You are browsing the archive for alaska glacier retreat Archives - Page 3 of 8 - From a Glacier's Perspective.
September 23, 2020
Ellsworth Glacier, Alaska Calves Major Iceberg in 2020
Ellsworth Glacier in Landsat images from 2018, 2019 and 2020. Red arrow is the 2016 terminus location, yellow arrow is the 2020 termins location, pink arrow is the rift, purple dots is the snowline, iceberg is Point A. Glacier retreated 2.4 km, main iceberg 1 km2 Ellsworth Glacier is a valley glacier draining south from Sargent Icefield on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska. Along with the Excelsior Glacier it has been the longest …
July 17, 2020
Oscar Lake Expansion Carves Away at Brady Glacier, Alaska
Oscar Lake growth on the east margin of Brady Glacier in Landsat images from 2000-2020. Point A indicates glacier tongue that becomes iceberg. Blue arrows indicate flow direction. Brady Glacier, is a large Alaskan tidewater glacier, in the Glacier Bay region that is beginning a period of substantial retreat Pelto et al (2013). The glacier has a number of expanding lakes that are expanding as the secondary termini feeding them retreat. …
March 23, 2020
Yalik Glacier, Alaska Retreat and Lake Expansion 1986-2019
Yalik Glacier (Y) in 1986 and 2019 Landsat images. Red arrow is the 1986 terminus location and yellow arrow the 2019 terminus location. Petrof Glacier (P) is the western neighbor. Yalik Glacier drains an icefield on the Kenai Peninsula, glaciers draining east are in the Kenai Fjords National Park, which has a monitoring program. From 1950-2005 all 27 glaciers in the Kenai Icefield region examined retreated (Giffen et al 2014). Yalik Glacier …
December 4, 2019
Wright Glacier, Alaska Snowline and Terminus Retreat
Wright Glacier in 1984 and 2019 Landsat images. The red arrow indicates 1984 terminus location, yellow arrow 2019 terminus location, pink arrow where the surface slope steepens and red dots indicate the snowline. Wright Glacier is the largest glacier draining an icefield just south of the Taku River and the larger Juneau Icefield. The glacier accumulation zone is mainly in British Columbia. The glacier filled a lake basin in 1948 …
October 9, 2019
Taku Glacier, Alaska Retreat Begins: A Two Century Long Advance Reversed by Climate Change
The Taku Glacier is the largest outlet glacier of the Juneau Icefield in Alaska. Taku Glacier began to advance in the mid-19th century and this continued throughout the 20th century. At first observation in the 19th century the glacier was calving in deep water in a fjord. It advanced 5.3 km between 1890 and 1948 moving out of the fjord into the Taku River valley, see maps below (Pelto …
September 17, 2019
Gilkey Glacier Retreat Leads to Rapid Lake Expansion in 2019
Gilkey Glacier in 1984 and 2019 Landsat images indicating retreat of 4300m, tributary separation and 5 km2 lake expansion. A=Terminus tongue, B=Battle Glacier, G=Gilkey Glacier and T=Thiel Glacier. Gilkey Glacier draining the west side of the Juneau Icefield has experienced dramatic changes since I first worked on the glacier in 1981. The Gilkey Glacier is fed by the famous Vaughan Lewis Icefall at the top of which Juneau Icefield …
July 17, 2019
Mendenhall Glacier, Alaska Accumulation Zone Shrinks
Mendenhall Glacier in Landsat images from 1984 and 2018. Yellow arrows indicates 1984 terminus location, read arrow the Suicide Basin tributary and the purple dots the snowline. Mendenhall Glacier is the most visited and photographed terminus in the Juneau Icefield region. The glacier can be seen from the suburbs of Juneau. Its ongoing retreat from the Visitor Center and the expansion of the lake it fills is well chronicled. Here …
May 20, 2019
Chickamin Glacier, Alaska Retreat Generates Separation and Lake Expansion
Chickamin Glacier, Alaska in 1985 and 2018 Landsat images indicating the 3.5 km retreat and associated lake expansion. Red arrow is 1985 terminus location, yellow arrow is the 2018 terminus location, pink arrow is former junction area with Through Glacier. The purple dots indicate the snowline. Point 1 and 2 are locations of bedrock expansion above the equilibrium line altitude. Chickamin Glacier in southeast Alaska glacier drains south from an …
April 29, 2019
Excelsior Glacier, Alaska Retreat Leads to Lake Doubling in Size
Excelsior Glacier retreat from 1994 to 2018 in Landsat images from 1994, 2011 and 2018. The red arrow is the 1994 terminus location and the yellow arrow is the 2018 terminus location. Point A and B are on the south and northwest side of the eastern tributary of the glacier. Excelsior Glacier is an outlet glacier of the Sargent Icefield, on the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska, that has terminated in …
March 6, 2019
Lemon Creek Glacier 2018 Ablation and Glacier Runoff
Lemon Creek Glacier (L) with the snowline (black line) indicated in Landsat images from July 5, July 30 and Sept. 16 2018. P=Ptarmigan Glacier, T=Thomas Glacier, red arrow is the 1948 terminus location. A,B and C mark firn horizons exposed by the loss of all snowpack in the accumulation zone. The summer of 2018 was exceptional for warmth in Southeast Alaska. July was the most unusual with Juneau recording daily …
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.