The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-12
Retreat OF the Glaciers.


II the glaNIers Of tho world are becoming
smaller and showing prevailing tendency
to retreat, or in other words. to move a
lesser distance down the valleys, the fact
ia OF much interest in it's bearing upon
climatic changes. Prof. RUSSELL OF Michi
gan University has shown that the
minor advances and retreats Of glaciers
may be due to causes that are not mete-
geological, but the fact remains that
changes in the larger glacial movements
can be explained only by variations
in the quantity OF snow received and In
the rate OF melting caused by climatic
fluctuations. The fact that glaciers are
subject to quite rapid variations in volume,
and that the tendency, in recent years at
least, has seemed to be toward reduction
in volume in all parts OF the world, has
excited much interest. The International
Geological Congress at Zurich. in 1894,
appointed committee to collect data from
different quarters OF the globe with regard
to the variation in the size Of glaciers.
Inquiry in this direction was greatly
stimulated The Alpine Clubs have been
active, and most OF the European glaciers
have been systematically studied. A great
deal Of information has also been gathered
from Central Asia and North America.
The Dettsche Rundschau, for Geography
| and Statistics, has Just given summary OF
| the latest reports on the retreat and adj
| vance OF glaciers from which it appears
| that in the Swiss Alps thirty-ninG glaciers
| are receding, five are stationary and twelve
are advancing. The glaciers in the corner
| Of Bavaria that push into the Alps are
| all recedlng, and also th"5I OF the H6llen-
thai in Baden and the Sonnblick group in
the eastern part OF the Austrian Alps.
| None OF the Italian glaciers are advancing,
| while many are receding. The Cassandra
| group has recently retreated about eighty
feet, and one glacier in the Bernina group
has recedrd 3,5Os feet in seven years. One
Of the Swedish glaciers has retreated
800 feet, and the glaciers in Norway are
! also receding. The recent studies OF Spitz-
bergen glaciers show that some of them
| have reiterated more than Il mile and hall;
| but it 10 not known, of course, how long this
recession has been going ON. In America
many glaciers have receded to the snow
line, ast the limit OF perpetual snow is called.
| The remarkable report comes from Turkes-
tan not only that are the glaciers receding
| but also that some of them have entirely
| disappeared. and similar report comes
| from the Atai Mountains on the southern
edge OF Siberia.
Probably few data have been added to the
information on American glaciers since
| Prof RUSSELL published his Glaciers Of
North America" two years ago. The facts
he collected prove that the glaciers OF Cali
b., at ~ in
satisfactory evidence of the advance or re-
| cesslon Of Oregon and Washington glaciers
DR.. DAWSON Of the Canadian Geological
Survey believes that the British Columbia
glaciers are either stationary or slowly re-
ceding. On the other hand. there is abun-
dant evidence that the glaciers OF Alaska are
generally retreating The great Muir gla-
cier receded about mile in the decade
ending in 1890. Prof RUssELLs conclu-
sion, after two visits to the glaciers in the
St. Elias region, was that, without excep-
ton, they were rapidly retreating. Similar
| reports have been made on glaciers in other
parts OF the territory.
The evidence with regard to the advance
or retreat OF the ice margin in Greenland
is conflicting, but Mr.. WARREN UPHAM
bases, upon his review OF the literature
relating to the Greenland ice-sheet, the
conclusion that the ice is slightly increas-
ing in thickness and extent. The accuracy
OF this view, however, Is contested, and
DUFoR, who was one OF the first to call
attention to the fact that the glaciers of
Europe and Asia are rctreating, believes
that the Greenland glaciers are retreating
also. The recent visits to the Antarctic
regions show that certain glaciers there
are receding, but whether this recession is
generally characterizing the glaciers OF the
southern hemisphere has not at present
been determined.
On the whole, there seems to be abundant
evidence that the glaciers OF the northern
hemisphere are generally retreating and
that their action is due mainly to the
climatic conditions now prevailing, though
it may be influenced to small extent by
other factors, such, for example as the
effects which rock debris have on the melt
| ing and flow OF the ice.