Glaciers are considered a key and an iconic indicator of climate change. The World Glacier Monitoring Service has noted that global alpine balance has been negative for 35 consecutive years. This highlights the dire future that alpine glaciers face.
The goal of this volume is to tell the story, glacier by glacier, of response to climate change from 1984-2015. Of the 165 glaciers examined in 10 different alpine regions, 162 have retreated significantly. It is evident that the changes are significant, not happening at a "glacial" pace, and are profoundly affecting alpine regions. There is a consistent result that reverberates from mountain range to mountain range, which emphasizes that although regional glacier and climate feedbacks differ, global changes are driving the response. This book considers ten different glaciated regions around the individual glaciers, and offers a different tune to the same chorus of glacier volume loss in the face of climate change.
Mauri Pelto is Professor of Environmental Science at Nichols College in Massachusetts, USA. He is founder and director of the North Cascade Glacier Climate Project since 1984. This project monitors the mass balance and behavior of more glaciers than any other in North America. Mauri has spent the last 35 summers working in the field on glaciers in Alaska and Washington with the Juneau Icefield Research Program and the North Cascade Glacier Climate Project. He is the United States representative to the World Glacier Monitoring Service, which collects all mass balance and terminus change data for glaciers. He also blogs for the American Geophysical Union, "From a Glaciers Perspective".
Foreword xi
1 Alpine Glaciers: An Introduction 1
1.1 Glacier Observation Programs 1
1.2 Importance of Mountain Glaciers 3
1.3 Glacier Terminus Response to Climate Change 3
1.3.1 Equilibrium Response 3
1.3.2 Disequilibrium Response 4
1.3.3 Accumulation Zone Changes 4
1.3.4 Terminus Response Factors 4
1.4 Glacier Runoff 5
1.5 Climate Change and Impact of Runoff 5
References 7
2 Glacier Mass Balance 10
Overview 10
References 14
3 Juneau Icefield 16
Overview 16
3.1 Norris Glacier 19
3.2 Lemon Creek Glacier 20
3.3 Mendenhall Glacier 22
3.4 Herbert Glacier 23
3.5 Eagle Glacier 24
3.6 Gilkey Glacier 25
3.7 Antler Glacier 26
3.8 Field Glacier 28
3.9 Llewellyn Glacier 29
3.10 Tulsequah Glacier 30
3.11 Twin Glacier 31
3.12 Taku Glacier 35
References 37
4 Northern Patagonia Icefield region 38
Overview 38
4.1 Reichert Glacier 39
4.2 Gualas Glacier 41
4.3 San Rafael Glacier 43
4.4 San Quintín Glacier 43
4.5 Fraenkel Glacier 45
4.6 Benito Glacier 46
4.7 Acodado Glacier 47
4.8 Steffen Glacier 49
4.9 HPN4 Glacier 49
4.10 Colonia Glacier 51
4.11 Nef Glacier 53
4.12 Leones Glacier 54
4.13 Fiero Glacier 56
4.14 Grosse Glacier 56
4.15 Verde Glacier 57
References 59
5 South Georgia, Kerguelen, and Heard Islands 61
Overview 61
5.1 Twitcher Glacier 62
5.2 Herz Glacier 64
5.3 Weddel Glacier 64
5.4 Bertrab Glacier 65
5.5 RossHindle Glacier 66
5.6 Heaney GlacierCook Glacier 66
5.7 Nordenskjold Glacier 67
5.8 Harker and Hamberg Glaciers 68
5.9 Neumayer Glacier 68
5.10 Konig Glacier 69
5.11 Purvis Glacier 71
5.12 Stephenson GlacierHeard Island 72
5.13 Agassiz GlacierKerguelen Island 74
5.14 Ampere Glacier 75
5.15 Lapparent Glacier 75
5.16 Lake District 76
References 79
6 Svalbard: Hornsund Fjord region 80
Overview 80
6.1 South Coast of Hornsund 80
6.2 Eastern Hornsund Glacier change 83
6.3 North side of Hornsund 84
6.4 Sorkappland 85
References 87
7 NovayaZemlya 89
Overview 89
7.1 Kropotkina Glacier 89
7.2 Moshniy Glacier 90
7.3 Vilkitskogo Glacier 91
7.4 Krivosheina Glacier 94
7.5 Nizkiy Glacier 95
7.6 Glazova Glacier 95
7.7 Krayniy Glacier 96
7.8 Taisija Glacier 98
7.9 Chernysheva Glacier 98
7.10 Borzova Glacier 99
7.11 Mack and Velkena Glaciers 99
References 100
8 North Cascade Range, Washington USA 101
Overview 101
8.1 Skykomish River Basin 102
8.1.1 Lynch Glacier 102
8.1.2 Hinman Glacier 103
8.1.3 Foss Glacier 105
8.1.4 Columbia Glacier 105
8.1.5 Skykomish Streamflow Impact 107
8.2 Mount Baker and Nooksack River 108
8.2.1 Sholes Glacier 2013 109
8.2.2 Rainbow Glacier 110
8.2.3 Roosevelt Glacier 113
8.2.4 Coleman Glacier 115
8.2.5 Deming Glacier 116
8.2.6 Easton Glacier 119
8.2.7 Boulder Glacier 120
8.3 Glacier Runoff Impact 121
References 126
9 Interior Ranges, British Columbia/Alberta 129
Overview 129
9.1 Yoho Glacier 130
9.2 Des Poilus Glacier 132
9.3 Waputik IcefieldDaly Glacier 133
9.4 Cummins Glacier 134
9.5 Apex Glacier 136
9.6 Shackleton Glacier 136
9.7 Columbia Glacier 136
9.8 Freshfield Glacier 139
9.9 Lyell IcefieldMons Icefield 139
9.10 Haworth Glacier 139
9.11 Sir Sandford Glacier 144
9.12 Dismal Glacier 144
9.13 Illecillewaet Icefield 145
9.14 Deville Icefield 146
9.15 Conrad Icefield 147
9.16 Vowell Glacier 149
References 151
10 Himalaya 152
Overview 152
10.1 Middle Lhonak Glacier 154
10.2 South Lhonak Glacier 155
10.3 North Lhonak Glacier 156
10.4 East Langpo Glacier 156
10.5 Changsang Glacier 156
10.6 Zemu Glacier 157
10.7 Kaer Glacier 160
10.8 Longbashaba Glacier 160
10.9 Zhizhai Glacier 161
10.10 Jimi Glacier 161
10.11 Yindapu Glacier 162
10.12 Gelhaipuco Glacier 163
10.13 Qangzonkco Glacier 163
10.14 Nobuk Glacier 165
10.15 Nangama Pokhari 166
10.16 Kanchenjunga Glacier 166
References 169
11 New Zealand 171
Overview 171
11.1 Mueller Glacier 171
11.2 Hooker Glacier 173
11.3 Tasman Glacier 174
11.4 Murchison Glacier 174
11.5 Douglas Neve 176
11.6 La Perouse Glacier 177
11.7 Balfour Glacier 180
11.8 Fox Glacier 181
11.9 Franz Josef Glacier 181
11.10 Classen Glacier 183
11.11 Godley Glacier 184
11.12 Lyell Glacier 184
References 185
12 Alps: Mont BlancMatterhorn Transect 187
Overview 187
12.1 Mer De Glace 188
12.2 Glacier dArgentiere 190
12.3 Tour de Glacier 191
12.4 Trient Glacier 192
12.5 Saleina Glacier 194
12.6 Bossons Glacier 194
12.7 Taconnaz Glacier 195
12.8 Bionnassay Glacier 195
12.9 Otemma Glacier 196
12.10 Breney Glacier 197
12.11 Gietro Glacier 198
12.12 Corbassière Glacier 198
12.13 Glacier du Mont Miné 198
12.14 Ferpécle Glacier 200
12.15 Gornergletscher 202
12.16 Findelengletscher 203
12.17 Theodulgletscher 204
12.18 Lex Blanche Glacier 206
12.19 Miage Glacier 208
12.20 Brouillard Glacier 208
12.21 Freney Glacier 208
References 209
13 Alpine Glacier Change Summary 211
References 212
Index 215
