Alaska's Shrinking Glaciers: Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve
Kirchner PB, Valentine-Darby P, Chambers N, Loso MB. 2023. Alaska's Shrinking Glaciers: Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve. National Park Service, Inventory and Monitoring Division and Natural Resource Condition Assessment Program
Alaska is one of the most heavily glaciated areas in the world outside of the polar regions. Approximately 21,835 square miles of the state are covered in glaciers—an area nearly the size of West Virginia. Glaciers have shaped much of Alaska’s landscape and continue to influence its lands, waters, and ecosystems. Because of their importance, National Park Service scientists and partners measure glacier change. They have found that glaciers are shrinking in area and volume over nearly all the state. From 1985 to 2020, glacier-covered area in Alaska decreased by 13%. Over the same period, Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve also experienced a loss in its glacier-covered area. As our climate continues to warm, these changes will continue to occur and likely accelerate, profoundly impacting the landscape of Alaska and our parks for generations to come.
- Type
- Resource Brief
- Authors
- Kirchner, Peter; Valentine-Darby, Patty; Chambers, Nina; Loso, Michael
- Date of Issue
- 2023-11
- Publisher
- National Park Service, Inventory and Monitoring Division and Natural Resource Condition Assessment Program
- Units
- ANIA , SWAN
- Keywords
- climate, ice, lake dynamics, lake ice, weather
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Air and Climate | Weather and Climate | Weather and Climate , Ecological Framework: Water | Hydrology | Surface Water Dynamics