Alaska's Juneau Icefield Might Vanish By 2200

The source of Alaska's Mendenhall Glacier, the Juneau Icefield, might be gone by 2200 if the climate change continues to increase, according to research. The study was printed in the Journal of Glaciology.

Science Daily reports that the study was led by UAF glaciologist Andy Aschwanden, Hock, UAF postdoctoral fellow Florian Ziemen and five other scholars. They examined the past and present studies and mathematical models to foretell how North America's icefield would respond under various climate conditions.

The researchers corrected the data set that is gathered from Forecasting Model and the Weather Research. They combined them with the Parallel Ice Model, which is created by the UAF researchers.

The team of researchers predicted that over than 60 percent of the ice will be gone by 2009 if the warming of Earth continues. They also said that the whole icefield will vanish by 2200.

"By the end of this century, people will most likely not be able to see the Mendenhall Glacier anymore from the visitor's center," said Hock.

On the other hand, if the temperature is at rest and the same as of today, the icefield will be stabilized. The researchers also discovered that the icefield would regrow if the surface were ice-free at the moment. This is because the high-altitude cold temperature of the mountains would induce snowfall to start forming glacier again. This icefield is different from other glaciers in Alaska that have lesser altitudes.

Juneau Icefield is situated in the north of Juneau, Alaska. It is considered the fifth-largest ice field in the Western hemisphere. It is the source of several glaciers that include the Taku Glacier and the Mendenhall Glacier.

The Juneau Icefield is visited by many tourists. In fact, there were 450,000 people who visited the ice field in 2015. The travelers have a quick walk on the 240-to-1,400 meters massive crevasses and deep ice.