"Glacier Bay National Park (Southeast Alaska) is home to twelve tidewater glaciers that calve icebergs into the bay. In part because of variations in snow accumulations, most glaciers in the eastern and southwestern areas of the bay are receding, while several on its west side are advancing. When Capt. George Vancouver sailed the Alaska coast in 1794, Glacier Bay did not exist. It lay beneath a sheet of glacial ice several miles wide and thousands of feet thick. Since then, in one of the fastest glacial retreats on record, the ice has shrunk back 65 miles (105 kilometers) to unveil new land and a new bay. There are no roads to Glacier Bay and entry into this park by boat is carefully regulated. The ultimate way to visit this National Park is… by air! For more Alaska and US web galleries: www.michelhammann-photography.com " |
