Problem
The Grinnell Glacier is melting and soon it will no longer exist except in photos and the memories of those that got the chance to visit it. The Grinnell Glacier is being heavily affected by climate change;While the decrease of glaciers since the end of the Little Ice Age is due to both natural and human-caused climate change, the retreat seen in recent decades can be increasingly attributed to anthropogenic causes.(National Park Service, 2016) Climate change has increased the amount of wildfires fires drastically in the Glacier National Park which has affected the Grinnell Glacier tremendously. With the Glaciers melting at an alarming rate it has become pertinent that we observe the changes it causes to the landscape by the increase of water in the lake or river nearby. It allows the water flow to have enough power to change the way it runs and how it alters the environment around it. Hopefully in our studies of the landscape and how the environment is affected by the landscape we can find an alternative to manage the melting glacier in a better way to lessen the damage it causes.
Explanation
Grinnell Glacier decreased in area from 530 acres in 1900 to 315 acres in 1960 and to 298 acres in 1966. Between 1937 and 1969 the terminus receded nearly 1,200 feet. Periodic profile measurements indicate that in 1969 the surface over the main part of the glacier was 25-30 feet lower than in 1950.(Johnson, 1980) This is due to the rise in wildfires in the area with the fires getting more frequent and larger it is causing higher percentage of carbon dioxide to be distributed into the air that is now trapping a large amount of heat which will inevitably lead to the melting of the glaciers, including Grinnell. Glaciologists have predicted that the Grinnell Glacier will disappear by the year 2030.(Wikipedia Contributors, 2019) The terrain left behind by a retreating glacier has been described as land recovering from a fire. It is an extremely devastating catastrophe that leaves scars on the earth and continuously alters the landscape and flora and fauna around it.
References
Contributions by Chan Jong. (n.d.). Contributions by Chan Jong. Retrieved January 25, 2023, from https://www.google.com/maps/contrib/107784952986234232192/photos/@48.7709843
Google. (2018). Overview – Google Earth. Google Earth. https://www.google.com/earth/index.html
Glacier, M. A. P. B. 128 W., & Us, M. 59936 P. 406 888-7800 C. (n.d.). Glacier Repeat Photos - Glacier National Park (U.S. National Park Service). Www.nps.gov. https://www.nps.gov/glac/learn/nature/glacier-repeat-photos.htm
Johnson, A. (1980). Grinnell and Sperry Glaciers, Glacier National Park, Montana - A Record of Vanishing Ice [Review of Grinnell and Sperry Glaciers, Glacier National Park, Montana - A Record of Vanishing Ice]. Pubs. https://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/1180/report.pdf
National Park Service. (2016). Climate Change - Glacier National Park (U.S. National Park Service). Nps.gov. https://www.nps.gov/glac/learn/nature/climate-change.htm
No comments:
Post a Comment