So much of any public debate relies on cherry-picked examples. Yes, these journals are one form of evidence. Another, more reliable form, in a different location, are the photos of Glacier Park in Montana, where they've photographed the same glaciers from the same locations (or as close as they can reconstruct) decades apart, clearly showing a retreat of those glaciers.
https://www.usgs.gov/centers/norock/science/retreat-glaciers-glacier-national-park?qt-science_center_objects=8#qt-science_center_objects
One of the biggest misunderstandings revolves around the phrase "global warming," which to most people implies a simple shift upwards in average temperature, by exactly the same amount in all locations. That's not how a chaotic system like the weather works. Add more energy and the variability of the system increases along with the average.
http://www.shodor.org/interactivate/lessons/FireProbabilityChaos/