What The Heck Is A Rock Glacier?

Short Wave

NPR

Daily News, Nature, Life Sciences, Astronomy, Science, News

4.7 • 6K Ratings

🗓️ 11 October 2024

⏱️ 14 minutes

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Summary

Even though there are more than 10,000 rock glaciers in the western United States, most people would look at one without knowing it. Unlike the snowy glaciers we're more familiar with, rock glaciers are under-researched and hiding in plain sight. But inside these glaciers covered with rocks is a little bit of climate hope.

Read more of science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce's reporting here.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Want the latest news from the campaign trail and beyond? Well, listen to the NPR Politics
0:05.4	Podcast weekly roundup. Every Friday, we tell you what happened and why it matters.
0:11.2	Listen to the NPR Politics Podcast, wherever you listen.
0:15.6	You're listening to Shortwave from NPR.
0:21.6	Hey there Shortwaivers, Emily Kwong here. I am joined by and pure science correspondent
0:26.0	Nell Greenfield Boys. Hello, Nell.
0:28.0	Hey Emily.
0:29.0	So listen, I know you used to live in Alaska and I have to imagine you've seen plenty of glaciers right?
0:34.8	Yeah I've stood on one or two they're beautiful. But have you ever seen a rock
0:39.1	glacier? No, what is that? So when you are talking about the glaciers you stood on, you meant like white snowy glaciers, right?
0:47.0	Absolutely, yeah.
0:48.0	Okay, so a rock glacier is like a glacier, but it's totally covered with rocks.
0:54.0	Oh, unless you know what to look for,
0:57.0	you would have no idea that this was a glacier.
1:00.0	And they've barely been studied by scientists.
1:02.6	But there's this guy, Scott Hotelling.
1:05.5	Do you remember him?
1:06.6	He's the guy who talked to us about ice worms,
1:09.3	those little black worms that live in glacier ice?
1:11.6	Now, I love doing that episode with you.
1:13.6	It changed my life, like the hidden world beneath our feet
1:16.3	in the worms, and now you're saying there's rock glaciers too?
	...

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