A new study shows Alaska's glaciers respond sharply to warmer summers. Researchers tracked more than 3,000 glaciers using radar satellites and found that each 1 degree Celsius rise in average summer temperature adds roughly three weeks to the melt season.
The research, published in npj Climate and Atmospheric Science, relied on data from Europe's Sentinel-1 satellites collected between 2016 and 2024. Synthetic aperture radar allowed year-round monitoring of snowlines and melt days across the state.
Lead author Albin Wells, a recent Ph.D. graduate from Carnegie Mellon University, noted that short heat waves can remove up to 28 percent more protective snow cover than usual. The 2019 Alaska heat wave, for example, pushed snowlines nearly 350 feet higher than average.
Co-author Mark Fahnestock of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute said radar observations provide more consistent results than traditional optical methods. The study also found that coastal glaciers experience more summer melt and winter accumulation than inland ones.
Wells added that the temperature correlations help predict glacier response under future warmer conditions.
