Recent Changes to Marine-terminating Glaciers in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve and Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve

Abstract:

The marine-terminating glaciers of Southeast Alaska have exhibited dramatic and rapid changes as they retreated from the Little Ice Age maximum extent. Previous work surveyed glacier front outlines from the 1950s to 2012. We extend the time series from 2012 to the present for select glaciers in Glacier Bay and Wrangell-St. Elias National Parks and Preserves. We also evaluate recent measurements of glacier surface elevation using data from Operation Ice Bridge and other sources. Oceanographic and climate measurements from Glacier Bay allow us to investigate forces driving glacier change. Using these sources of data, we discuss recent rates and patterns of geometric change on these glaciers and present plans to assess the causes and consequences of these changes in a new long-term monitoring program.