Mass balance of a cirque glacier in the U.S. Rocky Mountains
2008. Mass balance of a cirque glacier in the U.S. Rocky Mountains. Pages 1-5. In Proceedings of the Mass Balance Measurement and Modelling Workshop. Skeilkampen, Norway. March 26-28, 2008
Glacier National Park, USA contains 27 cirque glaciers, most less than 1 sq. km and together comprising about 17 sq. km. These glaciers lie at relatively low elevation (2000-3000 meters) and latitude (48 deg North) and have undergone dramatic retreat since 1850 when an estimated 150 glaciers existed. Presented here are initial results from a long-term study initiated in 2005 on Sperry Glacier, an 0.8 sq km cirque glacier that has undergone an 80% reduction in size since 1850. Calculated were seasonal and annual balances. The net annual balance averaged -1.0 m w. eq. for the 2005 and 2006 balance years. Specific balances showed significant transverse spatial variability due to site-specific processes that augment accumulation or mute ablation. These processes have a significant effect on the mass balance of the glacier. Proxy measures showed that the 2005 and 2006 balance years likely had very low accumulation or very high ablation, respectively, relative to other years in recent decades.
- Type
- Conference Proceeding Paper
- Units
- GLAC
- Keywords
- Geography, Geology, Glacier monitoring, Glaciers, Mass Balance