“THE EVENING STAR, FRIDAY, MAY 2, 1941,
Melting Glaciers Threaten Beauty of Parks in Rockies
Ice Rivers Retreating 25 to 100 Feet Yearly, Scientist Reports
By THOMAS R. HENRY,
Glaciers in the United States and the Canadian Rockies are retreating at a rate of from 25 to 100 feet a year, threatening the scenic beauty of Glacier National Park and some of the favorite tourist resorts of Western Canada.
They also are growing thinner, so an accelerated retreat can be expected in the future.
This was the substance of a re- port submitted to the American Geophysical Union here today by Dr. F. E. Matthes, chairman of the Glacier Research Committee.
Few of these glaciers are more than three miles long. This means that within the present generation they may disappear. The same general picture is presented by the European and New Zealand Alps. In the former, the ice rivers are much longer, so they can be expected to persist for centuries.
Warmer Climate Responsible.
Perhaps the fastest retreat is that experienced in Mount Rainier National Park where the rate is between a mile and a mile and a half each year. Most of the Alaskan glaciers are melting rapidly, although a few of the larger ones actually are advancing.
