Glacier Monitoring

Southeast Alaska NetworkInventory and Monitoring Program

Glacier Monitoring

Justification

• Integrate weather, hydrology, landscapes, provide visitor opportunities

• “raison d’etre”• “Determine changes in

glacial extent and configuration of selected glaciers in GLBA and KLGO.”

Southeast Alaska NetworkInventory and Monitoring Program

Alaska NPS Glacier Inventory and Change Assessment1. Map change in areal extent in

the 1950’s and 2000’s2. Estimate volume changes

over various time periods (~1995 – 2011)

3. More thoroughly characterize 1-3 “focus glaciers” per park

Southeast Alaska NetworkInventory and Monitoring Program

Areal ExtentAnthony Arendt - UAF

• Glaciation in GLBA diminished 11% (from 53.5 to 48.4%) between 1952 and 2010

• Datasets describing physical characteristics of each glacier are in development (length, width, slope, area, elevation).

• Methods: image processing, digitizing, and watershed modelingSoutheast Alaska Network

Inventory and Monitoring Program

Southeast Alaska NetworkInventory and Monitoring Program

Volume ChangeChris Larsen - UAF• Found negative glacier-wide mass

balance rates with 5 exceptions.• Thinning was greatest on Grand

Pacific 2001-2009 (1.99 m/yr)• Methods: existing altimetry

profiles extrapolated glacier-wide using best available DEM

• Will project to additional glaciers beyond those directly measured

Southeast Alaska NetworkInventory and Monitoring Program

What we’re learning

Southeast Alaska NetworkInventory and Monitoring Program

2000-2005

2000-2009

Volume change by elevation

Focus Glaciers

• Brady – Remote tidewater with very low-elev accum. zone

• Margerie– Cruise-ship visible, tidewater, high-elev accum. zone

• Muir– Formerly tidewater with spectacular retreat history

• Nourse– Outside park, moraine-dammed threatens infrastructure

Southeast Alaska NetworkInventory and Monitoring Program

What we’re learning

Southeast Alaska NetworkInventory and Monitoring Program

• Ability to tell a more complete story• Drawing multiple partners together

Southeast Alaska NetworkInventory and Monitoring Program May 6, 2009

christopher_sergeant@nps.gov 364.1591