PNW scientists document alarming acceleration in glacier loss

WASHINGTON, USA —

For more than four decades, glaciologist Mauri Pelto has made an annual pilgrimage to the glaciers of Washington's North Cascades, meticulously documenting his retreat in what has become one of the country's longest-running glacier monitoring projects.

This summer, as Pelto and his research team wrapped up their 42nd year of field work on the Lower Curtis Glacier, the data told a stark story. The glacier, more than 5,000 years old, is melting at an unprecedented rate and is not expected to survive the current climate.

"There's the observer mode, then you're just taking the measurements and trying to understand what's happening so you can tell the story," Pelto said during the trip. "But then later when you reflect, it'll get to you."

The numbers are staggering. When P