Rock glaciers across the United States predominantly accelerate coincident with rise in air temperatures

This study analyzes long-term changes in the velocity of rock glaciers across the western contiguous United States using historical aerial photographs. The researchers reconstructed 16 new time series, revealing substantial accelerations (up to 2-3 fold) in surface displacement rates over the past six to seven decades. These accelerations are strongly correlated with increasing air temperatures in the region, although local conditions also modulate the response. The findings highlight fundamental long-term environmental changes associated with frozen ground in the study area.

Andreas Kääb, Julie Røste