Juneau
The clouds in Alaska are euphemistically called the "Silver Skies". When they settle in over the glaciers, as they did on the Mendenhall today, they create a mood that is somewhere between mystical and melancholy. Under these conditions, the glacier is very happy. Rain and 50 degree temperatures in the lowlands mean summer snow up in the highlands of the Juneau Icefield--and the Mendenhall Glacier needs all of the summer snow it can get. For the past decade the ice has been steadily melting back at a rate of about 50 feet per year. Last year, possibly due to the cumulative effects of global warming, more than 200 feet was lost. In our photo of the day, the glaciologists of Jo Jo's Excellent Alaskan Adventure on the Sea Bird are pointing out the deplorable state of the glacier's terminus. We all hope that climatic conditions will somehow provide sustenance for the Mendenhall, but sunshine elsewhere would be nice during our expedition through Southeast Alaska.
The clouds in Alaska are euphemistically called the "Silver Skies". When they settle in over the glaciers, as they did on the Mendenhall today, they create a mood that is somewhere between mystical and melancholy. Under these conditions, the glacier is very happy. Rain and 50 degree temperatures in the lowlands mean summer snow up in the highlands of the Juneau Icefield--and the Mendenhall Glacier needs all of the summer snow it can get. For the past decade the ice has been steadily melting back at a rate of about 50 feet per year. Last year, possibly due to the cumulative effects of global warming, more than 200 feet was lost. In our photo of the day, the glaciologists of Jo Jo's Excellent Alaskan Adventure on the Sea Bird are pointing out the deplorable state of the glacier's terminus. We all hope that climatic conditions will somehow provide sustenance for the Mendenhall, but sunshine elsewhere would be nice during our expedition through Southeast Alaska.
