Glacier National Park is losing its namesake glaciers and new research shows just how quickly: Over the past 50 years, 39 of the park’s glaciers have shrunk dramatically, some by as much as 85 percent. Of the 150 glaciers that existed it the park in the late 19th century, only 26 remain. The loss of glaciers potentially affects not just tourism to the park, which hit a record 2.9 million visitors last year, but also local ecosystems that depend on the summer release of glacial meltwater. The retreat has happened as temperatures in the region have risen by 1.5 degrees F since 1895 as heat-trapping greenhouse gases have continued to accumulate in the atmosphere.
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— source grist.org | May 11, 2017