A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that nearly 300 glaciers in the western United States have disappeared since the 1960s, and the total glacier area has shrunk by about a third as warming continues.
A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that nearly 300 glaciers in the western United States have disappeared since the 1960s, and the total glacier area has shrunk by about a third as warming continues.
Nearly 300 glaciers gone and a third of the ice area, and the comment section is still arguing about thermostats. Here’s the number that should sting: a glacier isn’t a lake you can refill with a hose. Once it’s gone, it’s gone for good, and the rivers and reservoirs that depended on its summer melt start running dry right when everyone needs them most.