2.5 million-year-old US glaciers could disappear by 2070, study says
The study's authors say the loss of the glaciers will deal a crucial blow to the region's ecosystems and will wipe out a vital source of water during the summer months.
By
John Murphy, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Apr 28, 2022 6:00 AM EDT
|
Updated Apr 27, 2022 3:51 PM EDT
In this photo taken Tuesday, July 9, 2019, the Olympic Mountains are seen beyond a forest from Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic National Park, near Port Angeles, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
The Olympic Peninsula located in Washington is one of the most famous places in the country for its spectacular snow and ice-covered views. Glaciers on the Olympic Peninsula began to form 2.5 million years ago, but in less than 50 years, they could be no more.
A dire warning by the American Geophysical Union (AGU) says glaciers atop Olympic National Park are in jeopardy. According to a new study published this month by the AGU, the glaciers will have "largely disappeared" by 2070.
The loss of the glaciers will cause more than just a visual change, as it will also alter the ecosystem in the region and shrink a critical water source for those living in the area, experts say.
Nearly the entire Olympic Mountain Range is inside Olympic National Park, which has a very large elevation range, going from sea level up to about 8,000 feet. The park receives triple-digit inches of precipitation, which falls mostly as snow.
People in view of the Olympic Mountains behind them Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2015, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Buckinghorse, Washington, which sits at an elevation of 4,870 feet and is located in the central part of Olympic National Park, recorded roughly 137 inches of precipitation during the 2021-22 winter season. At least 100 inches of precipitation has been recorded every complete season since 2009-10 at Buckinghorse.
Due to their close proximity to the Pacific Ocean, the Olympic Mountains experience mild winters but air temperatures close to freezing. Air temperatures in local areas and the glaciers are strongly affected by the surface temperature of the Pacific Ocean.
The Olympic Mountains are located on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington state and are the western-most alpine terrain in the Pacific Northwest. Because of their location, the mountains are the first to intercept moisture-laden storms coming from the Pacific Ocean.
Warming winters cause the precipitation to fall as rain instead of snow, which prevents the glaciers from renourishing, according to the researchers.
About 200 glaciers are located at the park, a number that is lower than in recent decades. An inventory in 1980 documented the originally identified glaciers in the park and, when compared to the recent 2015 inventory, showed dire results. While no glaciers disappeared between 1980 and 1990, the 25 years after 1990 showed 35 glaciers had disappeared. In total, the glacier area has decreased by 45% compared to 1980.
This trend is expected to continue, according to Andrew Fountain, a professor of geology and geography at Portland State University who led the study.
Since 1990, the complete inventory revealed 134 glaciers decreased below the minimum threshold for glacier inclusion (0.01 square kilometers), according to the AGU study.
In this photo taken Tuesday, July 9, 2019, the Olympic Mountains are seen in the distance from Hurricane Ridge, where a sign talks about the disappearing glaciers there, in the Olympic National Park, near Port Angeles, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
"There’s little we can do to prevent the disappearance of these glaciers. We're on this global warming train right now. Even if we're super good citizens and stop adding carbon dioxide in the atmosphere immediately, it will still be 100 years or so before the climate responds," said Fountain.
While it may be too late to save the glaciers at Olympic National Park, taking action against climate change now will help ensure things don't get worse.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
"This is yet another tangible call for us to take climate change seriously and take actions to minimize our climate impact," added Fountain.
According to the National Park Service, the glaciers of today in the Olympic Peninsula were created in the "geologically recent" cold period, also known as the Pleistocene Epoch, a time period that dates back 2.5 million years.
The decline in glacier ice isn't occurring just at Olympic National Park. Recent data by the U.S. Geological Survey found a similar decline in several locations across the country. The glaciers in the North Cascades of Washington, Glacier National Park in Montana and even areas in Alaska are all reported to be in a decline.
The study by the USGS highlights how higher temperatures have caused these glaciers to be more prone to glacier melt in the summer and less prone to growth in the winter.
The study concludes by stating the glaciers on the Olympic Mountains "should largely disappear by 2070."
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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News / Climate
2.5 million-year-old US glaciers could disappear by 2070, study says
The study's authors say the loss of the glaciers will deal a crucial blow to the region's ecosystems and will wipe out a vital source of water during the summer months.
By John Murphy, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Apr 28, 2022 6:00 AM EDT | Updated Apr 27, 2022 3:51 PM EDT
In this photo taken Tuesday, July 9, 2019, the Olympic Mountains are seen beyond a forest from Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic National Park, near Port Angeles, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
The Olympic Peninsula located in Washington is one of the most famous places in the country for its spectacular snow and ice-covered views. Glaciers on the Olympic Peninsula began to form 2.5 million years ago, but in less than 50 years, they could be no more.
A dire warning by the American Geophysical Union (AGU) says glaciers atop Olympic National Park are in jeopardy. According to a new study published this month by the AGU, the glaciers will have "largely disappeared" by 2070.
The loss of the glaciers will cause more than just a visual change, as it will also alter the ecosystem in the region and shrink a critical water source for those living in the area, experts say.
Nearly the entire Olympic Mountain Range is inside Olympic National Park, which has a very large elevation range, going from sea level up to about 8,000 feet. The park receives triple-digit inches of precipitation, which falls mostly as snow.
People in view of the Olympic Mountains behind them Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2015, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Buckinghorse, Washington, which sits at an elevation of 4,870 feet and is located in the central part of Olympic National Park, recorded roughly 137 inches of precipitation during the 2021-22 winter season. At least 100 inches of precipitation has been recorded every complete season since 2009-10 at Buckinghorse.
Due to their close proximity to the Pacific Ocean, the Olympic Mountains experience mild winters but air temperatures close to freezing. Air temperatures in local areas and the glaciers are strongly affected by the surface temperature of the Pacific Ocean.
The Olympic Mountains are located on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington state and are the western-most alpine terrain in the Pacific Northwest. Because of their location, the mountains are the first to intercept moisture-laden storms coming from the Pacific Ocean.
Warming winters cause the precipitation to fall as rain instead of snow, which prevents the glaciers from renourishing, according to the researchers.
About 200 glaciers are located at the park, a number that is lower than in recent decades. An inventory in 1980 documented the originally identified glaciers in the park and, when compared to the recent 2015 inventory, showed dire results. While no glaciers disappeared between 1980 and 1990, the 25 years after 1990 showed 35 glaciers had disappeared. In total, the glacier area has decreased by 45% compared to 1980.
This trend is expected to continue, according to Andrew Fountain, a professor of geology and geography at Portland State University who led the study.
Since 1990, the complete inventory revealed 134 glaciers decreased below the minimum threshold for glacier inclusion (0.01 square kilometers), according to the AGU study.
In this photo taken Tuesday, July 9, 2019, the Olympic Mountains are seen in the distance from Hurricane Ridge, where a sign talks about the disappearing glaciers there, in the Olympic National Park, near Port Angeles, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
"There’s little we can do to prevent the disappearance of these glaciers. We're on this global warming train right now. Even if we're super good citizens and stop adding carbon dioxide in the atmosphere immediately, it will still be 100 years or so before the climate responds," said Fountain.
While it may be too late to save the glaciers at Olympic National Park, taking action against climate change now will help ensure things don't get worse.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
"This is yet another tangible call for us to take climate change seriously and take actions to minimize our climate impact," added Fountain.
According to the National Park Service, the glaciers of today in the Olympic Peninsula were created in the "geologically recent" cold period, also known as the Pleistocene Epoch, a time period that dates back 2.5 million years.
The decline in glacier ice isn't occurring just at Olympic National Park. Recent data by the U.S. Geological Survey found a similar decline in several locations across the country. The glaciers in the North Cascades of Washington, Glacier National Park in Montana and even areas in Alaska are all reported to be in a decline.
The study by the USGS highlights how higher temperatures have caused these glaciers to be more prone to glacier melt in the summer and less prone to growth in the winter.
The study concludes by stating the glaciers on the Olympic Mountains "should largely disappear by 2070."
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For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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