Activity 2.2 - Cryosphere : Black Glacier, Alaska


Problem:

Black Glaciers are a magnificent river of ice seated in the heart of Alaska. These glaciers are such a beautiful sight to see, however, they are undergoing a lot of recession like many other glaciers worldwide. This phenomenon is known as glacial retreat and plays a keen role in helping us see the way that climate change affects the earth. The recession of this glacier is foremost due to increasing temperatures that climate change has been introducing which in turn accelerates the melting process. As the Earth warms, it makes the primary means of the glacier to lose mass through a process called ablation, the process by which snow and ice are lost from a glacier mainly from the snow and ice melting from the heat and sunlight, sublimation, calving, and wind erosion from the surface of the glacier. The results of all the receding glaciers worldwide include rising sea levels, which in turn increases coastal erosion, changes in ecosystems, and many other forms of change. Another large change that glacial retreat has is water resource disruption. This disruption can cause water shortages in communities that rely on glacier meltwater for drinking and irrigation. The change in the glacier I have shown today is astounding, to say the least, the exact place where the original photographs were taken does not even show any ice on the satellite views. 

Explanation:

Unfortunately, the only way to stop the recession of the glaciers would be to stop global warming and while we might not be able to stop it, we can help take steps to get there. Some steps to help slow down or maybe even stop Climate change would be to save energy in many different ways, for example, people relying on public transportation rather than everyone driving their vehicle, lessen the use of fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas, and many other ways we can help. 



Black Glacier 1929

National Snow and Ice Data Center. Glacier Photograph Collection - Search Results. (n.d.). http://nsidc.org/data/glacier_photo/search/image_info/lacl_1990_black90s_900805?order=true 



Black Glacier 2004

Glacier Photograph collection - search results. (n.d.). http://nsidc.org/data/glacier_photo/search/image_info/lacl_dsc00706?order=true





Current Coordinates of the Black Glacier as today February 4th, 2025


 

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