Category:Montana

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Retreat of Glaciers in Glacier National Park


"It has been estimated that there were approximately 150 glaciers present in 1850 .... In 2015, measurements of glacier area indicate that there were 26 remaining glaciers...."


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A U.S. Geological Survey (the main scientific arm of the Dept of the Interior) study documenting how climate change has “dramatically reduced” glaciers in Montana came under fire from high-level Interior Department officials last May (2017), according to a batch of newly released (2018) records under the Freedom of Information Act, as they questioned federal scientists’ description of the decline.

(Trump administration Secretary of the Interior) Zinke — whose hometown of Whitefish, Mont. sits at the edge of Glacier National Park — questioned the extent to which human activities had fueled the shrinkage of glaciers in Montana and elsewhere when testifying before the House last June. At the same time, he suggested human emissions play a role in changing the broader climate.

“I don’t believe it’s a hoax,” Zinke said. “I think man has had an influence. I think climate is changing. In reference to Glacier Park, glaciers started melting in Glacier Park right after the end of the ice age. It’s been a consistent melt.”

In the May 10 email thread, Indur Goklany, a science and technology policy analyst skeptical of climate change, responded by questioning what fraction of the glacial shrinkage is “human-induced as opposed to natural variations in precipitation.”

He added that, regardless of cause, fewer glaciers may be better for Montana’s economy. The news release had alluded to the adverse “impact shrinking glaciers can have on tourism.”

“I could also make the argument that it’s not clear that tourism would necessarily suffer since touring season may expand, and hiking may replace g"It has been estimated that there were approximately 150 glaciers present in 1850 .... In 2015, measurements of glacier area indicate that there were 26 remaining glaciers...."


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http://eros.usgs.gov/sites/all/files/external/imagegallery/2459.jpg



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