Grinnell Glacier

Since 1850, Over 2km^2 of Grinnell Glacier Has Melted = 391 Whitehouses

Since 1850, Over 2km^2 of Grinnell Glacier Has Melted = 27,113 of My Apartment

Since 1850, Over 2km^2 of Grinnell Glacier Has Melted = 896,992 of My Bed

Since 1850, Over 2km^2 of Grinnell Glacier Has Melted

Since 1850, Over 2km^2 of Grinnell Glacier Has Melted

This project looks at Grinnell Glacier, which has melted over 2 square km since 1850, which is equivalent to 374 football fields, 27,113 of my apartment, 896,992 of my bed, 6,776 of the first house I ever lived in, 391 whitehouses, and 2.5 St. Louis Arch Parks. In addition to sea-level rise that we hear about as a result of all the melting, there will also be localized drought when the glacier completely melts (expected by 2030) and there is no longer summer run-off. Of course, this is all related to climate change and our energy consumption (which relates to war and global economic instability), but I’ve found it more engaging to look at specifics and try to personalize them – connecting my apartment or my bed to the amount of glacial melt that has occurred in an area (Glacier National Park) where I have childhood memories.

I melted specific amounts of colored ice on stacks of Hosho paper (an absorbent Japanese paper) to represent the amount of melting that has occurred.