Dirty Ice on Exit Glacier

Exit Glacier does not look anything like it does on the poster that tells you information about it, instead its starting to show deep dirt trails through the middle.

LEO Says:

Thank you Anelise for documenting the dark “dirt trails” on the ice. Glacier change is an important topic in LEO Network with a growing number of observations and local new articles about specific events. However there is only one other post about Exit Glacier in our system. Here is a summary of some selected glacier-change related posts including the Alaska Dispatch story from 2019.

AI Comment from GPT 5:

Dark material on glacier surfaces has been reported to reduce reflectivity and can speed up melting, which may make such bands more visible late in the melt season Soot and Dirt Is Melting Snow and Ice. Exit Glacier has also been changing quickly in recent years, so older signage or posters can look out of date compared to current conditions Retreating Exit Glacier has become an icon of climate change.

Related posts in context:

• Exit Glacier: Annual retreat measured at 252–293 feet in 2015–2016, with retreat occurring in winter as well as summer Retreating Exit Glacier has become an icon of climate change.

• Surface darkening effects: Soot and dirt on ice and snow can enhance melt by lowering albedo Soot and Dirt Is Melting Snow and Ice.

• Nearby glacier change: The Mendenhall Glacier retreated over 800 feet in one year (2021–2022) and nearly 4,600 feet since 1999; one expert noted recent rapid loss while the glacier is in the lake and suggested retreat could slow once it pulls out of the lake How far has the Mendenhall Glacier retreated in the last 12 months?.

• Warm conditions and dynamic ice: A dramatic calving event at Spencer Glacier occurred during unusually warm weather, which the post linked to climate change ‘Way too close’: Kayakers encounter calving glacier in Southcentral Alaska.

• Broader implications: Posts note widespread glacier loss affecting tourism in Alaska Alaska tourism threatened as iconic glaciers melt away and document shrinking glaciers in Glacier National Park, where research cited human-caused warming as the primary driver Glacier National Park is Losing its Glaciers.