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March 27, 2023
Soler Glacier, Chile Terminus Tongue Breakup in 2023
Soler Glacier, Chile terminus tongues is 1.9 km long on 12-26-2022 and by 3-21-2023 it has broken up, with four larger bergs A-D. False color Sentinel images. In 2020 I noted that the Soler Glacier “terminus tongue in its lowest 1.5 km continue to thin and will collapse in the lake in the near future.” Here the breakup of this tongue in 2023 is reported. Soler Glacier is an outlet …
March 19, 2015
Downwasting Tributary-Glacier Dammed Lake Formation at HPN4 Glacier, Patagonia, Chile
We often are more concerned with what is happening at the terminus of a glacier; however, often key changes are happening up glacier some distance. This is the case with the following example. The Northern Patagonia Icefield (Hielo Patagónico Norte, HPN) is one of the two main icefields in Patagonia. The remoteness of the region is evidenced by the number of significant lakes and glaciers that remain unnamed. This remoteness has …
March 16, 2014
Reichert Glacier Rapid Retreat, Northern Patagonia Icefield, Chile
Reichert Glacier (Reicher) is at the northwest corner of the North Patagonia Icefield (NPI) and flows west from the Mont Saint Valentin region and ends in the expanding Reicher Lake. Rivera et al (2007) notes that the glacier was named for French geologist Federico Reichert, but that Reicher has ended up as the established spelling. They further note that the glacier lost 4.2 square kilometers of area from 1979 to …
December 15, 2011
Glaciar Gualas Retreat lake expansion, Patagonia, Chile
Glaciar Gualas drains from the northwest portion of the Northern Patagonia Icefield (NPI) into a rapidly expanding new lake Laguna Gualas. There is a spectacular icefall (I) where the glacier descends from the main NPI from 1600 m to 900 m, which is below the equilibrium line. Below this point the Gualas has a 2 km wide, 15 km long valley reach extending to the terminus which currently has a …
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.