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
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