Activity 2.2 - Cryosphere

 Activity 2.2 - Cryosphere - Boulder Glacier in Glacier National Park, Montana



circa 1910 M Elrod, Glacier National Park Archives -  8/24/2007 D Fagre & G Pederson, USGS

Fagre, D. (2007). Boulder Glacier. photograph, Glacier National Park, Montana. 

 

 


Boulder Glacier. (2009). photograph. 

 

Boulder Glacier 1910-2009

 

 

PROBLEM

With global warming on the rise, we are seeing many of our glaciers rapidly decrease in size over the decades. As you can see with my examples of Boulder Glacier, near Boulder Peak in Glacier National Park, Montana, it has shrunk so significantly it isn’t considered a glacier according to the USGS anymore. Data has shown that Glaciers in Glacier National Park have shrunk up to 85% since the 1960’s. 

 

EXPLANATION

As we consume and release more emissions that continue to be trapped within our atmosphere, we will see many glaciers disappear in our life span. Global Warming has been on the rise and has affected Montana’s Glacier National Park significantly – the average temperatures have nearly doubled just within the last several years. With these higher temperatures we will continue to see glaciers retreat, as winters will not be quite as cold to refreeze the glacial melt from the summer months. This will continue to climb down the ladder as glacial rivers decrease in size, and even vanish completely, disrupting many ecosystems relying on that river flow. 

Dan Fagre, a research ecologist with USGS, believes he will see the last glacier melt before his very eyes in Glacier National Park, within his lifetime. 

 

REFERENCES

Fagre, D. (2007). Boulder Glacier. photograph, Glacier National Park, Montana. 

Boulder Glacier. (2009). photograph. 

Montana Public Radio | By Nicky Ouellet. (2021, November 2). New data show drastic shrinking in Montana's glaciers. Montana Public Radio. Retrieved February 2, 2023, from https://www.mtpr.org/montana-news/2017-05-10/new-data-show-drastic-shrinking-in-montanas-glaciers 



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