You are browsing the archive for South Georgia Glacier Retreat Archives - From a Glacier's Perspective.
January 15, 2021
Weddel Glacier Retreats from Tidewater, South Georgia Island
Weddel Glacier in 1989 and 2020 Landsat images.Red arrow marks the 1989 NW terminus, orange dots the terminus location, purple arrows locations of ice spilling over a ridge, pink arrow a tributary glacier and yellow arrow the base of an icefall. Weddel Glacier is on the southeast coast of South Georgia Island terminating in Beaufoy Cove just north of Gold Harbor. The change in glacier terminus position was documented by …
April 16, 2020
Neumayer Glacier 8.8 km retreat 1999-2020 Fjord Expansion
Neumayer Glacier (N) in 1999 and 2020 Landsat images. Red arrow is 1999 terminus position, pink arrow 2016 terminus location and yellow arrow March 2020 terminus location. K=Konig and T=Three Brothers Tributary, L=glacial lake. Neumayer Glacier, South Georgia is a calving glacier that has been retreating rapidly since 1993 that was dynamically connected to the Konig Glacier along its southern margin just where the glacier turns northeast The glacier ends …
October 18, 2019
Nordenskjold Glacier, South Georgia Retreat Accelerates
Nordenskjold Glacier in 1993 and 2019 Landsat images. Red arrow is the 1989 terminus location, yellow arrows the 2019 terminus location. Purple arrow is a tributary that has separated. Point #1 and #3 is expanding bedrock ribs. Point #2 is an impounded glacial lake. Nordenskjold Glacier is a tidewater glacier flowing into Cumberland East Bay on the east coast of South Georgia, Island. Cook et al (2010) and Gordon et al (2008) noted …
April 24, 2019
Twitcher Glacier, South Georgia, 40% of Length Lost 1989-2019
Twitcher Glacier in Landsat images from 1989 and 2019. The red arrow is the 1989 terminus and yellow arrow is the 2019 terminus. 1, 2 and 3 are tributaries. Twitcher Glacier is the next glacier south of Herz Glacier on the east coast of South Georgia. Until 1989 the glacier ended at the tip of a peninsula, the ensuing retreat has led to the opening of a new fjord. Twitcher …
February 22, 2019
Hindle Glacier Retreat, South Georgia 2 km 2015-2019
Hindle Glacier comparison in 2017 and 2019 Landsat images. Red arrow is 1989 terminus, pink arrow the 2015 terminus, yellow arrow the 2017 terminus location and green arrow the 2019 terminus location. South Georgia is south of the Polar Front preventing any truly warm season, with the cool maritime climate leading to numerous glaciers covering a majority of the island. Hindle Glacier enters Royal Bay on the east coast of South Georgia …
January 20, 2019
Novosilski Glacier, South Georgia 2.5 km Retreat 2001-2018
Novosilski Glacier in Landsat images from 2001 and 2018. Red arrow indicates 2001 terminus location, yellow arrow the 2018 terminus location, pink arrows the fringing grounded sections of marginal ice. 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 …
February 9, 2018
Risting Glacier, South Georgia Retreat Expands Drygalski Fjord
Risting Glacier right and Jenkins Glacier left in Landsat images from 2002, 2015 and 2016. Red arrow is the 2002 terminus lcoation and yellow arrow at 2016 terminus location. Dryglaski fjord extends southeast from the glaciers. Risting Glacier terminates in Drygalski Fjord on the southeast coast of South Georgia. Risting and Jenkins Glacier were joined until the 1980’s. Cook et al (2010) note the glacier had a relatively uniform retreat …
January 17, 2018
Konig Glacier, South Georgia Separates from Neumayer Glacier in 2017
Konig Glacier (K) terminus retreat compared in 1999 and 2017 Landsat images. The red arrow indicate the 1999 terminus location, yellow arrows 2017 terminus location and blue arrows the surface movement. The southern terminus formerly connected with Neumayer Glacier (N) is now separate. Konig Glacier is a land terminating glacier just north of the Neumayer Glacier, on the northwest coast of South Georgia. The glacier has a split terminus, a northern …
November 7, 2017
Ryan Glacier, South Georgia Retreats from Tidewater
Ryan (R) and Brunonia Glacier (B) in 1999 and 2016 Landsat images. Red arrows indicate the 1999 terminus and pink arrows a new proglacial lake. Ryan Glacier and Bunonia Glacier span the width of South Georgia near its northwestern tip. Brunonia Glacier flow east and terminates in Sunset Fjord and Ryan Glacier flows to the west into Ice Fjord, which seems more viable as a “Sunset” Fjord. The glacier divide …
January 31, 2017
Hindle Glacier Rapid Retreat Continues, South Georgia
Hindle Glacier comparison in 1989, 2015 and 2017 Landsat images. Red arrow is 1989 terminus, pink arrow the 2015 terminus and red arrow the 2017 terminus location. South Georgia is south of the Polar Front preventing any truly warm season from persisting. The cool maritime climate leads to numerous glaciers covering a majority of the island and quite low equilibrium line altitudes. Hindle Glacier enters Royal Bay on the east coast of …
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.