SALEM â A new analysis finds that Oregon has now lost nearly 30% of its named glaciers since the mid-1900s.
The findings by the recently founded Oregon Glaciers Institute were displayed this month at the American Geophysical Unionâs fall meeting. Author Aaron Hartz says the study marks the beginning of an ongoing glacier monitoring program. Oregonâs glaciers were first mapped in the 1950s by the U.S. Geological Survey.
âWe know that the glaciers have changed quite a bit since then,â said Hartz, whose institute formed this year to conduct science and public education around glacier loss.
Most of Oregonâs named glaciers are found on Mount Hood and South Sister in the Cascades.
Thu, 12/03/2020 - 09:06 | arran
Almost a century ago, scientists and mountaineers in Oregon observed the retreat of Oregon s glaciers and raised alarm over the potential for an ice-free Oregon in the not too distant future. That future has now arrived.
The recently founded Oregon Glaciers Institute (OGI) is monitoring changes in Oregon s endangered glaciers with the goal of projecting their viability. OGI recently concluded a state-wide survey of how many glaciers remain in Oregon with an estimate of how many existed more than 60 years ago when the last such census was conducted. In this presentation, we look at the implications of these findings and why such changes are occurring, with a final note on how one can help in preserving Oregon s vanishing glaciers.