Activity 2.2 – Cryosphere: Boulder Glacier, Montana

 

Original Photo 1932

George Grant, GNP Archives, 1932

Second Photo 1988
Jerry DeSanto, K. Ross Toole Archives, 1988

Google Earth Photo 2022

Google Earth 2022


Problem

Over time human activity has been increasingly leading to a change in the glacial landscape. The effects of these changes not only affect the surrounding environment, but it can lead to global consequences. Melting glaciers add to rising sea levels, which in turn increases coastal erosion and elevates storm surge as warming air and ocean temperatures create more frequent and intense coastal storms like hurricanes and typhoons. (Hancock) The earth naturally goes through stages of heating up and cooling down but   since humans have become more industrious carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases have raised the Earth’s temperature at an abnormal rate. The depletion of the ozone layer leads to an abnormal sequence of earth’s cycles. The ozone is a layer of gases that protects the earth from dangerous ultraviolet radiation. Without the ozone layer those ultraviolet rays will heat up a large area of the earth’s surface. Ozone depletion occurs naturally through natural phenomena like volcano eruptions but most of the depletion occurs because of human activities. Since the 1970’s, regulations have been put in place to help reduce the depletion of the ozone layer.

Explanation

In these photos you can see the glacier retreating in the first two pictures. The icecap that covered the landscape was no longer covering it by 1988 when the second photo was taken. In the 1950’s the glacier retreat ceased and started to advance but by 1979 the advance had ceased. Scientists began monitoring the retreat every five years from 1988-2003. They noticed from 1979- 1988 the glacier retreated 25 meters. By 2008 scientist stated the glacier has retreated 490 meters from the measured spot in 1980. This glacier responds very quickly to climate change, but the warming of the earth’s surface has not helped. In this climate the glacier will continue to melt away, but it will be able to survive for a while. 


Reference

De Santo, Jerry, K. Ross Toole Archives, National Park Services, 1988, https://www.nps.gov/glac/learn/nature/glacier-repeat-photos.htm

Google Earth Pro. (2022). Boulder Glacier, Washington. Retrieved from https://earth.google.com/web/@48.81987283,-121.54786518,2391.87607996a,0d,35y,-108.8892h,83.4683t,-0r?utm_source=earth7&utm_campaign=vine&hl=en

Grant, George, GNP Archives, National Park Service, 1932 https://www.nps.gov/glac/learn/nature/glacier-repeat-photos.htm

Hancock, Lorin, ”Why Are Glaciers and Sea Ice Melting.” World Wild Life,

https://www.worldwildlife.org/pages/why-are-glaciers-and-sea-ice-melting

Pelto, Mauri, “Boulder Glacier”. North Cascade Glacier Project,  

https://glaciers.nichols.edu/boulder-glacier/


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