Colorado climate, glaciers & water (Colorado Springs, Boulder: university, live, assessment)

[Idunn]

“We’ve got to expect that if we stay in a warmer climate, we’re going to see a drier Colorado, a Colorado that looks more like our neighbors to the south or west, Utah and New Mexico, than we’re used to seeing in Colorado,” said Scambos, with the University of Colorado. “It’s part of the consequences of climate change. It’s a kind of choice that we’re making about how we want to manage, nationally and locally, the landscape and the planet.” [1]


The far ends of this planet are warming at roughly twice the rate of that closer to the equator. Since 1970 summer sea ice in the Arctic has decreased by 40%. As this continues the ice-albedo feedback effect, of open water absorbing more energy and thus accelerating the trend, only intensifies. While the AMO, or Atlantic multi-decadal oscillation, naturally provides periods of cooling and warming every 65 to 80 years—and in a warming phase since the mid-1970s—that occurring now is unprecedented. Scientists believe the Arctic may become ice-free in summer by later this century, perhaps as early as the 2020s. [2]

Their assessment is this radical decline in Arctic ice is between 5 and no more than 30% natural, with the major influence global warming due mankind.

Meanwhile, scientists monitoring Greenland via satellite (as well as in person) were shocked to find that within a few days this July ice melt across that frozen island had gone from about 40% to near 100% of all ice. This is unprecedented in recorded history. This ice melt is occurring not only near sea level, but at the highest elevations.

Greenland routinely experiences ice melt in the summer, if usually less than half the ice sheet. But this current warming trend seems to be accelerating. This present ice melt was due a weather heat dome settling over Greenland for a few days in early July. It is not a one-off event; with this now the seventh summer in a row of this type of warm air pattern. Over the last few decades there has been acceleration of the melting process.

Greenland experiences rapid melting events about every 150 years, with this now about on schedule. So the question if this subsides, or continues. But "worrisome" should it continue, with decided sea level rise being one consequence. [3]

Areas like Colorado are no less affected. In the latter part of the Pleistocene, being very roughly 10,000 years ago, glaciers were a dominant feature throughout the mountains of Colorado. Today, but remnants of that exist.

Glaciers in Colorado today are located in the Medicine Bow Mountains, the Park Range, Tenmile Range, Sawatch Range, San Miguel Mountains, Sierra Blanca, and Front Range. Most of them are relatively small, with the most pronounced in the Front Range, most notably within Rocky Mountain National Park. With the possible exception of Sierra Blanca, all would seem to be shrinking. [4] (Note interesting data and photos this reference)

The largest glacier in RMNP is Andrews Glacier; it has lost 35% of its mass since 1900, most of that in the last few decades. It is believed a good chance this and all other glaciers in Colorado will have melted in our lifetimes. [1]

The southern-most and largest of the Front Range glaciers is Arapahoe Glacier, west of Boulder. It has lost 40% of its mass since 1900. As with other Colorado glaciers, it is quite susceptible to climate change.

Glaciers naturally fluctuate in size over time. In Colorado they retreated during a warmer period in the 1940s and 50s. They grew somewhat in size during the 1970s and 80s. Since the 1990s, glaciers in RMNP have retreated to the smallest size ever recorded.

This planet naturally fluctuates, from minute to minute, day to day, and in the centuries of warming or cooling trends. Yet it must be seen that the introduction of man-made greenhouse gases have profoundly affected these natural cycles, accelerating all. In Colorado Springs, the past decade has witnessed four of its ten warmest years on record. 2011 was the hottest ever. 2012 may top that.

If for no other reason, glaciers are important as an integral part of ecosystems highly reliant upon them. In Colorado and elsewhere, mountain rivers could run dry without the consistent source of glaciers.

1) 'See Colorado's last glaciers while you still can,' Out There Colorado
See Colorado's last glaciers while you still can - OutThereColorado.com

2) 'Loss of Arctic sea ice '70% man-made,' The Guardian
Loss of Arctic sea ice '70% man-made' | Environment | The Guardian

3) 'Greenland ice sheet melted at unprecedented rate during July,' The Guardian
Greenland ice sheet melted at unprecedented rate during July | Environment | The Guardian

4) 'Glaciers of Colorado,' Glaciers of the American West
Glaciers of Colorado | Glaciers of the American West

[ryanek9freak]

Yawn. Same old global warming hysteria we've been hearing for years. Enough already.
The earth will go through these natural changes with or without humans present.

[SheridanL]

Antarctica is the place to watch for the melting ..ozone, climate change, etc. My son works there for the USAP program. He sends videos of time lapse melting/freezing, etc,..He isn't freaking out! Well not because of that!! HA! I do know that the biggest waste of water is from agriculture (not our ornamental lawns) AND we are second best in the world of our usage!!!! YEP!! Not kidding....it's not all OUR fault. We just give out awards to some who speak the loudest about it!! America can't solve everything, certainly not that!! I mean gosh, Al Gore got an oscar..geez!!
Sorry,..rambling on and on..I miss my son and I'm sleepy!!

[wanneroo]

You are reading "The Guardian" too much idunn.

The paper has gone so far left that even in the UK it is the butt of many jokes about it's readers and all of the constant hysteria it publishes, including all of the fraudulent global warming data by the CRU. Climategate blew open the door on all the fraud and the Guardian continues to flog it's hysteria tabloid material despite plenty of contrary facts and history.

Even my UK friends that are not what I would call conservative consider that paper a total joke.

[Idunn]

"For Glacier, it's probably too late to do anything but go see it. Rangers at the park said any change in the trend — even if society was pushing for one, which it isn't — likely would come too late for these glaciers. Their end is baked in." [1]


The projections were wrong, the schedule has appreciably advanced, and one now has about eight years to see any glaciers in Glacier National Park—before they've entirely melted.

The Last Glacial Maximum, when ice sheets covering large portions of North America, Europe and Asia were at their maximum extent, was between about 26,000 and 20,000 years ago. The largely sedimentary rocks of Glacier NP, having been deposited in shallow seas between 1.6 billion and 800 million years previous, give or take, were shaped by these forces when the Rocky Mountains literally upthrust in that area, roughly 170 million years ago.

More recently, the glaciers in this region have been in gradual decline for the last 12,000 years. An exception would be the period of the Little Ice Age, between about 1550 and 1850, when glaciers in the region advanced somewhat. However, the advent of the Industrial Revolution and associated progress has not been kind to such natural features. By the mid 20th century it was clear that the 150 known glaciers in Glacier NP one hundred years previous had greatly retreated, or entirely disappeared. By 2010 only 37 glaciers remained.

Unfortunately this region of Montana is experiencing the effects of global warming at twice the worldwide average. The ecosystem of Glacier NP, as well as the broader area with rivers, etc., will be affected. Strangely it is areas at the highest latitudes and elevations which have been suffering the greatest rate of change. This in no way spares Colorado, although perhaps ironic that glaciers in this state will probably outlast those namesake in Glacier NP.

Due to our rapidly warming temperatures, twelve U.S. national parks have been listed at risk from global warming. They are:

• Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico
• Death Valley National Park, California
• Glacier National Park, Montana
• Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Utah and Arizona
• Golden Gate National Recreation Area, California
• Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
• Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado
• Mount Rainier National Park, Washington state
• North Cascades National Park, Washington state
• Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
• Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho
• Yosemite National Park, California

It would be a simpler excursion to visit one of the remaining glaciers in Colorado. Yet Glacier NP is a magnificent place, with little time left if wishing to see the last aspects of what it has been for a very long time.

1) 'No more glaciers? Imagine that,' The Seattle Times
No more glaciers? Imagine that | Danny Westneat | The Seattle Times

[Sobe Itsavized]

Half the people who "yawn" and don't care won't be even breathing when the changes get to significant levels for humans to notice the difference i.e. the old dinosaurs who will be dead when the rest of us are dealing with our elders' problems they created.

It always falls to the younger generations to, ironically, clean up after the older generations. They don't care because it literally isn't their problem or isn't going to be their problem. Selfish as usual.