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Glaciers are very difficult to read as climate indicators. Gab.AI returns this:

Glaciers are often treated as simple “thermometers” for the planet, but they are actually complex, non-linear systems. Relying on them as climate indicators is fraught with difficulty because their behavior is governed by a multitude of variables that go far beyond simple air temperature.
Here are the primary reasons why glaciers are difficult to read accurately:
1. Response Time Lag (Dynamic Disequilibrium)Glaciers operate on long time scales. When a glacier melts, it is often reacting to climatic conditions that occurred decades, or even centuries, ago. A glacier’s “response time”—the time it takes for ice flow to adjust to a new climate state—can range from a few years for small mountain glaciers to centuries for large ice sheets. Consequently, the current state of a glacier may be a “ghost” of a past climate rather than an indicator of the present one.
2. Precipitation vs. TemperatureA glacier’s mass balance (the difference between accumulation and ablation) is a tug-of-war between two main factors: temperature and precipitation.
Temperature increases the rate of melting (ablation).Precipitation (in the form of snow) increases the mass (accumulation).If a region becomes warmer but simultaneously receives significantly more snowfall, a glacier might actually grow or remain stable. Conversely, a glacier can retreat in a cooling climate if there is a severe reduction in precipitation. Separating these two climate variables by looking at the glacier’s terminus position alone is impossible.
3. Local Microclimates and TopographyGlaciers are heavily influenced by local “topoclimatology.” Factors such as:
Aspect (Orientation): A glacier facing north in the Northern Hemisphere receives far less solar radiation than one facing south.Shading: Nearby peaks can cast shadows that radically alter the amount of solar energy a glacier absorbs.Debris Cover: Many glaciers are partially covered by rocks and moraine. This debris acts as insulation. A thick layer of debris can actually protect the ice from melting, while thin layers of dark dust can increase solar absorption and accelerate melting.4. Calving DynamicsFor glaciers that terminate in the ocean or deep lakes, the rate of retreat is often dominated by calving (the breaking off of icebergs) rather than surface melting. Calving is influenced by water temperature at the snout, water depth, and the internal stress state of the ice shelf. These are mechanical processes that do not necessarily reflect atmospheric temperatures.
5. Internal Flow MechanicsThe flow of a glacier is determined by its temperature (ice is a non-Newtonian fluid) and the slipperiness of the bed beneath it. Subglacial hydrology—the movement of water underneath the glacier—can lubricate the base, causing “surges” or accelerated movement that have nothing to do with current climate trends. If a glacier is moving faster, its terminus may retreat even if the total mass balance is relatively healthy.
6. Observational BiasHistorically, our data collection has been biased toward accessible, temperate, or alpine glaciers. We have very little long-term data for remote glaciers in the High Himalayas, the Andes, or the interior of the Antarctic. Making global generalizations based on a subset of glaciers that are the easiest for humans to visit creates a skewed data set.
SummaryTo understand a glacier, one needs to model the ice dynamics, subglacial geology, local micro-meteorology, and long-term hydrological shifts. Because these factors are so deeply intertwined, using glaciers as a proxy for a single global metric—like “global average temperature”—is scientifically imprecise and prone to significant error.

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