Research Reveals Warming's Effect on Alaska Glaciers

Satellite data shows glaciers melt 3 more weeks per 1C temperature rise

Mar. 21, 2026 at 6:13am

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New research using satellite-mounted radar data shows that Alaska's glaciers are melting for an additional 3 weeks with every 1 degree Celsius increase in average summer temperatures. The study also found that short-term heat waves can cause glaciers to lose up to 28% more of their protective snow cover compared to typical years.

Why it matters

This research provides critical insights into how climate change is impacting Alaska's glaciers, which are an important natural resource and indicator of broader environmental changes in the region. Understanding the sensitivity of glaciers to temperature increases and heat waves can help scientists and policymakers better predict and prepare for the effects of global warming.

The details

The study, published in Nature, was led by recent Carnegie Mellon University Ph.D. graduate Albin Wells and co-authored by researchers from Carnegie Mellon and the University of Alaska Fairbanks. They used synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data from the European Sentinel-1 satellites to track changes in glacier melt days and snowlines across nearly all of Alaska's glaciers larger than 0.5 square miles from 2016 to 2024. The researchers found that short-term heat waves, like a June-July 2019 event that set temperature records, can cause glaciers to lose up to 28% more of their protective snow cover compared to typical years.

  • The study period ran from mid-2016 through 2024.
  • A June 23-July 10, 2019 Alaska heat wave encompassed all glaciated regions except the Brooks Range.

The players

Albin Wells

Recent Ph.D. graduate from Carnegie Mellon University and lead author of the study.

David Rounce

Assistant professor at Carnegie Mellon University and co-author of the study.

Mark Fahnestock

Researcher at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute and co-author of the study.

Carnegie Mellon University

The institution where the lead author completed his Ph.D. and where two of the co-authors are affiliated.

University of Alaska Fairbanks

The institution where one of the co-authors, Mark Fahnestock, is affiliated.

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What they’re saying

“Our ability to quantify these changes is really important. Melt extents and snowlines are proxies for glacier mass balance.”

— Albin Wells, Ph.D. graduate, Carnegie Mellon University

“These correlations with temperature begin to give a sense for how much melt or snowline retreat we can anticipate under future, warmer climates across the region.”

— Albin Wells, Ph.D. graduate, Carnegie Mellon University

“What Albin has done is operationalize the tracking of surface conditions on the glaciers in a way that can be applied anywhere.”

— Mark Fahnestock, Researcher, University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute

What’s next

The researchers plan to continue monitoring Alaska's glaciers using the SAR data to further understand the impacts of climate change and short-term weather events.

The takeaway

This study highlights the alarming rate at which Alaska's glaciers are melting due to rising temperatures, underscoring the urgent need to address climate change and its effects on critical natural resources in the region.