If you travel toGlacier National Park , Montana , you ’re likely to see beautiful forests and picturesque mountains , but one thing you ’ll struggle to find is glaciers . Out of the 150 river of ice that used to adorn the park , only 26 of them are still bad enough to be officially assort as glaciers .
New researchhas set up that it is now all but “ inevitable ” that the blue 48 states will be detached from any glaciers within the next few decennium . The analysis , run out by the US Geological Survey ( USGS ) and Portland State University , looked at how heating temperatures have been impacting the 39 named glaciers found in Montana since 1966 . And it ’s good to say that it ’s not looking good .
They find thatwhile on average the glaciers had declined by 39 percent , in some cases they have melt by as much as 85 per centum over the last 50 yr . Formed by compacted Baron Snow of Leicester and crank , they officially become a glacier if they are declamatory than 10 hectares ( 25 acres ) in size . By that criterion , it means that the park once famed for its glaciers now only contains 26 of them , and that is only expected to get worse .
“ It ’s inevitable that we will lose them all over the next few ten , ” Dr Daniel Fagre , lead scientist at the USGS , toldThe Guardian . “ The Colorado glacier started mellow out before Montana ’s and while there are prominent glacier in the Pacific compass north - western United States that will hold on longer , the number vanishing will steadily grow until none are left . ”
The amount of melting seen in Montana is greater than in other component of the US , but it is still in line of descent with what is being seen globally . They predict that while in other topographic point like the Pacific north - west glaciers may cling on for a bit longer than in Montana , in just a few decade the only glaciers that will survive in the United States will be found in Alaska .
The knock - on effect of the heating will have heavy shock on the environment . “ The park - wide loss of ice can have ecological effects on aquatic species by changing current water loudness , water temperature and runoff timing in the eminent elevations of the parking lot , ” say Dr Fagre , ina statement .
This is thought to be the first prison term in at least 7,000 years that these glaciers have faced such strong temperatures and low hurriedness , and the first time that they are heading firm for extinguishing . Halting the thawing of the planet will not be enough to save them . It will take a reversal in average temperatures , something which is efficaciously never going to happen .
