Taku Glacier, one of world’s thickest alpine glaciers, has started melting

In another evident blow of global warming, the world’s thickest glacier in Alaska is melting at a record rate. Alaska’s Taku Glacier has started to retreat, which has come as a shock since this was one glacier in the Juneau Icefield that did not experience a net loss in mass
It is also one of the 250 glaciers studied by Mauri Pelto, a glaciologist at Nichols College in Massachusetts. Studies on Taku were first conducted in 1946.

Pelto has been studying the glaciers for quite some time now, and says that he was “holding on” to Taku, as it was the only glacier that was still not retreating from the 250 that he has been studying. He further stated that, “We thought the mass balance at Taku was so positive that it was going to be able to advance for the rest of the century”.
The fact came to fore when NASA released photos of the glacier, which is visibly retreating now. The new photos were compared to photos of the glacier that were taken in 2014 and one can easily see a remarkable difference.

It has to be noted that Taku is one of the thickest alpine glaciers in the world, located in Juneau icefield in Alaska. The icefield is also home to around a dozen more glaciers, and it has been estimated that it will lose half of its by the end of the century.

Alaska has been a fantasy to the travelling community from ever, more so with its remote location, wilderness and a very earthly appeal. Yet, it is clear that global warming has surely made its way to the place.