ENVS Glacier Paper
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University of New Mexico, Main Campus *
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101
Subject
Geography
Date
Dec 6, 2023
Type
docx
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Uploaded by ChancellorIronWildcat44
Dille 1.
Hannah Dille
Professor Hobbs
EVNS101-Sec501
October 23, 2017
Glacier Investigation in Glacier National Park
Grinnell Glacier, located in Glacier National Park, Montana, has been retreating for decades now.
During this investigation, we were tasked with collecting data on the glacier, analyzing found data, and
interpreting what it meant.
We began our collection of data by tracing the extent of the glacier for each year outlined on the
aerial photo of the Grinnell Glacier. We traced the aerial photo by placing the aerial photo on the window
facing the sun, and placed the graph paper on top of the aerial photo. The year that we were assigned was
1993.
Once we had an accurate tracing of the glacier, we wrote a number in each square within the
outline of 1993 that was a full square and each square that was more than halfway inside of the traced
outline. We determined that the size of each square represented 1/100 of a km
2
. We counted a total of 36
squares. Multiplying that total by 1/100 km
2
or 0.01 km
2
, we determined that the surface area of the
glacier for 1993 was approximately 0.36 km
2
.
Now that we had this data, as well as the data collected by the other groups on the various years
for the glacier’s edge—with the exception of group 2 on 1850—we graphed all of the data. We labeled the
y-axis as the
glaciers surface area in kilometers squared
with each square representing 0.1 km
2
, and
labeled the x-axis as
years
with each square representing 10 years. We plotted each data point of the graph
paper and noticed a strong negative trend among the data points, or rather that in 1850, the data point was
relatively high on the graph and continued downhill across the graph.
What does this mean? It means that the Grinnell Glacier is melting. My hypothesis as to why it is
melting is that several factors are affecting the glacier and causing it to melt. These factors include global
warming and soot pollution, which is causing an increase in the glacier’s albedo. Global warming, a topic
that is increasingly present in the media, is thought by scientists to be one of the biggest factors in the
Dille 2.
melting of the glaciers. Much of this warming is due to an increased presence of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere, increasing the greenhouse effect. However, not all of this emissions are manmade. The vast
majority of emissions come from natural sources, such as CO2 produced from ocean-atmosphere
exchange. However, “human CO2 emissions upset the natural balance of the carbon cycle. Man-made
CO2 in the atmosphere has increased by a third since the pre-industrial era, creating an artificial forcing
of global temperatures which is warming the planet” (Wayne). Another possible cause of glacial melting
that does not get nearly as much notice as global warming does is soot pollution. "While global warming
gets most of the blame for glacier recession, soot pollution from automobiles and industrial chimneys
might also play a role. Clean, shiny ice reflects sunlight and remains cool. But dirty, soot-covered ice
absorbs more warmth from the sun, causing a glacier to melt more quickly” (Carey). In summary, various
factors are causing the glaciers to melt, and operating on the assumption that “humans are driving global
warming and that we somehow agree to do what many are urging us to do; with 20 years to go, we are not
going to save the glaciers of Glacier National Park. The glaciers are doomed and have been ever since the
end of the Little Ice Age. They were never going to last forever; it's just a shame for those who have to
see them go” (Sihler).
Dille 3.
Work Cited
Carey, Bjorn. “Glaciers Disappear in Before & After Photos.”
Live Science,
https://www.livescience.
com/674-glaciers-disappear-photos.html
Sihler, Bob. “The Disappearing Glaciers of Glacier National Park.”
SummitPost
, http://www.
summitpost.org/the-disappearing-glaciers-of-glacier-national-park/550744/p3
Wayne, G. P. “How Do Human CO2 Emissions Compare to Natural CO2 Emissions?”
SkepticalScience,
https://www.skepticalscience.com/human-co2-smaller-than-natural-emissions.htm
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