Most glaciers in every mountain range and island group in Alaska are experiencing significant retreat, thinning or stagnation, especially glaciers at lower elevations, according to a new book published by the U.S. Geological Survey.
Alaskan glaciers are found in 11 mountain ranges, one large island, one island chain, and one archipelago. "More than 99 percent of Alaska's large glaciers are retreating," said the book "The Glaciers of Alaska," authored by USGS research geologist Bruce Molnia.
The report uses a combination of satellite images, aerial photographs, and maps, supported by the scientific literature, to document the distribution and behavior of glaciers throughout Alaska.
"It represents a comprehensive overview of the state of the glaciers of Alaska at the end of the 20th century and beginning of the 21st century," USGS said in a statement on Monday.
The author concludes that, because of the vast areas encompassed by the glacierized regions of Alaska, satellite remote sensing provides the only feasible means of monitoring changes in glacier area and in position of termini -- the end of a glacier --in response to short- and long-term changes in the marine and continental climates of Alaska.
(Xinhua News Agency October 7, 2008)
