Yosemite National Park is widely considered to be one of the most beautiful Parks in America, being the fifth most visited yearly. Unfortunately, some of Yosemite’s attractions are fading. The massive glaciers that were once a must-visit are becoming a memory. The reason is Climate Change. It is a major issue, ruining the beauty of our world and the lives of the creatures that live upon it.

Lyell Glacier is on the verge of disappearing, just as Maclure is on its deathbed. Both glaciers will soon be gone, and when they fade it will be a tragic day as much as a reminder of what humans have done. The glaciers will not return, only more will be destroyed.

Lyell and Maclure Glaciers were the final two glaciers until 2013, when Lyell became too small and lost its title. Yosemite Park was once one of  the best parks in America to visit if one wanted to see glaciers along with a beautiful view. Unfortunately, time and humanity has taken its toll. Although there were once four massive glaciers coexisting, only one true glacier remains, and at a much smaller scale.

Once the largest glacier in all of Yosemite, Lyell Glacier is no longer considered one at all. A glacier is defined as “a slowly moving mass or river of ice formed by the accumulation and compaction of snow on mountains or near the poles.” Lyell has become too thin to move and float on its own, and scientists no longer believe that Lyell fits the definition of Glacier. Now only an “ice body”, it is expected to melt completely in just one decade. By 2030, Maclure will be the only ice body of significant size left.

The Maclure glacier will last for years after Lyell has melted away, but will be the only glacier left in the park. The current prediction accounts for global warming’s increase over time, and states that even Maclure will be gone just two decades after Lyell. In 2050, no glaciers will remain in the park, and although it’s possible that the glacier grows it is simply not likely. Glaciers will be limited to Glacier Park, Montana, and the Poles.

Although it was once common for glaciers to shift in size and sometimes melt, climate change and the extreme weather it brings have caused the glaciers to melt far too rapidly and not given enough time to grow, leaving them without much of a chance to return. By 2050, Yosemite’s glaciers and their remnants will be completely gone.