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How old is glacier ice?

    • The age of the oldest glacier ice in Antarctica may approach 1,000,000 years old
    • The age of the oldest glacier ice in Greenland is more than 100,000 years old
    • The age of the oldest Alaskan glacier ice ever recovered (from a basin between Mt. Bona and Mt. Churchill) is about 30,000 years old.

    Glacier flow moves newly formed ice through the entire length of a typical Alaskan valley glacier in 100 years or less. Based on flow rates, it takes less than 400 years for ice to transit the entire 140 + mile length of Bering Glacier, Alaska’s largest and longest glacier.

    Learn more: USGS Water Science School - Glaciers: Things to Know 

    Related Content

    link
    Image: Surprise Glacier

    Why is glacier ice blue?

    Glacier ice is blue because the red (long wavelengths) part of white light is absorbed by ice and the blue (short wavelengths) light is transmitted and scattered. The longer the path light travels in ice, the more blue it appears.Learn more: USGS Water Science School - Glaciers: Things to Know

    link

    Why is glacier ice blue?

    Glacier ice is blue because the red (long wavelengths) part of white light is absorbed by ice and the blue (short wavelengths) light is transmitted and scattered. The longer the path light travels in ice, the more blue it appears.Learn more: USGS Water Science School - Glaciers: Things to Know

    Learn More
    link
    An ice worm on the tip of a finger

    Do ice worms exist?

    Yes, ice worms do, in fact, exist! They are small worms that live in glacial ice in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia; they have not been found in glaciers elsewhere. Contrary to stories and songs, they do not give glacier ice its blue color and they don't grow to lengths of 50 feet. (These myths were made popular by poet Robert Service and the annual Cordova Iceworm Festival in...

    link

    Do ice worms exist?

    Yes, ice worms do, in fact, exist! They are small worms that live in glacial ice in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia; they have not been found in glaciers elsewhere. Contrary to stories and songs, they do not give glacier ice its blue color and they don't grow to lengths of 50 feet. (These myths were made popular by poet Robert Service and the annual Cordova Iceworm Festival in...

    Learn More
    link
    Image: Surprise Glacier

    What is a glacier?

    A glacier is a large, perennial accumulation of crystalline ice, snow, rock, sediment, and often liquid water that originates on land and moves down slope under the influence of its own weight and gravity. Typically, glaciers exist and may even form in areas where:mean annual temperatures are close to the freezing pointwinter precipitation produces significant accumulations of snowtemperatures...

    link

    What is a glacier?

    A glacier is a large, perennial accumulation of crystalline ice, snow, rock, sediment, and often liquid water that originates on land and moves down slope under the influence of its own weight and gravity. Typically, glaciers exist and may even form in areas where:mean annual temperatures are close to the freezing pointwinter precipitation produces significant accumulations of snowtemperatures...

    Learn More
    link
    Mount Rainier seen from Puyallup, Washington

    Which mountain in the conterminous U.S. has the most glaciers?

    Mount Rainier, Washington, at 14,410 feet (4,393 meters), the highest peak in the Cascade Range, is a dormant volcano whose glacier ice cover exceeds that of any other mountain in the conterminous United States. Mount Rainier has approximately 26 glaciers. It contains more than five times the glacier area of all the other Cascade volcanoes combined. Mount Baker (Washington) at 10,778 feet (3,285...

    link

    Which mountain in the conterminous U.S. has the most glaciers?

    Mount Rainier, Washington, at 14,410 feet (4,393 meters), the highest peak in the Cascade Range, is a dormant volcano whose glacier ice cover exceeds that of any other mountain in the conterminous United States. Mount Rainier has approximately 26 glaciers. It contains more than five times the glacier area of all the other Cascade volcanoes combined. Mount Baker (Washington) at 10,778 feet (3,285...

    Learn More
    link
    Tidewater glaciers of south-central Alaska

    How long can we expect the present Interglacial period to last?

    No one knows for sure. In the Devils Hole, Nevada, paleoclimate record, the last four interglacials lasted over ~20,000 years with the warmest portion being a relatively stable period of 10,000 to 15,000 years duration. This is consistent with what is seen in the Vostok ice core from Antarctica and several records of sea level high stands. These data suggest that an equally long duration should be...

    link

    How long can we expect the present Interglacial period to last?

    No one knows for sure. In the Devils Hole, Nevada, paleoclimate record, the last four interglacials lasted over ~20,000 years with the warmest portion being a relatively stable period of 10,000 to 15,000 years duration. This is consistent with what is seen in the Vostok ice core from Antarctica and several records of sea level high stands. These data suggest that an equally long duration should be...

    Learn More
    link
    Lyell and Maclure glaciers, as they were mapped in 1883 by Willard D. Johnson of the U.S. Geological Survey

    Are today's glaciers leftovers from the Pleistocene ice age?

    Yes and no. It depends on which glaciers you are considering. Parts of the Antarctic Continent have had continuous glacier cover for perhaps as long as 20 million years. Other areas, such as valley glaciers of the Antarctic Peninsula and glaciers of the Transantarctic Mountains may date from the early Pleistocene. For Greenland, ice cores and related data suggest that all of southern Greenland and...

    link

    Are today's glaciers leftovers from the Pleistocene ice age?

    Yes and no. It depends on which glaciers you are considering. Parts of the Antarctic Continent have had continuous glacier cover for perhaps as long as 20 million years. Other areas, such as valley glaciers of the Antarctic Peninsula and glaciers of the Transantarctic Mountains may date from the early Pleistocene. For Greenland, ice cores and related data suggest that all of southern Greenland and...

    Learn More
    link
    Alaska Interior mountain range shot with snow capped mountains.

    How many glaciers currently exist in Alaska?

    Based on the most recent comprehensive survey in 2011, there were about 27,000 glaciers in Alaska. However, the number of glaciers is a misleading statistic. Scientists are more interested in total glacial land coverage as a measure. The number of glaciers is less important since large ones can split up into several as they retreat. The amount of area glaciers occupy in Alaska is trending downward...

    link

    How many glaciers currently exist in Alaska?

    Based on the most recent comprehensive survey in 2011, there were about 27,000 glaciers in Alaska. However, the number of glaciers is a misleading statistic. Scientists are more interested in total glacial land coverage as a measure. The number of glaciers is less important since large ones can split up into several as they retreat. The amount of area glaciers occupy in Alaska is trending downward...

    Learn More
    link
    Image shows a satellite view of Glacier Bay National Park

    Was all of Alaska covered by glaciers during the Pleistocene Ice Age?

    No--most of interior Alaska, south of the Brooks Range and north of the Alaska Range, was a non-glaciated grassland refuge habitat for a number of plant and animal species during the maximum Pleistocene glaciation. This ice-free corridor also provided one route for humans to move into North America.Learn more: USGS Water Science School - Glaciers: Things to Know

    link

    Was all of Alaska covered by glaciers during the Pleistocene Ice Age?

    No--most of interior Alaska, south of the Brooks Range and north of the Alaska Range, was a non-glaciated grassland refuge habitat for a number of plant and animal species during the maximum Pleistocene glaciation. This ice-free corridor also provided one route for humans to move into North America.Learn more: USGS Water Science School - Glaciers: Things to Know

    Learn More
    link
    Juneau Icefield

    Is glacier ice a type of rock?

    Glacier ice, like limestone (for example), is a type of rock. Glacier ice is actually a mono-mineralic rock (a rock made of only one mineral, like limestone which is composed of the mineral calcite). The mineral ice is the crystalline form of water (H2O). Most glacier ice forms through the metamorphism of tens of thousands of individual snowflakes into crystals of glacier ice. Each snow flake is a...

    link

    Is glacier ice a type of rock?

    Glacier ice, like limestone (for example), is a type of rock. Glacier ice is actually a mono-mineralic rock (a rock made of only one mineral, like limestone which is composed of the mineral calcite). The mineral ice is the crystalline form of water (H2O). Most glacier ice forms through the metamorphism of tens of thousands of individual snowflakes into crystals of glacier ice. Each snow flake is a...

    Learn More
    link
    Image: Surprise Glacier and Cataract Glacier

    Where are Earth’s glaciers located?

    Glaciers exist on every continent except Australia. Approximate distribution is:91% in Antarctica8% in GreenlandLess than 0.5% in North America (about 0.1% in Alaska)0.2% in AsiaLess than 0.1% are in South America, Europe, Africa, New Zealand, and Indonesia.

    link

    Where are Earth’s glaciers located?

    Glaciers exist on every continent except Australia. Approximate distribution is:91% in Antarctica8% in GreenlandLess than 0.5% in North America (about 0.1% in Alaska)0.2% in AsiaLess than 0.1% are in South America, Europe, Africa, New Zealand, and Indonesia.

    Learn More
    link
    link
    microstructures of an ice core
    link
    Crevices on glacier, Juneau Icefield
    link
    Jackson Glacier in Glacier National Park, circa 1911. Image 8 of 8.
    link
    Mapping the glacier's edge in Glacier National Park.
    link
    This is a glacier animation for Glacier National Park.
    link
    Image: Layered Ice
    link
    Louis Sass standing in a hole dug in the snow holding a coring tube.
    link
    Image: Surprise Glacier
    link
    link
    link
    link
    Image: Ice Queen
    link
    Image: Ice Core
    link
    Image: Layers of Ice, Hayden Glacier
    link
    Image: Ice Cave
    link

    U.S. Geological Survey collections—Preserving the past to inform the future: Tour three federal repositories—Core Research Center, Paleontological Collection, and the NSF National Ice Core Laboratory

    This 2016 Geological Society of America (GSA) Annual Meeting trip will explore the Core Research Center, Paleontological Collection, and National Science Foundation National Ice Core Laboratory—three collections of major national signifi cance managed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Since its inception in 1879, USGS has collected, preserved, and managed physical collections for scientifi c i
    By
    National Geological and Geophysical Data Preservation Program

    State of the Earth’s cryosphere at the beginning of the 21st century : glaciers, global snow cover, floating ice, and permafrost and periglacial environments: Chapter A in <i>Satellite image atlas of glaciers of the world</i>

    This chapter is the tenth in a series of 11 book-length chapters, collectively referred to as “this volume,” in the series U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1386, Satellite Image Atlas of Glaciers of the World. In the other 10 chapters, each of which concerns a specific glacierized region of Earth, the authors used remotely sensed images, primarily from the Landsat 1, 2, and 3 series of sp
    By
    Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

    Satellite image atlas of glaciers of the world

    U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1386, Satellite Image Atlas of Glaciers of the World, contains 11 chapters designated by the letters A through K. Chapter A provides a comprehensive, yet concise, review of the "State of the Earth's Cryosphere at the Beginning of the 21st Century: Glaciers, Global Snow Cover, Floating Ice, and Permafrost and Periglacial Environments," and a "Map/Poster of
    By
    Water Resources Research Act Program

    The United States National Climate Assessment - Alaska Technical Regional Report

    The Alaskan landscape is changing, both in terms of effects of human activities as a consequence of increased population, social and economic development and their effects on the local and broad landscape; and those effects that accompany naturally occurring hazards such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and tsunamis. Some of the most prevalent changes, however, are those resulting from a changi
    By
    Ecosystems, Alaska Science Center

    Fifty-Year Record of Glacier Change Reveals Shifting Climate in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, USA

    Fifty years of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) research on glacier change shows recent dramatic shrinkage of glaciers in three climatic regions of the United States. These long periods of record provide clues to the climate shifts that may be driving glacier change. The USGS Benchmark Glacier Program began in 1957 as a result of research efforts during the International Geophysical Year (Meier a

    Glaciers of North America - Glaciers of Alaska

    Glaciers cover about 75,000 km2 of Alaska, about 5 percent of the State. The glaciers are situated on 11 mountain ranges, 1 large island, an island chain, and 1 archipelago and range in elevation from more than 6,000 m to below sea level. Alaska's glaciers extend geographically from the far southeast at lat 55 deg 19'N., long 130 deg 05'W., about 100 kilometers east of Ketchikan, to the far southw

    A Century of Retreat at Portage Glacier, South-Central Alaska

    Introduction: The Portage Glacier, in south-central Alaska, is viewed by thousands of visitors annually who come to the U.S. Forest Service Begich, Boggs Visitor Center located on the road system between Anchorage and Whittier, Alaska. During the past century, the terminus of the glacier has retreated nearly 5 kilometers to its present location (fig. 1). Like other glaciers that terminate in water
    By
    Ecosystems, Alaska Science Center

    Satellite Image Atlas of Glaciers of the World

    In 1978, the USGS began the preparation of the 11-chapter USGS Professional Paper 1386, 'Satellite Image Atlas of Glaciers of the World'. Between 1979 and 1981, optimum satellite images were distributed to a team of 70 scientists, representing 25 nations and 45 institutions, who agreed to author sections of the Professional Paper concerning either a geographic area (chapters B-K) or a glaciologica

    Satellite image atlas of glaciers of the world -- North America

    By
    Ecosystems, Fort Collins Science Center
    link

    Glaciers Rapidly Shrinking and Disappearing: 50 Years of Glacier Change in Montana

    The warming climate has dramatically reduced the size of 39 glaciers in Montana since 1966, some by as much as 85 percent, according to data released...

    Read Article
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    EarthView–As Glaciers Worldwide Are Retreating, One Defies the Trend

    In this Landsat EarthView, one glacier in Chile bucks the global trend:

    Read Article
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    Fifty Years of Glacier Change Research in Alaska

    ANCHORAGE, Alaska — This year marks the 50th anniversary of one of the longest continuous glacier research efforts in North America.

    Read Article
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    From Icefield to Ocean - What Glacier Change Might Mean for the Future of Alaska

    Frozen bodies of ice cover nearly 10 percent of the state of Alaska, but the influence of glaciers on the environment, tourism, fisheries, hydropower...

    Read Article
    link

    Melting Glaciers Increase the Flow of Carbon to Downstream Ecosystems

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    Read Article

    Related Content

    • FAQ
      link
      Image: Surprise Glacier

      Why is glacier ice blue?

      Glacier ice is blue because the red (long wavelengths) part of white light is absorbed by ice and the blue (short wavelengths) light is transmitted and scattered. The longer the path light travels in ice, the more blue it appears.Learn more: USGS Water Science School - Glaciers: Things to Know

      link

      Why is glacier ice blue?

      Glacier ice is blue because the red (long wavelengths) part of white light is absorbed by ice and the blue (short wavelengths) light is transmitted and scattered. The longer the path light travels in ice, the more blue it appears.Learn more: USGS Water Science School - Glaciers: Things to Know

      Learn More
      link
      An ice worm on the tip of a finger

      Do ice worms exist?

      Yes, ice worms do, in fact, exist! They are small worms that live in glacial ice in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia; they have not been found in glaciers elsewhere. Contrary to stories and songs, they do not give glacier ice its blue color and they don't grow to lengths of 50 feet. (These myths were made popular by poet Robert Service and the annual Cordova Iceworm Festival in...

      link

      Do ice worms exist?

      Yes, ice worms do, in fact, exist! They are small worms that live in glacial ice in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia; they have not been found in glaciers elsewhere. Contrary to stories and songs, they do not give glacier ice its blue color and they don't grow to lengths of 50 feet. (These myths were made popular by poet Robert Service and the annual Cordova Iceworm Festival in...

      Learn More
      link
      Image: Surprise Glacier

      What is a glacier?

      A glacier is a large, perennial accumulation of crystalline ice, snow, rock, sediment, and often liquid water that originates on land and moves down slope under the influence of its own weight and gravity. Typically, glaciers exist and may even form in areas where:mean annual temperatures are close to the freezing pointwinter precipitation produces significant accumulations of snowtemperatures...

      link

      What is a glacier?

      A glacier is a large, perennial accumulation of crystalline ice, snow, rock, sediment, and often liquid water that originates on land and moves down slope under the influence of its own weight and gravity. Typically, glaciers exist and may even form in areas where:mean annual temperatures are close to the freezing pointwinter precipitation produces significant accumulations of snowtemperatures...

      Learn More
      link
      Mount Rainier seen from Puyallup, Washington

      Which mountain in the conterminous U.S. has the most glaciers?

      Mount Rainier, Washington, at 14,410 feet (4,393 meters), the highest peak in the Cascade Range, is a dormant volcano whose glacier ice cover exceeds that of any other mountain in the conterminous United States. Mount Rainier has approximately 26 glaciers. It contains more than five times the glacier area of all the other Cascade volcanoes combined. Mount Baker (Washington) at 10,778 feet (3,285...

      link

      Which mountain in the conterminous U.S. has the most glaciers?

      Mount Rainier, Washington, at 14,410 feet (4,393 meters), the highest peak in the Cascade Range, is a dormant volcano whose glacier ice cover exceeds that of any other mountain in the conterminous United States. Mount Rainier has approximately 26 glaciers. It contains more than five times the glacier area of all the other Cascade volcanoes combined. Mount Baker (Washington) at 10,778 feet (3,285...

      Learn More
      link
      Tidewater glaciers of south-central Alaska

      How long can we expect the present Interglacial period to last?

      No one knows for sure. In the Devils Hole, Nevada, paleoclimate record, the last four interglacials lasted over ~20,000 years with the warmest portion being a relatively stable period of 10,000 to 15,000 years duration. This is consistent with what is seen in the Vostok ice core from Antarctica and several records of sea level high stands. These data suggest that an equally long duration should be...

      link

      How long can we expect the present Interglacial period to last?

      No one knows for sure. In the Devils Hole, Nevada, paleoclimate record, the last four interglacials lasted over ~20,000 years with the warmest portion being a relatively stable period of 10,000 to 15,000 years duration. This is consistent with what is seen in the Vostok ice core from Antarctica and several records of sea level high stands. These data suggest that an equally long duration should be...

      Learn More
      link
      Lyell and Maclure glaciers, as they were mapped in 1883 by Willard D. Johnson of the U.S. Geological Survey

      Are today's glaciers leftovers from the Pleistocene ice age?

      Yes and no. It depends on which glaciers you are considering. Parts of the Antarctic Continent have had continuous glacier cover for perhaps as long as 20 million years. Other areas, such as valley glaciers of the Antarctic Peninsula and glaciers of the Transantarctic Mountains may date from the early Pleistocene. For Greenland, ice cores and related data suggest that all of southern Greenland and...

      link

      Are today's glaciers leftovers from the Pleistocene ice age?

      Yes and no. It depends on which glaciers you are considering. Parts of the Antarctic Continent have had continuous glacier cover for perhaps as long as 20 million years. Other areas, such as valley glaciers of the Antarctic Peninsula and glaciers of the Transantarctic Mountains may date from the early Pleistocene. For Greenland, ice cores and related data suggest that all of southern Greenland and...

      Learn More
      link
      Alaska Interior mountain range shot with snow capped mountains.

      How many glaciers currently exist in Alaska?

      Based on the most recent comprehensive survey in 2011, there were about 27,000 glaciers in Alaska. However, the number of glaciers is a misleading statistic. Scientists are more interested in total glacial land coverage as a measure. The number of glaciers is less important since large ones can split up into several as they retreat. The amount of area glaciers occupy in Alaska is trending downward...

      link

      How many glaciers currently exist in Alaska?

      Based on the most recent comprehensive survey in 2011, there were about 27,000 glaciers in Alaska. However, the number of glaciers is a misleading statistic. Scientists are more interested in total glacial land coverage as a measure. The number of glaciers is less important since large ones can split up into several as they retreat. The amount of area glaciers occupy in Alaska is trending downward...

      Learn More
      link
      Image shows a satellite view of Glacier Bay National Park

      Was all of Alaska covered by glaciers during the Pleistocene Ice Age?

      No--most of interior Alaska, south of the Brooks Range and north of the Alaska Range, was a non-glaciated grassland refuge habitat for a number of plant and animal species during the maximum Pleistocene glaciation. This ice-free corridor also provided one route for humans to move into North America.Learn more: USGS Water Science School - Glaciers: Things to Know

      link

      Was all of Alaska covered by glaciers during the Pleistocene Ice Age?

      No--most of interior Alaska, south of the Brooks Range and north of the Alaska Range, was a non-glaciated grassland refuge habitat for a number of plant and animal species during the maximum Pleistocene glaciation. This ice-free corridor also provided one route for humans to move into North America.Learn more: USGS Water Science School - Glaciers: Things to Know

      Learn More
      link
      Juneau Icefield

      Is glacier ice a type of rock?

      Glacier ice, like limestone (for example), is a type of rock. Glacier ice is actually a mono-mineralic rock (a rock made of only one mineral, like limestone which is composed of the mineral calcite). The mineral ice is the crystalline form of water (H2O). Most glacier ice forms through the metamorphism of tens of thousands of individual snowflakes into crystals of glacier ice. Each snow flake is a...

      link

      Is glacier ice a type of rock?

      Glacier ice, like limestone (for example), is a type of rock. Glacier ice is actually a mono-mineralic rock (a rock made of only one mineral, like limestone which is composed of the mineral calcite). The mineral ice is the crystalline form of water (H2O). Most glacier ice forms through the metamorphism of tens of thousands of individual snowflakes into crystals of glacier ice. Each snow flake is a...

      Learn More
      link
      Image: Surprise Glacier and Cataract Glacier

      Where are Earth’s glaciers located?

      Glaciers exist on every continent except Australia. Approximate distribution is:91% in Antarctica8% in GreenlandLess than 0.5% in North America (about 0.1% in Alaska)0.2% in AsiaLess than 0.1% are in South America, Europe, Africa, New Zealand, and Indonesia.

      link

      Where are Earth’s glaciers located?

      Glaciers exist on every continent except Australia. Approximate distribution is:91% in Antarctica8% in GreenlandLess than 0.5% in North America (about 0.1% in Alaska)0.2% in AsiaLess than 0.1% are in South America, Europe, Africa, New Zealand, and Indonesia.

      Learn More
    • Multimedia
      link
      link
      microstructures of an ice core
      link
      Crevices on glacier, Juneau Icefield
      link
      Jackson Glacier in Glacier National Park, circa 1911. Image 8 of 8.
      link
      Mapping the glacier's edge in Glacier National Park.
      link
      This is a glacier animation for Glacier National Park.
      link
      Image: Layered Ice
      link
      Louis Sass standing in a hole dug in the snow holding a coring tube.
      link
      Image: Surprise Glacier
      link
      link
      link
      link
      Image: Ice Queen
      link
      Image: Ice Core
      link
      Image: Layers of Ice, Hayden Glacier
      link
      Image: Ice Cave
      link
    • Publications

      U.S. Geological Survey collections—Preserving the past to inform the future: Tour three federal repositories—Core Research Center, Paleontological Collection, and the NSF National Ice Core Laboratory

      This 2016 Geological Society of America (GSA) Annual Meeting trip will explore the Core Research Center, Paleontological Collection, and National Science Foundation National Ice Core Laboratory—three collections of major national signifi cance managed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Since its inception in 1879, USGS has collected, preserved, and managed physical collections for scientifi c i
      By
      National Geological and Geophysical Data Preservation Program

      State of the Earth’s cryosphere at the beginning of the 21st century : glaciers, global snow cover, floating ice, and permafrost and periglacial environments: Chapter A in <i>Satellite image atlas of glaciers of the world</i>

      This chapter is the tenth in a series of 11 book-length chapters, collectively referred to as “this volume,” in the series U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1386, Satellite Image Atlas of Glaciers of the World. In the other 10 chapters, each of which concerns a specific glacierized region of Earth, the authors used remotely sensed images, primarily from the Landsat 1, 2, and 3 series of sp
      By
      Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

      Satellite image atlas of glaciers of the world

      U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1386, Satellite Image Atlas of Glaciers of the World, contains 11 chapters designated by the letters A through K. Chapter A provides a comprehensive, yet concise, review of the "State of the Earth's Cryosphere at the Beginning of the 21st Century: Glaciers, Global Snow Cover, Floating Ice, and Permafrost and Periglacial Environments," and a "Map/Poster of
      By
      Water Resources Research Act Program

      The United States National Climate Assessment - Alaska Technical Regional Report

      The Alaskan landscape is changing, both in terms of effects of human activities as a consequence of increased population, social and economic development and their effects on the local and broad landscape; and those effects that accompany naturally occurring hazards such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and tsunamis. Some of the most prevalent changes, however, are those resulting from a changi
      By
      Ecosystems, Alaska Science Center

      Fifty-Year Record of Glacier Change Reveals Shifting Climate in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, USA

      Fifty years of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) research on glacier change shows recent dramatic shrinkage of glaciers in three climatic regions of the United States. These long periods of record provide clues to the climate shifts that may be driving glacier change. The USGS Benchmark Glacier Program began in 1957 as a result of research efforts during the International Geophysical Year (Meier a

      Glaciers of North America - Glaciers of Alaska

      Glaciers cover about 75,000 km2 of Alaska, about 5 percent of the State. The glaciers are situated on 11 mountain ranges, 1 large island, an island chain, and 1 archipelago and range in elevation from more than 6,000 m to below sea level. Alaska's glaciers extend geographically from the far southeast at lat 55 deg 19'N., long 130 deg 05'W., about 100 kilometers east of Ketchikan, to the far southw

      A Century of Retreat at Portage Glacier, South-Central Alaska

      Introduction: The Portage Glacier, in south-central Alaska, is viewed by thousands of visitors annually who come to the U.S. Forest Service Begich, Boggs Visitor Center located on the road system between Anchorage and Whittier, Alaska. During the past century, the terminus of the glacier has retreated nearly 5 kilometers to its present location (fig. 1). Like other glaciers that terminate in water
      By
      Ecosystems, Alaska Science Center

      Satellite Image Atlas of Glaciers of the World

      In 1978, the USGS began the preparation of the 11-chapter USGS Professional Paper 1386, 'Satellite Image Atlas of Glaciers of the World'. Between 1979 and 1981, optimum satellite images were distributed to a team of 70 scientists, representing 25 nations and 45 institutions, who agreed to author sections of the Professional Paper concerning either a geographic area (chapters B-K) or a glaciologica

      Satellite image atlas of glaciers of the world -- North America

      By
      Ecosystems, Fort Collins Science Center
    • News
      link

      Glaciers Rapidly Shrinking and Disappearing: 50 Years of Glacier Change in Montana

      The warming climate has dramatically reduced the size of 39 glaciers in Montana since 1966, some by as much as 85 percent, according to data released...

      Read Article
      link

      EarthView–As Glaciers Worldwide Are Retreating, One Defies the Trend

      In this Landsat EarthView, one glacier in Chile bucks the global trend:

      Read Article
      link

      Fifty Years of Glacier Change Research in Alaska

      ANCHORAGE, Alaska — This year marks the 50th anniversary of one of the longest continuous glacier research efforts in North America.

      Read Article
      link

      From Icefield to Ocean - What Glacier Change Might Mean for the Future of Alaska

      Frozen bodies of ice cover nearly 10 percent of the state of Alaska, but the influence of glaciers on the environment, tourism, fisheries, hydropower...

      Read Article
      link

      Melting Glaciers Increase the Flow of Carbon to Downstream Ecosystems

      ANCHORAGE, Alaska Melting glaciers are not just impacting sea level, they are also affecting the flow of organic carbon to the world’s oceans...

      Read Article