You are browsing the archive for juneau icefield glacier retreat Archives - From a Glacier's Perspective.
November 14, 2021
Field Glacier, Alaska Retreat, Separation and Rapid Lake Development 1984-2021
Field Glacier on Aug. 31, 2021 in a Sentinel image. Note former glacier junctions A and B where the glacier has separated this century. The 7.5 km2 lake did not exist when I first visited this glacier. The Field Glacier flows from the northwest side of the Juneau Icefield, and is named for Alaskan glaciologist and American Geographical Society leader William O. Field. Bill along with his work around Glacier …
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 …
May 4, 2018
Tulsequah Glacier, British Columbia 2900 m retreat 1984-2017
Tulsequah Glacier in 1984 and 2017 Landsat images. The 1984 terminus location is noted with red arrows for the main and northern distributary tongue, southern distributary red arrow indicates lake margin. The yellow arrows indicate the 2017 glacier terminus locations. The retreat of 2900 m since 1984 led to a lake of the same size forming. Purple dots indicate the snowline. Tulsequah Glacier, British Columbia is a remote glacier draining …
September 25, 2017
Field Glacier, Alaska Retreat, Leads to Glacier Separation
Field Glacier in Landsat images from 1984, 2013 and 2017. The red arrow indicates the 1984 terminus, the yellow arrows the 2013 terminus and the yellow dots the 2017 terminus. The purple arrows indicate developing lateral margin lakes in 2013 and purple dots the transient snowline. The Field Glacier flows from the northwest side of the Juneau Icefield, and is named for Alaskan glaciologist and American Geographical Society leader William …
June 5, 2017
Llewellyn Glacier, BC Proglacial Lake Merging From Retreat
Llewellyn Glacier comparison in 1984 Landsat and 2016 Sentinel images. Red arrows the 1984 terminus locations for proglacial lakes A-D, yellow arrows the 2016 terminus locations for A and B. Point E was the peninsula separating proglacial lakes A and B, which are now joined due to glacier retreat. The second largest glacier of the Juneau Icefield is the Llewellyn Glacier which is in British Columbia. The Juneau Icefield Research …
May 27, 2016
Eagle Glacier, Alaska Retreat Losing a Wing
Above is a paired Landsat image from 1984 left and 2013 right indicating the 1100 m retreat during this period of Eagle Glacier. My first visit to the Eagle Glacier was in 1982 with the, ongoing and important, Juneau Icefield Research Program, that summer I just skied on the glacier. In 1984 we put a test pit at 5000 feet near the crest of the Eagle Glacier to assess the …
December 3, 2015
Twin Glacier, Alaska Retreats from Twin Lake
Landsat image comparospm pf 1984 and 2015. The yellow arrow indicates 2015 terminus, red arrow the 1984 terminus, pink arrows the ogives and purple dots the snowline on the day of the image. Twin Glacier is an outlet glacier of the Juneau Icefield flowing south into the Taku River valley, terminating in Twin Lake. There are two terminus arms the East and West Twin Glacier are receding up separate fjords, …
March 12, 2015
Demise of Antler Glacier, Juneau Icefield, Alaska
“What is wrong with this map?” . Was my first comment about the Antler Glacier in 1981, while surveying the geology in the region with the Juneau Icefield Research Program, during light snow flurries in August. The map I had was the most up to date USGS topographic map based on 1948 images, indicating Antler Glacier terminating in a small lake. By 1981 the lake was quite long and the …
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.