Temporal Trends in the receding glaciers in Glacier National Park, Montana, 1904 to 2020

Keenan, Emily

Glacier National Park, located in Montana along the Canadian border, was comprised of approximately 80 glaciers following the Little Ice Age. During this time, the glaciers hit their peak; however, over the years, many of these glaciers have decreased drastically in size. As of 2015, only 26 of these glaciers still remain and meet the requirement to be considered an active glacier (being larger than 0.1 km2). As a result of climate change, both natural and anthropogenic, the glaciers are shrinking and the number is decreasing more and more each year. The purpose of this research was to develop a database that maps the area of the glaciers that has been lost over the years with a focus on how much the area has changed in 116 years. Using QGIS software along with topographic maps, the glacial areas were mapped and analyzed from 1904 to 2020. Results suggest that the relationship between the year and the glacial area is important in determining the future trend in the receding glaciers as there was an overall decrease in not only the glacial area in Glacier National Park from 1904 to 2020 but also in the number of active glaciers.

Temporal Trends in the receding glaciers in Glacier National Park, Montana, 1904 to 2020

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