Posted on Jun 14, 2023
Another three bite the dust: Heat melts Mount Rainier glaciers
235
12
3
6
6
0
A warming climate has claimed three more glaciers in Washington state. These three were all on Mount Rainier, home to more ice than any American mountain south of Alaska.
In June, National Park Service researchers published their finding that the Stevens Glacier, on Rainier’s southern slopes, had shrunken so severely that it could no longer be considered a glacier.
“It's still kind of a perennial snow patch,” said park geologist at Mount Rainier National Park geologist Scott Beason. “If you go up there, you'll still run into some snow, but you're not going to see crevasses. You're not going to see movement.”
Glaciers are rivers of ice that flow as their own weight compresses snow into ice. The slow, grinding movement generates striking features like deep crevasses and deep-blue ice.
The study, based on 3-D images taken of Mount Rainier from a specially outfitted airplane in September 2021, declared two other south-facing glaciers, the Pyramid and Van Trump, “in serious peril,” having lost 42% of their ice in the previous six years.
More recent satellite imagery, from October 2022, led glaciologist Mauri Pelto of Nichols College to conclude the Pyramid and Van Trump glaciers had also melted away.
In June, National Park Service researchers published their finding that the Stevens Glacier, on Rainier’s southern slopes, had shrunken so severely that it could no longer be considered a glacier.
“It's still kind of a perennial snow patch,” said park geologist at Mount Rainier National Park geologist Scott Beason. “If you go up there, you'll still run into some snow, but you're not going to see crevasses. You're not going to see movement.”
Glaciers are rivers of ice that flow as their own weight compresses snow into ice. The slow, grinding movement generates striking features like deep crevasses and deep-blue ice.
The study, based on 3-D images taken of Mount Rainier from a specially outfitted airplane in September 2021, declared two other south-facing glaciers, the Pyramid and Van Trump, “in serious peril,” having lost 42% of their ice in the previous six years.
More recent satellite imagery, from October 2022, led glaciologist Mauri Pelto of Nichols College to conclude the Pyramid and Van Trump glaciers had also melted away.
Another three bite the dust: Heat melts Mount Rainier glaciers
Posted from kuow.org
Nichols College
Climate Change
State of Washington
Research
Posted 11 mo ago
Responses: 2
4
4
0
1
1
0
PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Mount Rainier, also known as Tahoma, is a large active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest in the United States. The mountain is located in Mount Rainier National Park about 59 miles south-southeast of Seattle. With a summit elevation of 14,417 ft, it is the highest mountain in the U.S. state of Washington and the Cascade Range, the most topographically prominent mountain in the contiguous United States, and the tallest in the Cascade Volcanic …"...
..."Mount Rainier, also known as Tahoma, is a large active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest in the United States. The mountain is located in Mount Rainier National Park about 59 miles south-southeast of Seattle. With a summit elevation of 14,417 ft, it is the highest mountain in the U.S. state of Washington and the Cascade Range, the most topographically prominent mountain in the contiguous United States, and the tallest in the Cascade Volcanic …"...
(1)
(0)
Read This Next
Continue with Facebook 
Continue with Google