Rebroadcast: A Visit with the Glacier Squad

·28 min·2 clips

A journalist battles shock and doubt while climbing Mount Baker's Eastern Glacier with glaciologist Morey Pelto.

The episode follows journalist Madeline Ostrander's expedition with glaciologist Morey Pelto to the Eastern Glacier on Mount Baker in Washington State. Ostrander describes the physical and emotional challenges of navigating the icy terrain, feeling out of place in the harsh environment. Pelto, a professor at Nichols College, has studied 10 coastal glaciers annually for 35 years, witnessing their decline. He initially recruited mountaineers like Bill Prater, inventor of modern snowshoes, to help document glaciers. Pelto's research revealed that glaciers respond uniformly to climate change, contrary to earlier theories about micro-climates. Six of the 120 Cascade glaciers he surveyed have disappeared, including two from his core study group. The episode details field measurements, such as using dye to track meltwater velocity and probing crevasses with a nine-foot pole. In 2015, a record-hot summer caused severe melting, leaving glaciers 'naked' and prompting emotional reactions from Pelto. The Nooksack Indian Tribe, led by water resources manager Oliver Graw, collaborates with Pelto to study glacier hydrology, as glaciers feed the Nooksack River and cool water for salmon. Salmon species like Chinook and Chum rely on temperatures below 20°C, which glaciers help maintain. The tribe installs log jams and replants trees to create shade, but these measures may not offset glacier loss. Pelto's children, Jill and Ben, contribute through art and glaciology, respectively, while he maintains a blog called 'From a Glacier's Perspective.' The episode concludes with Ostrander's descent, observing how glacial retreat transforms the landscape from ice to forests, highlighting glaciers' millennia-long role in shaping ecosystems.

As heard by us

A glacier climb that turns field detail into climate stakes.

Hakai Magazine Audio Edition follows Madeline Ostrander, read by Heather Walter, up Mount Baker with glaciologist Morey Pelto, and the climb lands with rare physical clarity as well as scientific weight.

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Why you'd press play

For a glacier climb that ends with rivers and coasts in view.

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