Environment
Witness the Rapid Demise of a Once-Majestic California Glacier
Warm, dry weather could spell the doom of this Yosemite landmark.
How warm has California been lately? Well, look at the bottom image below and see if you can tell it was once a mighty glacier:
The top photo, taken in 1883 by Israel Russell of the U.S. Geological Survey, shows the expanse of California’s Lyell Glacier, the biggest in Yosemite National Park. In its golden years the frozen block was a true behemoth, but balmy weather has melted it down to a virtual ice cube, as shown in the 2015 photo by the National Park Service’s Keenan Takahashi.