Where to see Earth’s dying glaciers before they disappear

Finding a dying glacier is not difficult.

Mauri Pärt, a glaciologist at Nichols University, said every glacier country has a place to watch retreating glaciers. The decline of ice rivers may be the most visible result of accelerating global climate change.

“Glaciers provide some of the clearest evidence of climate change, and it is, at least in principle, understandable to everyone,” said glaciologist Michael Zemp, head of the Global Glacier Monitoring Service. Ice melts in a warm atmosphere.”

A dead Icelandic glacier called Okjökull made international headlines a few years ago when scientists announced the imminent unveiling of a metal monument to commemorate the shrinking ice mass. But before many glaciers disappear or disappear completely in the coming decades, it’s a very accessible place to see these amazing natural phenomena that have been traveling down mountains and through valleys for thousands of years. Witnessing the profound extent of the changes currently occurring on Earth is a poignant way. The locations detailed below do not require climbing.

You can take a walk through them and see the Earth changes with your own eyes.

yes there might be quarrelTraveling to such locations on fuel-hungry airliners that emit tremendous amounts of carbon dioxide could hasten the disappearance of these glaciers. But human curiosity and travel never go away. Our intention here is not to criticize or moralize travel. Travel is just one component of his planet’s burgeoning carbon problem. For those in glacier country, the opportunity to see dying glaciers is plentiful and accessible, but sometimes somewhat bitter.

“Everybody knows what’s going on.”

“I try to be more hopeful these days, but the news isn’t great,” admits Joe Shea, assistant professor of environmental geography at the University of Northern British Columbia. Shea has published a study that predicts significant loss of Himalayan glaciers this century.

In fact, Oddur Sigurdsson, a veteran geologist at the Icelandic Meteorological Agency who declared Okjökull dead, recorded about 300 small glaciers in the north of the country in 2000. However, by 2017, 56 of these glaciers had disappeared. “The last 20 years have been extreme,” Sigurðsson said, noting that global warming and the amplification of this warming in the Arctic has melted this ancient ice.

Sigurðsson easily sees the change from year to year. “Everybody knows what’s going on,” he said.

A comprehensive new glaciological study published in 2023 predicts that by 2100 the Earth will be A whopping 49 to 83 percent of that glacier. But you don’t have to lose them all. Society can bring about major systemic changes in energy and industrial infrastructure, reducing enormous carbon footprints. “If there’s one thing we can learn from our study, it’s that any increase in temperature matters,” said Dave Rounce, a glaciologist at Carnegie Mellon University who led the study. I’m here. said online“As a society, we have the ability to make a difference to save significant amounts of glaciers and mitigate the impacts associated with glacier loss.”

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Note: There are about 27,000 (shrinking) glaciers in Alaska alone. According to the glaciologists who know glaciers best, these are just some of the most accessible glaciers in the world.

Mendenhall Glacier, Alaska

Arguably, Alaska’s retreating Mendenhall Glacier is one of the best places to witness significant glacier retreat and learn about declining glaciers. During the warm season, May through September, the US Forest Service strengthens its staff of educational rangers at Mendenhall.

“Go to the rangers and ask questions,” suggests Laurie Lamb, deputy director of the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center.

Retreat stands out for the Mendenhall staff. “From one year to the next, you really notice a difference,” Lam added.

For those of us who don’t view Mendenhall regularly, we recommend the Trail of Time Walk, which is about a mile long. Along the way there are markers that mark where glaciers used to exist decades ago. On the portion of the trail closest to the visitor center, you can feel the ice-scarred outcroppings of rock discovered by Mendenhall’s constant retreat.

In recent decades, glacier retreat has varied, sometimes retreating 500 feet in a single year. From 2005 to 2009, the glacier retreated an average of 170 feet per year. Today, the glacier is also thinning and shrinking on its sides. “It was the most dramatic to see in person,” Lam said.

Alaska vs Lower 48

Besides Mendenhall, Alaska has many great glacier-viewing options, Pelt said.

Many can be seen from the road, like Portage Glacier, which has been in steady decline since 1911. Some, like Herbert Glacier (near Mendenhall), require hiking over rugged terrain. “The point is that most glaciers aren’t easy to reach, so decide which areas you want to visit and then find glaciers that meet your access criteria,” Pärt advised.

Compared to Lower 48, Alaska offers much more accessible glaciers. Even Glacier National Park in Montana says in bold online: glacier. “

“Large glaciers are relatively easy to see in Alaska’s national parks,” the park adds.

Glacier experts agree. “many [Lower 48] The glacier has receded from view,” said Andrew Fountain, professor of geography and geology at Portland State University.

In fact, Glacier National Park, which had 35 large, active named glaciers in 1966, had only 26 by 2015.

ButFor those interested and capable of hiking, glaciers certainly abound in Lower 48. Fountain says national parks like Mount Lener, Yosemite and Rocky Mountain offer hikes of varying difficulty. For example, the glistening and disappearing act of Grinnell Glacier in Glacier National Park can be seen on a “very challenging day hike from the Many Glacier region,” according to the park.

Athabasca Glacier, Canada

Glacier scientist Shea suggests looking at the Athabasca Glacier, just off the Canadian Rockies’ 180-kilometer Icefields Parkway.

“It’s a great place,” said Shea. “Get out of the car and have a look.”

In the early 20th century, glaciers once existed where the road now runs. The recession there is extreme, Shea pointed out. The glacier has lost half its volume and retreated about a mile in the last 125 years.

Grosser Aletsch, Switzerland

“There is nothing more impressive than visiting a glacier in person,” said Zemp of the Global Glacier Monitoring Service. He suggested some accessible locations in Switzerland, including Grosser Aletsch, the longest glacier in Switzerland.

The glacier is over 14 miles (23 km) long. However, according to Glacier Monitoring Switzerland, it has lost about two miles in length since 1870.

“Climate change is global, but we are feeling its effects locally,” writes Kulturberg (in translation), a Swiss cultural organization that educates visitors to Grosser Aletsch. I’m here. “If we believe that glaciers are witnesses to our climate, we must take seriously the observed increase in extreme melting events.”

Solheimajokull, Iceland

“Icelandic glaciers are among the most accessible in the world,” said Sigurðsson of Iceland. “In some places, you can drive to the edge.”

Of note is Solheimajökull Glacier, Iceland’s southernmost glacier. Sigurðsson documents it’s setback over the decades.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, if warming trends continue, meaning carbon emissions remain largely unchecked, Iceland’s glaciers will decline by 40% in number by the end of the century, “by 2200.” may virtually disappear.”

With this ice gone, an important part of Icelandic culture will be lost.

“[The glaciers] Beautiful,” Sigurðsson said. “They are very interesting natural phenomena. They contain history. They contain the entire history of the entire Icelandic nation.”

Ice Sea, France

Mer de Glace, France’s largest glacier, is shrinking.

Pelt of Nichols College says access to the glacier is very easy. A train will take you there.

According to French Bloomberg reporter Helen Fouquet, in 1988 it took just three flights of stairs to reach the ice. Today, visitors descend about 370 steps to reach the ice.

Over the past 100 years, the surface of Mer de Glace has melted about 100 meters (or about 328 feet).

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Glacier melting trends are expected to continue unabated. NASA glaciologist Alex Gardner told Mashable in 2019:

Temperatures are projected to continue to rise relentlessly, especially as atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide, which traps heat, are currently soaring. Moreover, this carbon increase rate is unprecedented in both the historical and geological records.

Ice melts on both land and sea. Some glaciers will disappear this century, but civilization’s efforts to slow carbon emissions in the coming decades can still play a key role in curbing much of this melting, he said. Shea of ​​the University of Northern British Columbia pointed out.

“The choices we make now will make a difference,” he said. “But we need to start mitigating [carbon] 20 years ago.

First published in 2019, this article has been updated with new predictions about how quickly Earth’s glaciers will melt.