| Global warming fingerprint | |
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Glaciers melting |
Alaska
A study of 67 glaciers shows that between the mid-1950s and mid-1990s the glaciers thinned by an average of about 1.6 feet (0.5 m) per year. Repeat measurements on 28 of those glaciers show that from the mid-1990s to 2000-2001 the rate of thinning had increased to nearly 6 feet (1.8 m) per year. Alaska has experienced a rapid warming since the 1960s. Annual average temperatures have warmed up to 1.8°F (1°C) per decade over the last three decades, and winter warming has been as high as 3°F (2°C) per decade.
Reference: Arendt, A.A., K. A. Echelmeyer, W. D. Harrison, C. S. Lingle, V. B. Valentine, 2002. Rapid wastage of Alaska glaciers and their contribution to rising sea level. Science, 297: 382-386
Alaska Regional Assessment Group, 1999. Preparing for a changing climate; The potential consequences of climate variability and change: Alaska. Center for Global Change and Arctic System Research, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK.
