Facts & Research

I wanted to get some facts straight before writing down the story I have.
The following is from:
http://infoaboutalaska.com/natural-history/alaska-glaciers-significant-retreat/

Glaciers compose about five percent of the land area of Alaska. Monitoring their behavior provides clues about climate conditions and is vital to protecting public safety. Glaciers and ice covered volcanoes have the potential of forming lakes by ice dams. The failure of these ice dams cause glacial outburst floods or jökulhlaups that can threaten life and property. The Municipality of Skagway and National Park Service conducted an aerial survey of glaciers in northern Lynn Canal in Southeast Alaska during the summer of 2007. The retreat of glaciers located within the Borough during the last thirty years was striking.

jökulhlaups might need to be part of the story

From http://www.wunderground.com/climate/Glaciers.asp#Header1_2

According to a 2007 study of glaciers in southeast Alaska and western Canada using aerial and spatial data, glacier surface elevations have dropped in over 95% of the area analyzed from 1948 to 2000. Some of the measured glaciers had thinned by as much as 640 meters

Newtok Alaska suffered severe permafrost melting and had to be relocated:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25141144