Ladd Glacier facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ladd Glacier
A portion of Ladd Glacier is visible below Barrett Spur, 7,863 feet (2,397 m). Barrett Spur separates Ladd Glacier from its eastern neighbor, Coe Glacier.
Ladd Glacier Location in Oregon
Type	Mountain glacier
Location	Hood River County, Oregon, United States
Coordinates	45°23′32″N 121°42′22″W / 45.39222°N 121.70611°W / 45.39222; -121.70611
Area	165 acres (67 ha) (2004 estimate)
Length	.75 mi (1.21 km)
Terminus	Talus
Status	Retreating

Ladd Glacier is a cool glacier found on the north side of Mount Hood in Oregon, United States. It's an alpine glacier, which means it's high up in the mountains. This icy giant sits at an average height of about 7,500 feet (2,300 m) (around 2,286 metres (7,500 ft)). The entire glacier is protected within the beautiful Mount Hood Wilderness area.

What is Ladd Glacier?

Ladd Glacier is one of the many glaciers that help shape the amazing landscape of Mount Hood. Glaciers are like very slow-moving rivers of ice. They form when snow piles up over many years and gets packed down into ice.

This glacier is important for the environment around Mount Hood. It helps feed streams and rivers as its ice melts, especially during the warmer months.

Ladd Glacier's Changing Size

Like many glaciers around the world, Ladd Glacier has been getting smaller. Scientists have been watching it closely for many years.

Between 1907 and 2004, Ladd Glacier lost a lot of its ice. Its surface area, which is how much space it covers, shrunk by 37%. Also, the very end of the glacier, called the glacier terminus, moved back about 1,190 metres (3,900 ft) during that same time. This shows that the glacier is melting and retreating.

Why Glaciers Change

Glaciers like Ladd Glacier change size because of things like temperature and snowfall. If it gets warmer, more ice melts. If there's less snow, the glacier doesn't get as much new ice to grow. Studying these changes helps scientists understand more about our planet's climate.