Harding Icefield, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska, photographed by Paul Andrew Lawrence on July 30th, 2002. The Harding Icefield is one of the largest icefields in North America. The icefield is becoming smaller, because the melting of the glaciers during the summer is greater than the new snowfall for the year which has decreased. At sea level, one can see new land exposed for the first time as the glacier is receding. Old photographs show distinctly the shape and location of the glacier...
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Harding Icefield, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska, photographed by Paul Andrew Lawrence on July 30th, 2002. The Harding Icefield is one of the largest icefields in North America. The icefield is becoming smaller, because the melting of the glaciers during the summer is greater than the new snowfall for the year which has decreased. At sea level, one can see new land exposed for the first time as the glacier is receding. Old photographs show distinctly the shape and location of the glacier years ago. The change in temperature and more so the changes in wind direction and weather patterns are the most likely reasons for the lower than normal snowfall. The glacier melting might very well be expected, but the lower than normal snowfall at the higher elevations up on this icefield is probably the greatest cause of the receding glaciers of the Kenai Fjords National Park.
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