Pedersen Glacier
Grant, U.S.. 1909. Pedersen Glacier: From the Glacier Photograph Collection. Boulder, Colorado USA: National Snow and Ice Data Center. Digital media http://nsidc.org/data/glacier_photo/search/image_info/101-1-PedersenGlacier-19090722-Grant?order=true
Alaska currently accounts for 25% of all ice loss from Global Glacier.(Huronnet et al., 2021) Between the first picture and the second of the Perdersen Glacier picture, one major change I noticed was that I don't see much ablation. The ablation zone had decreased over the years and just melted away into the ocean, leaving what used to be ice sheets that have become more of a flatter surface of land than the form it used to be, more like a slope.
This is due to the snow accumulation being less than the melting of ice, making the glacier unable to keep its form. This is caused by the temperature increasing in the lower altitudes, but here is where the problem reveals itself. The cycle of ablation and accumulation of snow depends on the season, but because of the earth's climate rising, the seasonal amount of snow accumulation and melt changes. The accumulation of snow decreases due to the rising heat. Unable to keep up with the cycle of water turning into ice speeding up, snow doesn't stay on the glacier for too long. Over all, the cycle is not as prosperous as it once was when it comes to the balance of snowfall, accumulation, and ablation. Don't get me wrong, there is still a good amount of snow, but it's not the same as before. For example, Avalanches used to be more dry and snowpacked, whereas now the snow is more wet than dry. Again, this is due to the earth's climate change. The structure of the water molecules changes due to the melting of snow. The molecules get closer together due to water in its liquid form being denser than when water is ice, which only happens due to heat. The glacier has lost its old form due to the climate and is slowly becoming a different landscape. Losing its ways of supporting the life of bleak weather-accustomed wildlife.
Quillbot, 2024. Grammar checker.
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