Activity 2.2 - Cryosphere: Grinnell Glacier, Montana

 

Grinnell Glacier (base of mountain) and Salamander Glacier (right edge of picture) in Montana. (USGS, 2016)

Grinnell Glacier (base of mountain) and Salamander Glacier (right edge of picture) in Montana. (Google Maps, 2023)

Problem

The problem in these pictures is that it looks like the lake in the middle melted and then froze again. It is normal for glaciers to have lakes form underneath them. There does seem to be a continuous problem with glaciers melting. This seems to come from global warming. Since the planet warms up from different factors, it leads to ice caps and glaciers melting. These factors usually come from human forces. These forces can lead to many things such as global warming. In this case, it is very possible that the lake will melt again because of how hot the earth gets. Another part of the problem could be that this seems to be an Alpine Glacier, which can make the area unsafe. This would make the cycle happen over and over until there is not a glacier anymore. This would make sense because the earth would just keep heating it up since it is getting warmer.

Explanation 

The melting of these glaciers and ice caps come from global warming. Global warming can cause many disastrous things to happen. It can lead to the glacier melting and if it is an Alpine Glacier, it might make it worse. The Grinnell and Salamander Glaciers pictured above appear to be an Alpine Glacier which can also lead to the problem. This is because there can be water and mud which can make it slide down. This might end up adding to the problem because it could become potentially dangerous for the people who might be visiting this glacier and for other environmental factors. There is a lake close to the base, so looking at the pictures I can conclude that this might have happened because it went from the glacier melting to create the lake to having it frozen all over again. It would make more sense than the lake freezing again because the earth is heating up due to global warming. If those contents slide down into the lake, it might make it freeze again or appear to be frozen.

References

First Two Pictures: 

Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center. (2016, April 6). Repeat photography project active. Repeat Photography Project | U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved February 3, 2023, from https://www.usgs.gov/centers/norock/science/repeat-photography-project 

Last Picture: 

Google. (n.d.). Grinnell Glacier, Montana. Google earth. Retrieved February 3, 2023, from https://earth.google.com/web/search/Grinnell+Glacier,+Montana/@48.75114216,-113.72095109,2026.77807573a,2719.89165571d,35y,148.0437933h,59.99510362t,360r/data=CigiJgokCanm4XfeeUhAEQxUTki5c0hAGeqxs4rcglzAIYU0Wr-PilzA