Ode to the Cryosphere

The exquisitely produced Northwest Mountaineering Journal features an excellent (that is to say, brief, clear and accessible) article on the status of the glaciers in Washington's North Cascades region -- home to the largest concentration of glaciers in the Lower 48. The prognosis is not good. Investigator Mauri Pelto concludes:

All 47 glaciers monitored by our project are currently undergoing a significant retreat or have disappeared altogether. Ongoing temperature rises combined with a reduction in snow accumulation in the North Cascades have resulted in widespread disequilibrium. Even the wet winter of 2007 yielded barely above-average snowpack in the mountains as more of that precipitation fell as rain.

The net loss over the last 20 years is a significant portion of the total glacier volume, estimated at 18 to 32 percent. Sadly, prevailing conditions provide little evidence that North Cascade glaciers are close to equilibrium. Their ongoing thinning indicates that all of the glaciers will continue to retreat into the foreseeable future.

The naysayers are fond of pointing to the relatively few areas in the world (such as those in Norway and on California's Mount Shasta) where glaciers are bucking this trend as proof that global warming is bunk. But don't be fooled. With very few exceptions, what is happening in the North Cascades is being repeated in all glaciated regions around the globe with serious repercussions on alpine ecosystems and water supply in many arid lowland regions that depend on seasonal snowmelt.

As a postscript, glacier aficionados will also want to read the profile of self-made glacier expert and photographer Austin Post.