Glacier National Park located in Montana in the United States was named for, as the name implies, the glaciers located in the area. Experts believe at one point there were upwards of 150 glaciers in the park. However, since 1850, the glaciers have begun melting and the majority of the glaciers no longer exist.

In the past century, the temperatures in the park have drastically increased especially in summer months. The average summer temperature in Glacier National Park has increased 3 degrees Fahrenheit in the last 100 years. The average temperature has increased 2 degrees Fahrenheit compared to the 1950 to 1979 average alone.

Due to these temperature increases it is not surprising to see that as of 2005 there were only 27 glaciers left. The 2005 survey found 10 less glaciers than the previous survey had found. In order to be classified as a glacier, the icy area must be at least 25 acres. Unfortunately, two more glaciers have now lost the battle against global warming since 2005. This has left the park with only 25 remaining glaciers.

Due to the massive amount of warming occurring in the park, many believe that all of the remaining glaciers may be gone by 2020. Included in this group is U.S. Geological Survey ecologist Dan Fagre. Fagre stated: “It’s continual. When we’re measuring glacier margins, by the time we go home the glacier is already smaller than what we’ve measured.”

Regardless of a change in climate change policies or action to stop global warming, Glacier National Park is still expected to lose all of the glaciers it was originally named for. However, some are holding on to hope that the park can still be saved.

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