Mt. Shasta Glaciers actually growing

One of our clients sent us an article that was truly fascinating. It has to do with global warming and our very own Mt. Shasta. First of all, if you don't know about much about Mt. Shasta it rises over 14,100 ft. above sea level.  Mt. Shasta (located just over 250 miles North of San Francisco) is the second highest volcano in the U.S. and the fifth highest peak in California. 

We've known that global warming is shrinking glaciers in several areas such as the Sierra Nevada, the Rocky Mountains and other areas in the Cascades. But for Mt. Shasta, scientist have identified its glaciers to be the only ones in the U.S. that are getting larger. 

I read that for Mt. Shasta, a warming Pacific Ocean means more moist air. "On the mountain, precipitation falls as snow, adding to the glaciers enough to overcome a 1.8 degree Fahrenheit rise in temperature in the last century", according to some of the scientists who noted this about Mt. Shasta's glaciers.

What's not good is that although Mount Shasta's glaciers are growing, researchers say the 4.7 billion cubic feet of ice on its flanks could be gone by 2100. That's like right around the corner (if you reall think about it)!  The article indicated that for the glaciers to remain their current size, Mt. Shasta would have to receive 20 percent more snowfall for every 1.8-degree Fahrenheit increase in temperature.

Lastly, here's another fascinating notation on the article...hikers seeking to cross Shasta's glaciers - marked with crevasses as deep as 100 feet, said these glaciers are much larger than the boundaries drawn on geological maps!

For those of you who have yet to climb Mt. Shasta but are looking forward to doing it in the near future, here are some quick facts (from Climbing Mt. Shasta.org):

Come visit Mt. Shasta, it's beautiful in the summer and gorgeous in the winter! 

Thanks for reading our Blog! Visit us again.

Chris & Maria