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July 29, 2023
40th Field Season of North Cascade Glacier Climate Project Underway
Illustration by Megan Pelto of key numbers behind what it takes to undertake a 40 year field study on glaciers. For the 40th consecutive summer the North Cascade Glacier Climate Project is heading into the field to measure and communicate the impact of climate change on North Cascade glaciers. This field season follows the 2021 and 2022 seasons that featured a historic heat wave and periods of extended warm weather. …
July 29, 2019
36th Annual North Cascade Glacier Climate Project Field Season Begins
Fieldwork includes terminus surveys, glacier runoff measurement and mass balance measurements Field Season Begins August 1 Who we are? The North Cascade Glacier Climate Project (NCGCP) was founded in 1983 to identify the response of North Cascade glaciers to regional climate change, particularly changes in mass balance, glacier runoff and terminus behavior. This was prompted by the National Academy of Sciences listing this as a high priority and a personal …
June 23, 2018
Honeycomb Glacier Retreat, Washington New Lake Lost Nunatak
Honeycomb Glacier in Google Earth imagery from 1998 and 2016. The dark orange line is the 1998 margin, we mapped the margin in the field in 1995 and in 2002. The light orange line is the 2007 margin and the yellow line the 2016 margin. Note crevassing diminished as well. Honeycomb Glacier is one of the longest and largest glaciers in the North Cascades. In 1979 it was 3.9 km …
October 3, 2017
34th Annual, 2017 North Cascade Glacier Climate Project Field Season
2017 Field Season Video For the thirty fourth consecutive summer we headed into the field to monitor the continued response of North Cascade glaciers to climate change. In 1984 when I began this program we selected 10 key glaciers to monitor. Two of these have now disappeared. All the glaciers have retreated extensively and lost considerable volume. The mass balance loss is 19 m of water equivalent thickness, which is over …
August 1, 2017
34th Annual Field Program NORTH CASCADE GLACIER CLIMATE PROJECT 2017
2016 Field Season Video NORTH CASCADE GLACIER CLIMATE PROJECT 2017 For the thirty fourth consecutive summer it is time to head into the field to monitor the continued response of North Cascade glaciers to climate change. In 1984 when I began this program we selected 10 key glaciers to monitor. Two of these have now disappeared. All the glaciers have retreated extensively and lost considerable volume. The mass balance …
July 31, 2016
Thirty-third Annual North Cascade Glacier Climate Project Field Season Underway
Base Map of the region showing main study glaciers, produced by Ben Pelto. From President Reagan to President Obama each August since 1984 I have headed to the North Cascade Range of Washington to measure the response of glaciers to climate change. Specifically we will measure the mass balance of nine glaciers, runoff from three glaciers and map the terminus change on 12 glaciers. The data is reported to the …
June 10, 2013
Neve Glacier Retreat, North Cascades, Washington
I have had the opportunity to visit the Neve Glacier on eight occasions, it is not easy to get to. In the North Cascades it is one of a handful of glaciers with a large higher elevation accumulation zone, that is not on a volcano. The glacier feeds Diablo Lake, part of the Skagit River hydropower system. The terminus of the glacier in 1975 was in basin that receives considerable …
June 17, 2012
Suiattle Glacier Retreat and Outcrop Emergence, North Cascades
C.E. Rusk in 1906 hiked right to the terminus of Suiattle Glacier, which is labelled Lion’s Paw in Rusk (1924). The glacier had retreated 1400 m since its Little Ice Age maximum and based on the lack of reported brush below the glacier, this retreat had occurred primarily in the previous 30 years. By 1940 the glacier had retreated another 900 m back to within 120 m of its current …
July 22, 2011
Mazama Glacier Retreat, North Cascades, Washington
Mazama Glacier flows down the north side of Mount Baker, a strato volcano in the North Cascades of Washington. The glacier begins at the summit plateau, 3260 meters, and terminates at the head of Wells Creek 1470 meters. This is a glacier we visit briefly each summer since 1984, but is not a focus of detailed observations. In 2010 we descended from its divide with Rainbow Glacier at 2100 meters …
May 15, 2011
Ptarmigan Ridge Glacier Retreat and Separation, North Cascades
Ptarmigan Ridge Glacier is nestled on the north side of Ptarmigan Ridge in the North Cascades of Washington. This is a small glacier that has been retreating and has separated into several smaller glaciers over the last 20 years. From 1984-2010 we have visited this glacier every year assessing the terminus in half of those years, in others it has still been buried by snowpack. The main terminus has retreated …
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.