April 14, 2022
Hornopirén Glaciers, Chile continue a Spectacular Retreat 1985-2022
Rio Blanco Glaciers in Hornopirén Naitonal Park, Chile in Landsat 5 and 9 images from 1985 and 2022. Red arrows indicate 1985 terminus position, yellow arrows 2022 terminus position. Point A is an emerging bedrock nunatak and Point B is where tributary separation has occurred. Hornopirén National Park is in the Los Lagos region of Chile. The park is host to a number of glaciers that are in rapid retreat. Davies and …
April 7, 2022
Novosilski Glacier, South Georgia Retreat Causes Separation
Novosilski Glacier in Landsat images from 2020 and 2022. Note the retreat near Point A in particular. The terminus that extended from Point B-C developed an embayment reaching Point A. Novosilski Glacier is a large tidewater outlet glacier on the west (cloudier) coast of South Georgia terminating in Novosilski Bay It shares a divide with the rapidly retreating Ross and Hindle Glacier on the east coast. Gordon et al. (2008) observed that larger …
April 1, 2022
Central Andean Glaciers Laid Bare for Last Half of Summer 2022
Volcan Overo in Sentinel image continues to fragment with no retained snowcover this summer, and bedrock expansion at Point A. For an alpine glacier to survive it must remain mostly snowcovered throughout the year, even at the end of the summer. This is one reason for the majesty of glaciated mountains, they shine brightly even in summer. This year in the Central Andes of Argentina and Chile I have chronicled …
March 22, 2022
Pashleth Glacier, BC Retreat Driven Fragmentation 1987-2021
Pashleth Glacier in 1987 Landsat and 2021 Sentinel image. Red arrow is 1987 terminus location, yellow arrow 2021 terminus location. Point B-D mark locations where separation has or is occurring along the main glacier and Point A on the western arm. Pashleth Glacier, British Columbia drains into Pashleth Creek a tributary to the Machmell River, Owikeno Lake and then River Inlet on the British Columbia Coast. Here we examine the …
March 17, 2022
Cobre Glacier, Argentina Rapid Retreat and Area Loss in 2022
Cobre Glacier, Argentina in false color Sentinel 2 images from Jnauary 13, 2022 and March 16, 2022. Note the expansion of bedrock area amidst the glacier at Point A, glacier fragmenting at Point B and Point C. Cobre Glacier drains east from Cerro Orejas a 3949 m peak on the Chile-Argentina border and discharges into the Rio Tordillo. The summer of 2022 has been a difficult season for glaciers in …
March 10, 2022
Ongoing Detachment at Victoria Glaicer, New Zealand
Victoria Glacier in Sentinel images from February 2017 and February 2022. Red arrow is 2002 terminus location, yellow arrow marks 2022 debris cover take over and beginning of stagnating ice region. Point C is lowest point of clean ice in 2017 and just above terminus in 2022. Point A, B and D are icefalls where detachment is underway. Victoria Glacier in New Zealand’s Southern Alps is the westward draining valley …
March 4, 2022
Volcan San Jose, Central Andes Glacier Decline and Snowcover Loss in 2022.
Volcan San Jose, Chile/Argentina Glacier change in Landsat 5-7-9 images from 1991, 2001 and 2022. Red arrows indicate the 1991 terminus location of three glaciers draining from the summit region, including Nieves Negras Glacier (NN). Point A-D are locations of expanding bedrock amidst the glacier. Snowpack very limited in 2022. Volcan San Jose is a 5850 m glacier draped volcano that straddles the Argentina-Chile border. Here we focus on the …
February 25, 2022
Bajo del Plomo Glacier, Argentina is 100% Bare Ice in February 2022
Bajo del Plomo Glacier in 2018 and 2022 Sentinel images illustrating the lack of any retained snowpack in 2022 and the expansion and emergence of bare rock areas amidst the glacier at Point A-D. Bajo del Plomo Glacier at 7 km in length is one of two large glaciers at the headwaters of the Rio Plomo, Argentina, which is a tributary to Rio Tupungato and then Rio Mendoza. Glaciers in …
February 18, 2022
Palomo Glacier, Chile Snow Cover Loss in 2022 and Accelerating Retreat
Palomo Glacier, Chile in Landsat 5, 8 and 9 images illustrating retreat from 1987 position, red arrow, and expansion of bare rock areas amidst the glacier at Point A,B and C. Note lack of retained snowcover in 2022. Palomo Glacier is a large valley glacier in Central Andes of Chile. Adjacent to the Cortaderal Glacier and Universidad Glacier, it flows east from Volcan Paloma (4860 m) and drains into the …
February 11, 2022
Firn Area Ratio an Emerging Metric for Glacier Mass Balance?
Columbia Glacier in 2015 viewed from the ridge above the glacier. The firn line is marked by blue dots. The age of the snow surface of 2015 and the firn surfaces of 2011-2014 are noted. For an alpine glacier to be in equilibrium at the end of summer the glacier needs to be 50-70% covered in snow from the previous winter. This is the accumulation area ratio (AAR) and by …
Dean of Academic Affairs at Nichols College and Professor of Environmental Science at Nichols College in Massachusetts since 1989. Glaciologist directing the North Cascade Glacier Climate Project since 1984. This project monitors the mass balance and behavior of more glaciers than any other in North America.