A record number of cruise passengers are expected this year in Alaska's capital, drawn by wonders such as the long-retreating Mendenhall Glacier. So many people are expected that the city’s immediate concern is how to manage them all. Some residents flee to quieter places during the summer, and a deal between the city and cruise industry will limit how many ships arrive next year. But climate change is melting the Mendenhall Glacier. It is receding so quickly that by 2050, it might no longer be visible from the visitor center it once loomed outside. The city is starting to consider what that might mean for tourism in the future.
