According to a new survey, Montana's glaciers have been rapidly shrinking over the last 50 years.

In 1966, Montana was home to 39 named glaciers -- stable bodies of ice larger than 25 acres, the threshold for what is considered a "glacier." Today, just 26 glaciers meet the definition.

Over the last five decades, those 39 glaciers have shrunk an average of 39 percent and some have lost as much as 85 percent of their mass.

The latest survey was conducted by scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey. The survey included data related to 37 glaciers in Glacier National Park and two glaciers located on land managed by the U.S. Forest Service.

"The park-wide loss of ice can have ecological effects on aquatic species by changing stream water volume, water temperature and run-off timing in the higher elevations of the park," Daniel Fagre, lead researcher and USGS scientist, said in a news release.

"While the shrinkage in Montana is more severe than some other places in the U.S., it is in line with trends that have been happening on a global scale," said researcher Andrew G. Fountain.

Researchers used a combination of aerial images and field visits to track the glaciers' shrinking sizes. Data for the glaciers included in the survey are available at the USGS ScienceBase website.

Tweet

Climate change clues revealed by ice sheet collapse
Stirling, UK (SPX) Apr 26, 2017
The rapid decline of ancient ice sheets could help scientists predict the impact of modern-day climate and sea-level change, according to research by the universities of Stirling in Scotland and Tromso in Norway. Ice sheets are massive land-based reservoirs of frozen water. For the first time, scientists have reconstructed in detail the evolution of the last ice sheet that covered Iceland around ... read more

Related Links
Beyond the Ice Age

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only