Retreat of glaciers in Glacier National Park
Fagre DB and McKeon L. 2017. Retreat of glaciers in Glacier National Park. United States Geological Survey
In Glacier National Park (GNP) some effects of climate change are strikingly clear. Glaciers are melting, and many glaciers have already disappeared. The rapid retreat of these small alpine glaciers reflects changes in recent climate as glaciers respond to altered temperature and precipitation. It has been estimated that there were approximately 150 glaciers present in 1850, around the end of the Little Ice Age and most glaciers were still present in 1910 when the park was established. In 2015, measurements of glacier area indicate that there were 26 remaining glaciers larger than 25 acres, the size criteria used by USGS researchers to define a glacier.
- Type
- Resource Brief
- Authors
- Fagre, Dan; McKeon, Lisa
- Date of Issue
- 2017
- Publisher
- United States Geological Survey
- Units
- CRCO , GLAC
- Keywords
- Climate Change, Environmental Education, Glacial retreat, Glaciers, Glaciology, melt water, temperature increase
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Geology and Soils | Geomorphology | Glacial Features and Processes