Glacial demise

All of the glaciers in Montana’s Glacier National Park will be gone by the year 2020 due to the effects of increasing global temperatures, according to various media sources.

The park, which was home to 150 glaciers in the 19th century, currently has only 25 left and those are melting more quickly than scientists previously expected. Average temperatures in Glacier National Park have actually risen 1.8 times faster than the global average, said U.S. Geological Survey scientist Dan Fagre. Surveyors have documented the recession of the glaciers through aerial photography and core samples, which provide the most reliable measure of a glacier’s mass.

The environmental impact on the region’s aquatic species is potentially huge, as glaciers are an important source of fresh water. Streams that were thriving marine environments could turn into dry stream beds within the decade.