Tourists flock to Alaska to see glaciers before they disappear

CONCERNS about vanishing glaciers are fuelling a tourism boom in Alaska, with visitors flocking to the region to see the spectacular formations in their dwindling glory.

Rising summer temperatures have contributed to the rapid decline of famous glaciers, as well as making them harder for visitors to access.

Climate scientists have warned that Alaska’s glaciers are uniquely vulnerable to the warmer summer seasons and are losing mass at an increasing pace.

As a result, tourists are rushing to see Alaska’s spectacular landscape sooner rather than later.

Tour companies in the region are reporting a huge increase in demand for glacier-related activities, while cruise ships experienced a record season last year, with 33 per cent rise in customers compared with 2010.

Peter Schadaee, from Anchorage Helicopter Tours, based in south central Alaska, said he has seen the changes to the area first-hand in the 15 years he has been running tours.

“The glaciers are getting thinner,” he told The Daily Telegraph. “Most used to be a big vertical wall that we fly to and that really diminished over time to nothing really,” he said. “Obviously we see the glacier a quarter mile shorter than it was 10 years ago … And it’s happening fast.”

Overall, the number of visitors to the state was 27 per cent higher in 2018 than a decade ago, according to the Alaska Travel Industry Association.

And more than two million out-ofstate visitors are expected to travel to Alaska during this year’s peak season.

But the increase in numbers is creating new challenges – with melting ice making it harder than ever to access the shrinking glaciers.

Several injuries to tourists from collapsing ice have been reported. On a single day in 2017, two people were killed in south-central Alaska.

Shad O’neil, a geologist with the USGS government agency, said: “What is scary is that the glaciers are contributing to sea level at almost a rate of Antarctica and Greenland combined.”