Glacier National Park might soon need a new name. The northern
Montana refuge just lost  another two of its namesake ice fields
to climate change and park officials warn the remaining twenty-
five could be gone by the end of the decade. A glacier needs to
be at least ten hectares to qualify for the title and so far one
third of glaciers in the park have slipped below that threshold.
Of the 12 that have melted away, 11 have done so since 1966.
Overall glacier acreage in the park in 2005 has sank 18 percent
since that time. The latest two to drop off the list lost 55% of
their area since the mid 1960’s and the rest are going fast.
"When we're measuring glacier margins, by the time we go home,
the glacier is already smaller than what we've measured," said
Dan Fagre, an ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey. The
exodus of ice also threatens a $1 billion tourism industry in
the area. Disappearing glaciers and warmer temperatures will
lower stream flows, impacting fishing and rafting outfitters.
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