Does Mount Rainier look more bare than usual?

You might have noticed that Mount Rainier’s been looking a little…. Bald lately. 

People on social media have been posting about how Washington’s favorite sight looks less snowy than usual. Some of them are saying they’ve never seen the mountain look this bare in their lives. 

Rainier definitely sheds some snow in the warmer months. And Washington has been getting hit with some pretty serious heat lately. 

Many of us know that climate change is a thing, so how much of that is playing into the mountain’s sleek peak? (Basically, how much dread should we be feeling about this?) 

Soundside asked a glaciologist to explain what's happening up there. 

Guest:

• Dr. Mauri Pelto, director of the North Cascade Glacier Climate Project. 

Related stories: 

• The mountain is out: Mount Rainier shows rocky face after record-breaking heat, snow melt - seattlepi.com
• Mount Rainier’s glaciers are disappearing. What happens when they’re gone? - Tacoma News Tribune

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