As Glaciers Melt, Will Deadly Landslides Increase? The glacier bear (Ursus americanus emmonsii), sometimes referred to as the blue bear, is a subspecies of American black bear with silver-blue or gray hair endemic to Southeast Alaska.Little scientific knowledge exists of their total extent and the cause of their unique coloration. The ice then flows to lower elevations. Many Glacier area has the greatest concentration of bears. If current ice melting… Find the perfect Melting Glacier stock illustrations from Getty Images. Many people worldwide depend on melting glaciers for survival. An unprecedented ‘mega-tsunami’ could be caused by a melting Alaska glacier, scientists have warned. Likewise, a moving glacier can carry with it evidence of geologic events it has witnessed. Switzerland has lost more than 500 glaciers since 1900. A glacier is a large mass of snow and ice that has accumulated over many years and is present year-round. The Bear Glacier in the Kenai Peninsula along the Gulf of Alaska bears multiple clues about its past. Looking at the planet's cryosphere as a whole, Alaska's glaciers account for far less than 1.0 percent of the world’s land ice. By Tanya Lewis 20 March 2013. Most of the other black bears in southeast Alaska are listed under the subspecies Ursus americanus pugnax. Melting sea ice in the wake of climate change is exacerbating the already naturally high energy demands of polar bears. By 2000, the Furtwangler Glacier on top of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania was half the size it was in 1976. In the United States, glaciers can be found in the Rocky Mountains, the Sierra Nevada, the Cascades, and throughout Alaska. Ludes began the forum on a light note, showing a picture of a polar bear on a melting glacier and joking that the two seem to be required when discussing climate change. Ice once filled all of the pass, but in the 1940’s, the glacier began to retreat and Strohn Lake formed in the exposed basin. This melted ice is replaced by fresh snow that is converted into ice over time. Since Bear Glacier reached its Little Ice Age (LIA) maximum position in 1888 (1) it has retreated 4.0 mi (6.4 km), with most of that loss occurring since 1950. Hillsides on the east side of the area, along the hillsides in the evening have great spotting opps. The toe of Bear Glacier is visible from British Columbia Highway 37A roughly halfway between the Meziadin Junction and Stewart.. As Arctic sea ice retreats more and more, seals become harder to hunt. The Svalbard glaciers have been melting since the 1980s The edge of Kongsbreen glacial bay, the Kings Glacier. The Department of Interior’s imminent decision on whether to place polar bears on the federally protected endangered species list has focused attention on a recent study that documents for the first time the way that Arctic sea ice affects the bears' survival, breeding, and population growth. Bear Glacier is an outlet glacier of the Harding Icefield in Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska. They keep on melting, forming rivers and lakes, and are essential for human survival in many places across the world. A glacier … Glaciers present today have taken centuries to form. Shares. The melting in the mountains could peak within a decade, after which snow melt would sharply decrease due to the smaller, fewer glaciers, China Academy of … By Leah Asmelash, CNN. One reason, she suggests, is that ice may help glacier bears survive—which does not bode well as Alaska’s glaciers melt in the fastest-warming place on Earth. A recent string of massive landslides in Alaska and around the world bears the fingerprint of climate change. Polar bears could disappear by 2100 due to melting ice, climate change, study says A new study suggests the Arctic species is at risk of being starved into extinction by the end of the century. That could bring water crises, he warned. Beyond these two famous and … Prepare to enjoy an incredibly peaceful and serene evening watching icebergs, exploring the nearby beach, and enjoying Alaska at it's best! Graphic: Dramatic glacier melt There’s nothing quite like historical photos of glaciers to show what a dynamic planet we live on. A new study shows they are losing 369 billion tons of snow and ice each year, more than half of that in North America. A bystander's camera was rolling as a grizzly bear chased a group of hikers in Glacier National Park in Montana. Melting of glaciers is perfectly normal. If the glaciers melt, that means that the floating Arctic ice has also melted, so the polar bear's habitat has disappeared. Updated 2110 GMT (0510 HKT) March 25, 2020 . The only criterion is that falling snow must exceed the melting ice to sustain the glacier. In 2008 it was discovered the most active calving glacier … Bear Glacier Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada.The park is 542 ha (1,340 acres) in size and was established, effective 11 May 2000, by the Nisga'a Treaty, Appendix G-3.. Climate Change. Things start going wrong when the water that is melting is more than the snow that is replacing it. Although they move slowly, glaciers do move, and this movement alters the ice as it passes over land. Back at the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center in Juneau, the U.S. Forest Service is demonstrating how melting glaciers provide an opportunity to connect people to the seriousness of climate change. The melting in the mountains could peak within a decade, after which snow melt would sharply decrease due to the smaller, fewer glaciers, China Academy of Sciences expert Shen Yongping said. Overnight Adventures at Bear Glacier Lagoon Fly by helicopter to our remote "glamorous" camping site at Bear Glacier. Glaciers form when fallen snow compresses into an ice mass over many years; the process usually takes centuries. October 1, 2020 - by Tim Lydon. Select from premium Melting Glacier images of the highest quality. This is the water these people use for drinking and irrigation. All their freshwater needs are met by these melting glaciers through the year. Just a short side trip on Highway 37A towards Stewart, the Bear Glacier descends towards Strohn Lake, down Bear River Pass. Glaciers around the world are melting due to climate change, and this latest research shows the extent of the problem in Switzerland. Glacier bear (US National Park Service) Accepted scientific name: Ursus americanus emmonsii, (Dall, 1895) Description: The rarest colour (dark grey) phase of black bears, the fur has a silvery grey appearance with a blue lustre. The polar bear has become the poster child of global warming, but there’s more to the Arctic than ice and polar bears. Alaska’s Muir Glacier, like many Alaskan glaciers, has retreated and thinned dramatically since the 19th century. However, he went on to emphasize that there is more to the issue than popular images meant … Bear sightings, either their tracks or the bears themselves, are relatively common on many of the hiking trails in Glacier National Park. The melting ice in the Arctic does not raise sea levels, because the ice in question is sea ice, and it is already floating on the Arctic ocean. This giant glacier in Antarctica is melting, and it could raise sea levels by 5 feet, scientists say. Melting Sea Ice Keeps Hungry Polar Bears on Land. Piles of earth and rock following the 2015 Taan Fjord landslide and tsunami. Photo: Ground Truth Trekking (CC BY-NC 3.0) The undercoat is a rich blue-black with long white or light yellow outer guard hairs with silver tips. The earth's glaciers are melting much faster than scientists thought. Bear of a different color If the melting continues over the next few decades, some of the world’s most populous areas could run out of water during the dry season. Bear Glacier is a destination for travellers heading north on Highway 37. The trail to Iceberg, for the fist 2.5 miles puts you in the heart of the bears. The Aletsch Glacier, the largest in Switzerland, retreated 1.7 miles between 1880 and 2009.