O'Neel S., H. P. Marshall, D. E. McNamara and W. T. Pfeffer, 2007, Seismic detection and analysis of icequakes at Columbia Glacier, Alaska, Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. Krimmel, R.M., 1996, Columbia Glacier, Alaska Research on Tidewater Glaciers: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 091-96, 4 p. Krimmel, Robert M. 1992, Photogrammetric determination of surface altitude, velocity, and calving rate of Columbia Glacier, Alaska, 1983-91, Open-File Report 92-104. Glacier & Wildlife Cruises, Sea Kayaking, Rafting, Canoeing, and Jet Skiing ... From the air, you won't feel the power of calving, but you will gain a perspective you can't experience from the ground. Some tidewater calving glaciers might respond equally to these controls as they do to climatic controls (Mann, 1986). Rasmussen, L. A., 1989, Surface velocity variations of the lower part of Columbia Glacier, Alaska, 1977-1981, Professional Paper 1258-H. Tarr, R.S. The glacier may retreat rapidly and irreversibly as the rate of iceberg calving increases greatly (Post, 1975). Post, A., O'Neel, S., Motyka, R., and Streveler, G, 2011, A complex relationship between calving glaciers and climate, EOS Transactions, American Geophysical Union, V. 92, No. This glacier experienced much fame during it’s catastrophic retreat in the 80s and 90s. It is well documented to have been experiencing calving and rapid retreat up its fjord since 1982. results when a calving glacier retreats from a shoal so that its terminus is in contact with deeper water. This is one of the old tributaries (West Branch) of the main Columbia trunk that filled the bay in the Chugach Mountains. From 1957-74, the lower ablation area maintained its altitude within a few meters, which suggests that the glacier was in climatic equilibrium for at least 2 decades. Meier, and A. It is a ratio of the glacier’s accumulation area to the glacier’s total area. The calving is episodic. The calving which is caused by the forward movement of the glacier destabilising the edge and caused large chunks of ice to crash into Alaskan waters. 112, no. As the ice calves off at the margin, it exposes areas on either side of the fjord that are covered with sub-fossil trees that were run over by the glacier during its initial advance. Click here to read more about the advance and retreat of Columbia Glacier. Weblog authors are solely responsible for the content and accuracy of their weblogs, including opinions they express, and the College of Wooster disclaims any and all liability for that content, its accuracy, and opinions it may contain. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 110(F3). Finite-difference model predictions of the drastic retreat of Columbia Glacier, Alaska. <– Return to main pages list. Privacy Statement. We were able to get within a mile of Columbia Glacier and it seemed as if we were right in front of it. During the early part of the 1980 decade, it began a rapid retreat. Glacier calving is a majestic and sad sight. Using dendrochronology and cross-dating, the results of recent calving by Columbia Glacier have been used as indicators of fluctuations in the past climate of Prince William Sound. The head of the main branch of the glacier originates at the … Mercer (1961) described two climatic variables that are crucial to a glacier’s lifecycle (Figure 2). Again, this leads to lesser stability and greater stresses at the terminus, and retreat rate due to calving increases. [11] Reeh, N., 1968. The Columbia Glacier is a glacier in Prince William Sound on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska, is one of the fastest moving glaciers in the world, and has been retreating since the early 1980s. Thicker ice is also a sign of lesser stability and greater stresses at the calving front (Warren, 1992). However, others have stated that retreat drives calving rate because of the observation that calving occurs faster when the terminus position retreats into deeper water (Van der Veen, 1996). Pfeffer, B.E. The first of these is the water depth in the fjord (Figure 3). Tidewater glaciers are known to experience rapid retreat and linear calving rates as the fjord water deepens because of a loss of stability at the margin (Figure 4). Some researchers agree that the linear relationship between calving rate and water depth (Figure 4) leads to the assumption that calving rates drive glacial retreat (Brown et al., 1986, Meier, 1994). The glacier may retreat rapidly and irreversibly as the rate of iceberg calving increases greatly (Post, 1975). Alaska’s Columbia Glacier, which spills into Prince William Sound, continues to retreat at a rapid pace, as scientists strive to better understand the dynamics between iceberg calving, glacier sliding, and the ocean water that the glacier flows into. Several attempts have been made to quantitatively determine a “universal calving law” that can be applied to any calving tidewater glacier in the world (i.e. Thus, it is apparent that non-climatic variables currently make more of an impact on the calving behavior of this glacier than do climatic variables, and it will most likely continue this process of retreat until the water in the fjord becomes more shallow (Post, 1975). The calving glaciers of southern South America. Fjord geometry has been documented to quicken calving rates of tidewater glaciers so much that once the glacier reaches a certain point in its rapid retreat phase, it is no longer affected by climatic controls until a more narrow, stabilizing section of the fjord is reached (Mercer, 1961). and Martin, L., 1914, Alaskan Glacier Studies of the National Geographic Society in the Yakutat Bay, Prince William Sound and Lower Copper River Regions, The National Geographic Society, 498 p. NASA Earth Observatory - Columbia Glacier, AK, NSIDC Photo Collection Search (Photos from 1899 to 1969, search by name "Columbia"), Using surface velocities to calculate ice thickness and bed topography: A case study at Columbia Glacier, Alaska, USA, Testing the effect of water in crevasses on a physically based calving model, Surface Mass Balance of the Columbia Glacier, Alaska, 1978 and 2010 Balance Years, A complex relationship between calving glaciers and climate, Iceberg calving during transition from grounded to floating ice: Columbia Glacier, Alaska, Glaciers of North America -- Glaciers of Alaska, Source mechanics for monochromatic icequakes produced during iceberg calving at Columbia Glacier, Alaska, Evolving force balance at Columbia Glacier, Alaska, during its rapid retreat, Photogrammetric Data Set, 1957-2000 and Bathymetric Measurements for Columbia Glacier, Alaska, Columbia Glacier, Alaska Research on Tidewater Glaciers, Photogrammetric determination of surface altitude, velocity, and calving rate of Columbia Glacier, Alaska, 1983-91, Surface velocity variations of the lower part of Columbia Glacier, Alaska, 1977-1981, Alaskan Glacier Studies of the National Geographic Society in the Yakutat Bay, Prince William Sound and Lower Copper River Regions. 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columbia glacier calving

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