Burroughs Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska has been retreating without pause for the last century. The glacier is unusual in that it no longer has any areas that are in an accumulation zone, where snow persists through the year. Without an accumulation zone a glacier cannot survive (Pelto, 2010). Mickelson (1971) summarizes the retreat of the glacier from 1890-1970 and the amazing glacial geology it was leaving behind. Molnia (2007) provides a map of the regions glaciers from 1750 to 1985. Here we examine the glacier in Landsat imagery from 1986 to 2013 to illustrate both the retreat at the lack of snowcover. In the 1948 map of Burroughs Glacier, the glacier is 12.1 km long, and much of the glacier is already stagnant, the glacier has both a north and south terminus, purple arrows. To the west of Burroughs Glacier is Plateau Glacier. By 1986 Plateau Glacier has only three small remnants marked by P, surrounding these vegetation is still limited, with considerable expanse of bare glacial sediments. In 1986 Burroughs Glacier has now snowcover. The glacier terminates in proglacial lakes at both the north and south terminus red and yellow arrow respectively, and is 9 km long, purple arrows indicate 1948 terminus. By 2003 Plateau Glacier is gone and vegetation is filling in most of the area that was still bare sediment in 1986. In 2003 Burroughs Glacier again lacks any snowcover. The southern terminus has retreated 2.2 km from the lake, and the northern terminus has retreated into a second lake basin. The glacier is 6.3 km long, half of its length in 1948. In 2004 snowcover is again lacking anywhere on the glacier. In 2010 snowcover is lacking and retreat has continued shrinking the glacier to 5.4 km in length. In 2013 the glacier lacks snowcover in this September Landsat image even though snow has returned to the surrounding mountains. This indicates how far below the snowline the glacier lies. Portions of a glacier are supposed to be the first locations that receive snowcover. The terminus has continued to retreat and is now 4.6 km long. The northern terminus is retreating into a third basin of the proglacial lake. Vegetation has reclaimed almost all of the Plateau Glacier area and has reclaimed the region deglaciated by Burroughs Glacier before 2003.

Burroughs Glacier has not been in equilibrium with climate since the end of the Little Ice Age. Its retreat has been hastened by the rising snowline of the last decade note by Pelto et al (2013) on Brady Glacier. This glacier is half of its length from 1986, the volume loss is likely less than 50%. Retreat usually increases as elevation declines and as the size of the remnant ice declines. There is no debris cover or persistent snowcover to slow the loss. Thus, it seems likely this glacier will be gone within 25 years. The 2011 Google Earth image at bottom indicates no snow, the reduced albedo from the dirty surface and a few crevasses near the margin that are collapse features. This is unlike nearby glaciers that are retreating significantly but not disappearing, like Brady Glacier, Grand Plateau Glacier, Yakutat Glacier and Riggs Glacie

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1986 Landsat image of Burroughs Glacier.

2003 Landsat image of Burroughs Glacier.

2004 Landsat image of Burroughs Glacier.

2010 Landsat image of Burroughs Glacier.

2013 Landsat image of Burroughs Glacier.

Burroughs Glacier in September 2022 false color Sentinel image, area is 1.5 km².