Montana's Melting Glaciers On Pace To All But Disappear 'Within 20 Years'

Grinnell Glacier towered roughly 30 feet over scientist Dan Fagre when he began studying the ice 26 years ago. Now, when he hikes through Montana’s Glacier National Park, the ancient ice wall’s dark, craggy edge barely reaches his shins. “It’s just a remnant of its former self,” the U.S. Geological Survey research ecologist told HuffPost by phone on Thursday. “As the glacier shrinks, all the rock and debris in it stay. The glacier keeps getting dirtier and dirtier.” Glaciers, synonymous with slowness, are retreating at a rapid pace ― particularly in the Treasure State. Since 1966, 39 glaciers have shrunk dramatically, some by as much as 85 percent, according to data the USGS and Portland State University released on Wednesday. On average, the ice sheets have dwindled by 39 percent, and only 26 glaciers are now larger than 25 acres. Grinnell alone has lost at least 13 acres of ice since 2005. “Within 20 years, the bulk of the remaining glaciers will be too small to be considered active glaciers,” Fagre said. “These glaciers are already at the point of no return, it just takes a while for them to melt away.” Montana’s glaciers serve as a bellwether of things to come as heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere increase and warm the planet. Western Montana has warmed 1.8 times faster than the global average, USGS data show. Mountains tend to heat up faster than lowland areas because they were colde...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news