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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 .”. Alaska NPS Glacier Inventory and Change Assessment.
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Glacier Monitoring Southeast Alaska Network Inventory and Monitoring Program
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 Network Inventory and Monitoring Program
Alaska NPS Glacier Inventory and Change Assessment • Map change in areal extent in the 1950’s and 2000’s • Estimate volume changes over various time periods (~1995 – 2011) • More thoroughly characterize 1-3 “focus glaciers” per park Southeast Alaska Network Inventory 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 modeling Southeast Alaska Network Inventory and Monitoring Program
Southeast Alaska Network Inventory 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 Network Inventory and Monitoring Program
Volume change by elevation What we’re learning 2000-2005 2000-2009 Southeast Alaska Network Inventory and Monitoring Program
Focus Glaciers • Brady • Remote tidewater with very low-elevaccum. zone • Margerie • Cruise-ship visible, tidewater, high-elevaccum. zone • Muir • Formerly tidewater with spectacular retreat history • Nourse • Outside park, moraine-dammed threatens infrastructure Southeast Alaska Network Inventory and Monitoring Program
What we’re learning • Ability to tell a more complete story • Drawing multiple partners together Southeast Alaska Network Inventory and Monitoring Program
christopher_sergeant@nps.gov 364.1591 Southeast Alaska Network Inventory and Monitoring Program May 6, 2009