The Rockies Are Melting
By Aaron Klein
Whether up north in Canada or down south in Colorado; the Rocky Mountains are defined by dramatic landscapes carved out by glaciers. This carving was done by the massive glaciers of the Ice Age. Remnants of those glaciers are still scattered throughout the Rockies providing water as well as beautiful tourist destinations. But that’s changing, they are disappearing. Media focuses on the drastic change of northern and Artic glaciers, however glaciers in the Rockies are shrinking to, even if it has been less noticeable. The changes experienced by Artic glaciers may be a sign of what’s to come for the Rocky Mountains. What will happen to the animals living in proximity to glaciers? What will happen to water sources for surrounding communities? What will happen to tourism in the Rocky Mountains?
What is a Glacier?
A glacier is basically a large mass of snow and ice that moves. Glaciers are defined by areas where more snow accumulates than melts each year. As mass builds up the “old” snow is buried and compressed turning from fluffy snow into very dense ice, most of this transformation takes place on the upper higher altitude end of the glacier. Due to regular summer temperatures it is natural for glaciers to experience some levels of melting throughout the summer, usually towards the bottom of the glacier. Glaciers move simply because gravity is pulling the mass of ice downwards. This movement is usually very slow to the point of being unobservable across a single day, however occasionally glaciers will experience massive slippage moving more than 10 meters per day. This quick movement usually involves excesses melting providing larger quantities of water as a lubricant across the base of the glacier. The stereotypical glacier you see on the news is a valley glacier. They are usually very long filling the valleys that they have carved out over time. Most of the glaciers in the Rockies are Cirque Glaciers. These glaciers form in small bowl like geological features left behind from when the valleys were carved millions of years ago. These glaciers have in the past been more resilient to change because of their high altitude and relative protection from the elements. But their protection is running out.
What is Happening to the Glaciers?
Unsurprisingly glaciers shrink when annual snowmelt is greater than annual accumulation. To some extent this is very normal, not every year is a big snow year and some summers are hotter than others. But more rapid and consistent melting is now being observed throughout the Rocky Mountains. According to Michael Wines, a century ago, the Northern Rockies in Montana boasted some 150 ice sheets, many of them scores of feet thick, plastered across summits and tucked into rocky fissures high above the parabolic valleys. Today, perhaps 25 survive.
At this point climate changes is no longer a question. All reputable scientist have agreed, manmade climate change is taking place. The Rocky Mountains have been experiencing long term increases in mean temperature, this goes beyond the yearly expectations of variation. This is causing an increase in melting. The Rockies are also experiencing an observable decrease in yearly snowpack. Average summer temperatures for Glacier National park have increased 1.33 degrees Celsius, and minimum spring temperatures are also on the rise. In that last ten years this has been 1.8 times average increase for the rest of the world. On their own both temperature increase and lower snowfall rates would be bad for glacier growth, but now they are combining to cause more significant melting than previously observed.
Currently the shrinkage of glaciers in the Rocky Mountains is observable, but significantly less drastic than the shrinkage of glaciers in Alaska and Greenland. For Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, the few glaciers with the most melt have lost approximately 25% of their volume, whereas many glaciers in Alaska have lost more than 35% of their considerably greater initial volume. Yet, glaciers in Alaska and Greenland experiencing rapid decline seem to be indicators for what will happen in the Rocky Mountains. Due to the high altitude of the Rockies, many glaciers have experience slower shrinkage. However, this does not make them immune, the Alaskan glaciers initially had much slower melting, which intensified as melting when on. It seems that glaciers in general experience a positive feedback loop (a loop that feeds itself). As Alaskan glaciers melted, holes in the glacier appear, creating more surface contact with the warm air, in turn leading to more rapid melting, and larger holes. While it is still uncertain, these types of holes could easily form in glaciers in the Rockies, escalating the melting cycle. Just like in Alaska, glaciers of the Rockies could soon be disappearing at an irreplaceable rate.
Why are Glaciers Important?
Glaciers are important for all kinds of reasons, providing for humans and animals alike. For a moment let’s forget all the animals that live around glaciers and let’s forget about the visual impact they have on landscapes. Now let’s just think about ourselves. Glaciers provide water sources for humans. West of Boulder Colorado, for instance, Arapahoe Glacier and the reservoir beneath provide 40% of the drinking water for Boulder County. Threats to this 40% is significant especially considering the water stress from drought that Colorado has been experiencing for some time now. Farther north in Canada water sources will suffer as well. The Peyto is a large glacier north west of Calgary, Canada. “Each year, the Peyto is losing as much as 3.5 million cubic meters of water – roughly the amount the city of Calgary, population 1.2 million, consumes in a day.” While these glaciers may not be providing water for massive communities and each glacier may be supporting only a single community, negative effects will still spread. These areas will likely need to import water, which is not only costly, but takes resources from other communities. Already the regular melt from the glaciers is occurring earlier in the season. This means farmers need to plan water use more carefully throughout the summer, and in some cases they don’t get water late in the summer. Farmers are not the only water users; every citizen uses water. Whether we are drinking it to stay alive or showering with it; no one can live without water. Even if we could survive we would not like a life without water.
If the Rocky Mountains lose their glaciers local economies will suffer. Glaciers add a unique look and appeal to scenery. They can appear as bright or dark blue ice, or simply add a little drama to a summer landscape. People travel from all over to look at glaciers whether in Alaska or the Rocky Mountains. It may not be fully explainable but they certainly have a visual appeal. When glaciers shrink landscapes are altered and tourism is affected. The most popular hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park end at glaciers or glacier fed lakes, right outside Rocky Mountain National Park is Estes Park, CO, were many visitors to RMNP shop, eat, even spend the night. How about Glacier National Park in Montana? Its right in the name their tourism stems directly from Glaciers. GNP is even more of a tourist destination than RMNP, its more remote meaning more of its visitors are from out of state and more of its visitors spend the night rather than day trip. Snow related small businesses in Montana are already staying open for less time due to shorter winter seasons.
Now let’s get a little less selfish and think about the non-human world. Whether its Weasels living at high altitude for the summer, or Elk drinking runoff down in a meadow, animals in the Rockies depend on glaciers for water sources. Animals can adapt to changes and find new water sources, but at a certain point all water in the Rockies is coming from snow or glaciers, so the animals can only do so much to adapt. Further animals with in an ecosystem keep each other in check. Whether they are eating each other or keeping plant growth in check, animals are dependent on each other. If any single more sensitive animal has to migrate completely or goes extinct it will not be long before the rest of the Rocky Mountain ecosystem is negatively affected. Extended effects of glacial melt are already being seen in Glacier National Park, Montana. According to Dr. Daniel Farge, vanishing of snowfields and glaciers directly result in drying of the surrounding area. I personally saw drying further south in Colorado, at the base of the Taylor Glacier in RMNP.
A Weasel who has moved up to high altitude in the area surrounding the Taylor Glacier.
A dry patch within 1000ft. of Taylor Glacier’s base.
Another dry area approximately 2 miles downstream from the Taylor Glacier
Why Should I care?
We protect the Bald Eagle, not just as an endangered species, but as a symbol of America. When it was proposed that Candle Stick Park would no longer be the home of the San Francisco Giants, fans were distraught. As humans we are attached to ideas and symbols. When it comes down to it, these glaciers define the Rocky Mountains. Losing them is not just an economic or ecological blow. Losing the glaciers means losing the identity of the Rocky Mountains. Whether you are just a visitor or a long time resident, appreciate the glaciers while we still have them. Once glaciers are gone we won’t get them back in our lifetime. So next time you are faced with an environmentally friendly option don’t dismiss it immediately, climate change has deeper effects than you may initial perceive.
