[00:09] Glacier National Park is one of North America's most spectacular mountainous regions with more than 1,500 square miles of glacially carved terrain and unspoiled wilderness.
[00:19] But a visible change is taking place here. Many of the glaciers that exist at the park today are mere remnants of what they were 150 years ago, a direct result of a warming climate.
[00:31] Dr. Dan Fagre
In 1850, there were about 150 glaciers in Glacier National Park. That was the end of the 'Little Ice Age' when many of those glaciers had built up. Since that time, with warmer temperatures, those have been reduced to less than 37 named glaciers.
[00:47] ...Some of them, even the larger ones, are only one-third the size they used to be. So we're seeing some real changes in the mountain landscapes of Glacier National Park. Those that you see in the picture postcards and so forth are gradually, little by little, disappearing.
[01:03] At the current rate of melting, scientists predict that by 2030, the massive ice formations Glacier National Park is famous for will vanish.
[01:11] The rapid retreat of glaciers here, as well as other mountain regions worldwide, provides solid evidence that our planet's climate is warming.
[01:19] For Our Changing Planet, I'm Jane Joyce. To learn more about Our Changing Planet, visit us on the web at www.umac.org/ocp.
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