You are browsing the archive for New Zealand glacier retreat Archives - From a Glacier's Perspective.
January 6, 2017
New Zealand Glacier Retreat will Impact Hydropower
Map of the Waitaki Hydropower system, from Meridian and images of the system taken by Jill Pelto January 2017. Hooker Glacier, Mueller, Murchison and Tasman Glacier drain into Lake Pukaki, where water level has been raised 9 m for hydropower purposes. Classen Glacier, Grey Glacier and Godley Glacier drain into Lake Tekapo. Lake Tekapo and Lake Pukaki are both utilized for hydropower. Water from Lake Tekapo is sent through a canal …
March 14, 2016
Volta Glacier New Zealand Losing Lower Volta section
Comparison of Volta Glacier in 2001 and 2016. Yellow arrow is the 2016 terminus position and the red arrow the NZ topo map terminus location. Purple arrows indicate upglacier thinning and orange arrows regions of avalanching onto the lower Volta Glacier. Volta Glacier drains northeast from Mount Aspiring entering the Waiatoto River. This region is 60 km south of the main region of glaciers around Mount Cook. The glacier is …
January 14, 2016
Murchison Glacier, New Zealand Rapid Retreat Lake Expands 1990-2015
Murchison Glacier change revealed in Landsat images from 1990 and 2015. The red arrow indicates 1990 terminus location, the yellow arrow indicates 2015 terminus location and the purple arrow indicates upglacier thinning. Murchison Glacier is the second largest in New Zealand. The glacier drains south in the next valley east of Tasman Glacier and terminates in a lake that is rapidly developing as the glacier retreats. The lower 6 km …
January 11, 2016
Hooker Glacier Retreat, 1990-2015
Glacier change revealed in Landsat images from 1990 and 2015. Mueller Glacier (M) and Hooker Glacier (H). The red arrow indicates 1990 terminus location, the yellow arrow indicates 2015 terminus location and the purple arrow indicates upglacier thinning. Hooker Glacier parallels the Tasman Glacier one valley to the west draining south from Mount Hicks and Mount Cook. Hooker Glacier is a low gradient which helps reduce its overall velocity and …
November 5, 2015
Balfour Glacier, New Zealand Retreat 1990-2015
Balfour Glacier drains west from Mount Tasman in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. The ablation is a low slope, 8 km long debris covered tongue extending from the terminus near 800 m to 1600 m. The glacier is fed by avalanching off of Mount Tasman to the west, the southern flank of the Fox Range to the north and the northern flank of the Balfour Range to the south. …
January 27, 2015
Crevasse Reduction and Retreat of Salisbury Snowfield-Almer Glacier, New Zealand
Almer Glacier is fed by the Salisbury Snowfield which also has its own terminus, and both are former tributaries to the Franz Josef Glacier. In 2007 the Almer Glacier almost reconnected with Franz Josef Glacier. The glaciers of the southern Alps have some of the highest recorded accumulation rates in their upper sections and highest ablation in the lower reaches. Anderson et al (2006), note accumulation rates exceeding 6 m on Franz …
January 17, 2014
Lyell Glacier retreat and separation, New Zealand
The Lyell and Ramsay Glaciers are the northernmost substantial valley glaciers in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. Their combined run-off is the chief source of the Rakaia River. The Lyell glacier was first observed by Dr.von Haast in 1862, from Mein’s Knob (M), at the time the glacier was 9 km long and ended close to Mein’s Knob. In 1949 Lyell glacier extended east from Rangiata Col some 7 …
February 14, 2013
Tasman Glacier Retreat Update 2013
Glacier change revealed in Landsat images from 1990 and 2015.Tasman Glacier. The red arrow indicates 1990 terminus location, the yellow arrow indicates 2015 terminus location and the purple arrow indicates upglacier thinning. Illustrates the development of a proglacial lake and a 4.5 km retreat of Tasman Glacier in the last 25 years. The New Zealand National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research has been examining the changes in volume and snowline …
November 23, 2012
Douglas Neve Glacier Retreat, New Zealand
The primary portion of the Douglas Glacier was a debris covered valley tongue that is separated from the slopes feeding the terminus reach. The feeder glacier tongues, pink arrows, end on the bedrock slopes above a steep cliff and do not reach the valley glacier below, blue arrows. One section of the glacier, the furthest west portion noted by a pink arrow, the Douglas Neve flows down a steep mountains …
December 20, 2011
Mueller Glacier retreat Lake Expansion, New Zealand
Glacier change revealed in Landsat images from 1990 and 2015. Mueller Glacier (M) and Hooker Glacier (H). The red arrow indicates 1990 terminus location, the yellow arrow indicates 2015 terminus location and the purple arrow indicates upglacier thinning. Volume loss in New Zealand glaciers is dominated by 12 large glaciers. The NIWA glacier monitoring program has noted that volume of ice in New Zealand’s Southern Alps has decreased 5.8 cubic kilometres, …
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.