Comments
Alaska Glaciers Grew this Year, Thanks to Colder Weather
Two hundred years of glacial shrinkage in Alaska, and then came the winter and summer of 2007-2008. Unusually large amounts of winter snow were followed by unusually chill temperatures in June, July and August. “In mid-June, I was surprised to see snow still at sea level in Prince William Sound,” said U.S. Geological Survey glaciologist Bruce Molnia. “On the Juneau Icefield, there was still 20 feet of new snow on the surface of the Taku Glacier in late July. At Bering Glacier, a landslide I am studying, located at about 1,500 feet elevation, did not become snow free until early August. “In general, the weather this summer was the worst I have seen in at least 20 years. “Never before in the history of a research project dating back to 1946 had the Juneau Icefield witnessed the kind of snow buildup that came this year. It was similar on a lot of other glaciers too. “It’s been a long time on most glaciers where they’ve actually had positive mass balance,” Molnia said. That’s the way a scientist says the glaciers got thicker in the middle.
Anchorage Daily News: ‘Bad weather was good for Alaska glaciers’
November 26th, 2008 at 10:40 am
I was there, on the Juneau Icefield Research Project, and we had snow at all of our camps through the summer. Maynard Miller himself said it was the worst weather during the summer he has ever seen, and thats from 46! If this isn’t an indication of climate change and shifting storm tracks, then I don’t know what is…
December 12th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
I really liked you blog post! I searched all over to finally find something that made sense! Would you mind terribly if I place a link back from my site at whiterabbitcult.com?
December 12th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
I don’t mind if you post a link.