

At the confluence of three great mountain ranges,

Na sastajalištu tri velika planinska lanca,

the Himalayas, Karakoram, and Hindu Kush,

Himalaja, Karakoruma i Hindukuša,

some local cultures have believed for centuries that glaciers are alive.

neke lokalne kulture su vekovima verovale da su glečeri živi.

And what’s more,

Štaviše,

that certain glaciers can have different genders including male and female.

verovali su da određeni glečeri mogu imati različite polove, muški i ženski.

Local Glacier Growers ‘breed’ new glaciers by grafting together—or marrying—

Lokalni uzgajivači glečera su „uzgajali“ glečere tako što su kalemili ili venčavali

fragments of ice from male and female glaciers,

delove leda iz muških i ženskih glečera,

then covering them with charcoal, wheat husks, cloths, or willow branches

a zatim ih prekrivali ćumurom, ljuskom pšenice, krpama ili granama vrbe

so they can reproduce.

tako da mogu da se razmnožavaju.

Under their protective coverings,

Pod svojim zaštitnim oblogama,

these glacierets transform into fully active glaciers

ovi glečerčići se pretvore u potpuno aktivne glečere

that grow each year with additional snowfall.

koji porastu svake godine sa svakim dodatnim snegom.

Those then serve as lasting reserves of water

Oni tada služe kao trajne rezerve vode

that farmers can use to irrigate their crops.

koje poljoprivrednici mogu da koriste za navodnjavanje useva.

These practices have spread to other cultures,

Ova praksa se proširila na druge kulture,

where people are creating their own versions of glaciers

u kojima ljudi prave svoje verzije glečera

and applying them to solve serious modern challenges around water supplies.

i koriste ih da bi rešili ozbiljne savremene probleme zaliha vode.

Take Ladakh, a high-altitude desert region in northern India.

Uzmite Ladak, pustinju u severnoj Indiji na velikoj nadmorskoj visini.

It sits in the rain shadow of the Himalayas

Nalazi se u zaklonu od kiše pod Himalajima

and receives on average fewer than ten centimeters of rain per year.

i dobija u proseku manje od deset centimetara kiše godišnje.

As local glaciers shrink because of climate change,

Kako se lokalni glečeri smanjuju zbog klimatskih promena,

regional water scarcity is increasing.

nestašica vode u regionu se povećava.

And so, local people have started growing their own glaciers

Zato je lokalno stanovništvo počelo da pravi svoje glečere

as insurance against this uncertainty.

kao osiguranje od ove neizvesnosti.

These glaciers come in two types: horizontal, and vertical.

Postoje dve vrste tih glečera, horizontalni i vertikalni.

Horizontal glaciers are formed when farmers redirect glacier meltwater

Horizontalni glečeri se formiraju kada poljoprivrednici preusmeravaju

vodu od otopljenih glečera u kanale i cevi,

into channels and pipes,

then carefully siphon it off into a series of basins made from stones and earth.

a zatim je pažljivo sprovedu u niz bazena napravljenih od kamenja i zemlje.

Villagers minutely control the release of water into these reservoirs,

Seljani podrobno kontrolišu ispuštanje vode u ove rezervoare,

waiting for each new layer to freeze

pri čemu čekaju da se svaki novi sloj zamrzne

before filling the basin with another wave.

pre nego što ispune bazen novim nanosom.

In early spring,

U rano proleće,

these frozen pools begin to melt,

ovi zamrznuti bazeni počinju da se tope

supplying villagers with irrigation for their fields.

i tako snabdevaju seljane navodnjavanjem za polja.

Local people make vertical glaciers using the meltwater

Lokalno stanovništvo pravi vertikalne glečere pomoću vode

from already-existing glaciers high above their villages.

nastale topljenjem već postojećih glečera visoko iznad njihovih sela.

The meltwater enters channels that run downhill,

Ta voda ulazi u kanale koji se spuštaju nizbrdo,

flowing until it reaches a crop site

teče sve dok ne dođe do mesta sa usevima

where it bursts forth from a pipe pointing straight into the air.

odakle izbija iz cevi okrenute u vazduh.

When winter temperatures dip,

Kada zimske temperature padnu,

this water freezes as it arcs out of the pipe,

ova voda se smrzne dok izvijeno izlazi iz cevi

ultimately forming a 50 meter ice sculpture called a stupa,

i na kraju formira ledenu skulpturu od 50 metara koja se zove stupa,

shaped like an upside-down ice cream cone.

u obliku obrnutog korneta za sladoled.

This inverted form minimizes the amount of surface area it exposes to the sun

Ovaj obrnuti oblik smanjuje na minimum količinu površine koja je izložena suncu

in the spring and summer.

u proleće i leto.

That ensures that the mini-glacier melts slowly

Time se obezbeđuje da se mali glečer polako topi

and provides a reliable supply of water to feed the farmers’ crops.

i pruža pouzdanu zalihu vode za prihranu poljoprivrednih useva.

These methods may be ancient,

Ove metode su možda starinske,

but they’re becoming more relevant

ali dobijaju sve veći značaj

as climate change takes its toll on our planet.

kako klimatske promene uzimaju danak na našoj planeti.

In fact, people are now growing their own glaciers in many regions beyond Ladakh.

Zapravo, ljudi sada prave svoje glečere u mnogim regionima izvan Ladaka.

Swiss people, utilizing modern glacier growing technology,

Švajcarci su, pomoću savremene tehnologije za pravljenje glečera,

created their first stupa in 2016 in the Swiss Alps.

napravili svoju prvu stupu 2016. godine u švajcarskim Alpima.

There are plans for over 100 more in villages in Pakistan,

Postoje planovi da se napravi još preko 100 njih u selima u Pakistanu,

Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.

Kazahstanu i Kirgistanu.

Perhaps one day we’ll be able to harness our homegrown glaciers

Možda ćemo jednog dana moći da iskoristimo domaće glečere

well enough to build whole walls of ice–

u dovoljnoj meri da izgradimo čitave zidove od leda,

this time not for keeping people out,

ovog puta ne radi sprečavanja da ljudi uđu,

but to enable life in some of the planet’s harshest landscapes.

već da bismo omogućili život u nekim od najsurovijih područja na zemlji.