Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park is located in the Rocky Mountains of Montana and encompasses about 1.4 million acres of wilderness. In the 1850's, there was at least 150 glaciers in Glacier National Park. The United States Geological Survey started measuring the glaciers in 1991, and they have been disappearing. Climate change affects glaciers because the spring season has been getting warmer and summer has been coming earlier. The summer starts the onset of ice melting, and it has been intensified. Another impact of climate change on Glacier National Park is that there hasn't been as much snow pack to grow the glaciers. The glaciers are not growing enough to offset the melting, and so they are disappearing. Individual years of high snow pack could have a positive impact, at least to slow down the rate at which the glaciers are retreating. In 2005, there were only 27 glaciers left from the original 150. The United States Geological Survey has predicted that all of the glaciers could disappear by 2030. The bigger glaciers melted long ago, but the smaller alpine glaciers are built and melted again and again. According to ice core data, we are actually in an inter-glacial period, which is a warming cycle. There have been several warm and cool periods between 2500 BC to present. Burning fossil fuels cant be blamed for previous warming periods. However, our anthropogenic activities are contributing to climate change, causing the natural process to be disrupted.
The glaciers melting at Glacier National Park has many effects on the local economy and park dynamics. The snow season is shorter due to the early spring melt. This impacts many local industries such as snowboarding and skiing. Many people come to the area every season to participate in these activities, and when there is no snow, the locals aren't making any money. Another impact of the glaciers melting is that it creates a greater mid-winter stream flow. This can cause problems for local farmers, who may need to readdress the timing of irrigation on their farms. A warmer stream can also impact the local fish. As for the tourism industry at Glacier National Park, it is not certain how much of an impact the melt will have; we'll have to wait and see.