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March 15, 2017
Klippi Glacier Retreat Causes Separation, British Columbia
Klippi Glacier in Landsat images of 1987 to 2016. Red arrows indicate 1987 terminus, yellow arrows 2016 terminus and purple dots the transient snowline. The glacier beings at 2600 m sharing a divide with Klinaklini Glacier, flowing northwest from Silverthrone Mountain and terminating at 1040 m in 1987. Klippi Glacier drains into the Machmell River, Owikeno Lake and then River Inlet on the British Columbia Coast. The Machmell River is …
May 21, 2013
Galaxy Glacier Rapid Retreat, Pukulkul Basin Glacier disappears, British Columbia
Over the ridge south from Stave Glacier is a 1.5 km long unnamed glacier, that is on the west flank of Galaxy Peak, hence referred to here as Galaxy Glacier. The glacier is in Garibaldi Provinical Park, British Columbia. Koch et al (2009) in their detailed survey of glaciers in the park chronicled the Park’s glacier retreat from 1952 to 2002. Koch et al (2009) Found that all 45 glaciers …
April 5, 2013
Porcupine Glacier Retreat and Lake Expansion, British Columbia
Porcupine Glacier is a 20 km long outlet glacier of an icefield in the Hoodoo Mountains of Northern British Columbia. Bolch et al (2010) noted a reduction of 0.3% per year in glacier area in the Northern Coast Mountains of British Columbia from 1985 to 2005. Scheifer et al (2007) noted an annual thinning rate of 0.8 meters/year from 1985-1999. Here we examine the retreat of Porcupine Glacier and the …
December 10, 2012
Stave Glacier Retreat, British Columbia
Stave Glacier is a six kilometer long valley glacier in Garibaldi Provincial Park, British Columbia. It is at the headwaters of Stave Lake which is the part of the 205 MW Stave Lake-Hayward Reservoir-Ruskin Dam Hydropower facility. This glacier has retreated at a rate of 100 meters per year from 1996 to 2012. The dams do not have fish passages severely affecting the salmon. Koch et al (2009) in their …
September 22, 2011
Apex Glacier Retreat British Columbia
The Apex Glacier is part of the Clemenceau Icefield Group in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia. The Apex Glacier drains into 430 square kilometer Kinbasket Lake. The lake is impounded by the 5,946 MW Mica Dam operated by BCHydro. In a recent paper Jiskoot et al (2009) examined the behavior of glacier in this and the neigboring Chaba Icefield. They found that from the mid 1980’s to 2001 the Clemenceau Icefield …
June 6, 2010
Spearhead Glacier and Decker Glacier retreat, Whistler, British Columbia
Map of the glaciers in the Sprearhead Range showing Little Ice Age and 1987 extent, Osborn and others (2007). Spearhead Glacier is just east of the Whistler-Blackcomb Ski area in southwest British Columbia and can be reached easily from the top Blackcomb lift. Adjacent to Spearhead is Decker Glacier. . Both glaciers flow northwest and have retreated extensively. Recently both have developed new alpine lakes at their termini that illustrate the recent …
December 19, 2009
Helm Glacier Melting Away-2014 Video Update
It is clear that the business model for glaciers in our current climate is not working. The Helm Glacier in the Coast Mountains of southwest British Columbia is an example of this. Helm Glacier drains into the Cheakamus River, which supplies Daisy lake Reservoir and the BC Hydro 157 MW Cheakamus Power Plant. The Cheakamus River has the Dave Marshall Salmon Reserve with over 14 kilometres of winding, re-enhanced salmon spawning river …
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.