Science · 56 views
300 glaciers have disappeared from the American West since the mid‑20th century
From an airplane, most of the glaciers of the Rocky Mountain West look like small patches of white nestled into the rugged landscape where the topography folds. The white is the snow cover, and lower down you can see the gray-blue bare ice.
AI Summary
In the mid‑20th century, the contiguous United States had more than 1,450 glaciers spread across six Western states, covering 217 square miles (562 km²). A recent review in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that the total glacier area has declined by 35% since then. The study notes that glaciers continue to shrink, possibly at an accelerated rate. The research highlights the visible loss of white patches and exposed gray‑blue ice in the Rocky Mountain West.
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