Bering Glacier Melting Faster Than Scientists Thought

HOUGHTON, MI – A new system of measuring water melt shows that the Bering Glacier–the largest glacier in North America–is melting at double the rate that scientists thought. The glacier is releasing approximately 30 cubic kilometers of water a year, more than twice the amount of water in the entire Colorado River, said Robert Shuchman, co-director of the Michigan Tech Research Institute (MTRI).

“This could potentially change the circulation of coastal currents in the Gulf of Alaska,” Shuchman said. Those currents are key factors in tempering climate, redistributing nutrients in the water and providing adequate food for the salmon and marine animals, he explained.

As glaciers melt, sea levels rise, and “sea level rise affects everyone,” Shuchman added. “If it continues to rise at this rate, parts of the state of Florida could be under water at the turn of the next century.”

Tristate Observer