Glaciers in Washington's Olympic Mountains will be gone by 2070, study concludes (gated, codes)

[pnwguy2]

Well, maybe. Maybe not. I, for one, am tiring of this talk of glaciers melting. We don’t really know what climate will offer us in our lifetimes. But as humans we will adapt, so the panic over this subject is misguided.

[dav51lin]

Originally Posted by pnwguy2

Well, maybe. Maybe not. I, for one, am tiring of this talk of glaciers melting. We don’t really know what climate will offer us in our lifetimes. But as humans we will adapt, so the panic over this subject is misguided.

people mostly destroy or ignore rather than adapt

[pnwguy2]

Nonsense. People adapt. They have no choice in most situations. The theory that most destroy or ignore is a pessimistic attitude. I guess I have a more favorable view about society than you.

[happygrrrl]

I remember a picture of my mother at a glacier in Alaska, then comparing it to a picture with my family at the same glacier, same spot,12 years later. The amount of shrinkage was startling.

Just now there is a lot of snow on the Olympics, they are so beautiful. They're a treasure. But this season has been the exception over the last few years.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by happygrrrl

I remember a picture of my mother at a glacier in Alaska, then comparing it to a picture with my family at the same glacier, same spot,12 years later. The amount of shrinkage was startling.

Just now there is a lot of snow on the Olympics, they are so beautiful. They're a treasure. But this season has been the exception over the last few years.

And Glacier National Park's glaciers have been shrinking steadily. Back in the early 2000's, they were predicted to be gone by 2030.

If nothing changes—in other words, if we can’t stop the warming significantly—Glacier National Park could lose all of its glaciers sooner than scientists originally thought. Fagre explains with Blackfoot-Jackson Glacier Basin. A 2003 paper describing a climate-induced glacier change model showed all glaciers in the basin melting by 2030. But “since that model was created, we looked at the projections and what we actually had in the field,” Fagre says. “Glaciers are melting faster than the model predicted.”

Fagre’s quick to say that he doesn’t believe glaciers will completely disappear within the next decade; although they will continue melting, the rate by which this happens will likely slow down. He does, however, stress the affect that losing glaciers could have on the surrounding environment. First, he notes, they act as reservoirs, releasing cold water that’s a lifeline for aquatic species such as trout. They also keep the area wet and cool once the snow packs have all melted. Without them, temperatures in those basins will likely spike—potentially an indication of changes elsewhere that scientists simply can’t see.

https://www.audubon.org/news/glacier...-national-park

[509]

Originally Posted by happygrrrl

I remember a picture of my mother at a glacier in Alaska, then comparing it to a picture with my family at the same glacier, same spot,12 years later. The amount of shrinkage was startling.

Just now there is a lot of snow on the Olympics, they are so beautiful. They're a treasure. But this season has been the exception over the last few years.

Look at the retreat of Alaskan glaciers in Glacier Bay National Park. You can download the Park brochure that shows the glaciers retreating 65 miles since 1751.

There is no discussion about those glaciers. Pretty interesting, from a science perspective, obviously not very interesting from a political perspective since it doesn't fit the narrative.

[rjshae]

Yes we have lost glaciers. More than 50 glaciers in the North Cascades have disappeared since the 1950s. 82 glaciers in Olympic National Park disappeared between 1982 and 2009.

Recent Global Glacier Retreat Overview
Then and Now: Washington's Receding Glaciers
Anderson Glacier, Olympic Mountains, Washington Disappears

Finally:

Glaciers will disappear from mainland U.S. in our lifetime, scientists say

Of the estimated 150 glaciers that existed when Glacier National Park was created in Montana back in 1910, only 26 remain. ... The researchers warn the formations are disappearing so quickly that the lower 48 states will have no more glaciers before the turn of the century. The average glacier shrank 39 percent in a 50 year period, with some shrinking as much as 85 percent.

[flyingsaucermom]

Originally Posted by pnwguy2

Nonsense. People adapt. They have no choice in most situations. The theory that most destroy or ignore is a pessimistic attitude. I guess I have a more favorable view about society than you.

As Americans in the PNW we are in the elite position to adapt. Lucky us. Several billion that don't have the luxury of education or resources or time.

[pnwguy2]

Originally Posted by flyingsaucermom

As Americans in the PNW we are in the elite position to adapt. Lucky us. Several billion that don't have the luxury of education or resources or time.

True, but what can the average American do about it?

Sending funds to failing societies is not a good idea. I think the best plan is to insure the US maintains its strength.

[rjshae]

Originally Posted by pnwguy2

True, but what can the average American do about it?

Sending funds to failing societies is not a good idea. I think the best plan is to insure the US maintains its strength.

Historically, nations remain strong by adopting new technologies and methods, and adjusting their culture to match. Digging in our heels and sticking with slowly dying technology is a road map to steady decline. It's time for a transition.