History
Joseph Whidbey, master of the Discovery during George Vancouver's 1791-95 expedition, found Icy Strait, at the south end of Glacier Bay, choked with ice in 1794. Glacier Bay itself was almost entirely covered by one large tidewater glacier. In 1879 naturalist John Muir found that the ice had retreated almost all the way up the bay, a distance of around 48 miles (77 km). By 1916 the Grand Pacific Glacier was at the head of Tarr Inlet about 65 miles (105 km) from Glacier Bay's mouth. This is the fastest glacier retreat ever documented. That said, not all of park's glaciers are in retreat. Scientists working in the park and preserve hope to learn how glacial activity relates to climate change.
Read more about this topic: Glacier Bay National Park And Preserve
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