According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Alaska has warmed twice as fast as the continental United States over recent decades. Average annual temperatures have climbed more than 3 degrees Fahrenheit over the past century. Rick Thoman, a climate specialist at the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy, told Climate.gov, “Without climate change, there is no reason to think that this would be happening on the Mendenhall Glacier, then in the lake, and downriver.”