Glacier Melt Continuing, Professor Says

Glaciers in the Cascade Range have kept melting over the past five years, an Oregon State University study shows.

The decline is linked to a generally warmer and drier climate in the Pacific Northwest, said Peter Clark, associate professor of geoscience.

An area of Collier Glacier, the largest glacier on the Three Sisters in central Oregon, appears ready to split in half, Clark said.

Comparisons with historical documents show that Collier Glacier extended a full mile farther down a valley in 1912.

Clark said it still is not clear whether regional temperatures, precipitation or a combination of the two is the most important factor shrinking the ice.