Climate change in mountain ecosystems

In the high reaches of Glacier National Park, the captivating beauty of the mountains holds a powerful wintertime phenomenon: snow avalanches.

Avalanches are often dramatized as extremely dangerous, freak events, but they are a natural part of the Glacier National Park ecosystem. U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) research ecologist Dan Fagre and his colleagues are responsible for recording and researching the predictors of avalanche release in the park, all under the umbrella of the Climate Change and Mountain Ecosystems (CCME) Program.

There are 48 active avalanche paths along Going to the Sun Road, the main route visitors take when driving through Glacier National Park. Scientific analysis shows that at upper levels, each avalanche path is likely to release every two to four years.