Take off with Natarajan

MUIR GLACIER BEFORE: A late-19th century photograph of Alaska’s Muir Glacier shows many icebergs — some nearly 7-feet wide — in the foreground.

MUIR GLACIER NOW: By 2005, Muir Glacier had retreated more than 31 miles. Although this picture was taken from the same location as the early black-and-white photograph, the glacier is completely out of view. There’s an abundance of vegetation looking to the west, and the beach in the foreground is now covered by pebbles, which came from sediment deposited by Muir Glacier and by melting icebergs on the ground.

THE ALPS BEFORE: Matterhorn, one of Europe’s tallest peaks, located in the Alps on the border between Italy and Switzerland, is pictured with a blanket of snow and ice on August 16, 1960.

THE ALPS NOW: The Swiss peak, pictured on August 18, 2005, is eroding as a result of melting glacier water at the summit. The water sinks into cracks and creates even bigger fissures after several cycles of freezing and thawing. The disintegration of Matterhorn is anecdotal of the effects of climate change in most of the Alps.

THE DANUBE RIVER BEFORE: The Danube, Europe’s second longest river, flows eastward from its source in Germany to the Black Sea in Romania. The Danube river basin is critical to supporting industry, transport, agriculture, and fishing.