Know glaciers are melting. We must keep measuring them

From a September sunset at Dip Top Gap in Washington’s Alpine Lakes Wilderness, a traveler watched Lynch Glacier fade and recede across the Mount Daniel massif—evidence of widespread ice loss. The account argues that Washington’s congressional delegation should protect sustained U.S. Geological Survey funding to monitor five benchmark glaciers, including South Cascade Glacier in Washington and Wolverine Glacier in Alaska. The Interior Department’s proposed 2027 budget requests no USGS funding for its Ecosystems Mission Area, implying some work could shift to states and universities. The piece notes that records depend on uninterrupted annual fieldwork, dating back to measurements at Wolverine that began in 1966.