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In this collection of images adapted from the National Snow and Ice Data Center, photo pairings demonstrate that glacier positions can change dramatically, even over a relatively short period in geological time: 60 to 100 years. The effect on the immediate environment once glaciers recede is readily apparent. As several of the images reveal, receding glaciers leave telltale signs of their presence in the landscape. With the ice gone, glaciated terrain may be characterized by an eroded valley bed and debris piles. It is ripe for colonization by pioneer plant species.
This media asset was adapted from the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC).