What is a Benchmark Glacier?
“Benchmark Glacier” refers to four North American glaciers that have been selected for long-term glacier monitoring that investigates climate, glacier geometry, glacier mass balance, glacier motion, and stream runoff. Benchmark glaciers monitored by the USGS are:
- Gulkana Glacier and Wolverine Glacier in Alaska
- South Cascade Glacier in Washington
- Sperry Glacier in Montana
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Filter Total Items: 15
A strategy for monitoring glaciers A strategy for monitoring glaciers
Glaciers are important features in the hydrologic cycle and affect the volume, variability, and water quality of runoff. Assessing and predicting the effect of glaciers on water resources require a monitoring program to provide basic data for this understanding. The monitoring program of the U.S. Geological Survey employs a nested approach whereby an intensively studied glacier is...
Authors
Andrew Fountain, Robert Krimmel, Dennis Trabant
Columbia Glacier, Alaska; research on tidewater glaciers Columbia Glacier, Alaska; research on tidewater glaciers
No abstract available.
Authors
Robert Krimmel
Grinnell and Sperry Glaciers, Glacier National Park, Montana: A record of vanishing ice Grinnell and Sperry Glaciers, Glacier National Park, Montana: A record of vanishing ice
Grinnell and Sperry Glaciers, in Glacier National Park, Mont., have both shrunk considerably since their discovery in 1887 and 1895, respectively. This shrinkage, a reflection of climatic conditions, is evident when photographs taken at the time of discovery are compared with later photographs. Annual precipitation and terminus-recession measurements, together with detailed systematic...
Authors
Arthur Johnson
Related
Filter Total Items: 15
A strategy for monitoring glaciers A strategy for monitoring glaciers
Glaciers are important features in the hydrologic cycle and affect the volume, variability, and water quality of runoff. Assessing and predicting the effect of glaciers on water resources require a monitoring program to provide basic data for this understanding. The monitoring program of the U.S. Geological Survey employs a nested approach whereby an intensively studied glacier is...
Authors
Andrew Fountain, Robert Krimmel, Dennis Trabant
Columbia Glacier, Alaska; research on tidewater glaciers Columbia Glacier, Alaska; research on tidewater glaciers
No abstract available.
Authors
Robert Krimmel
Grinnell and Sperry Glaciers, Glacier National Park, Montana: A record of vanishing ice Grinnell and Sperry Glaciers, Glacier National Park, Montana: A record of vanishing ice
Grinnell and Sperry Glaciers, in Glacier National Park, Mont., have both shrunk considerably since their discovery in 1887 and 1895, respectively. This shrinkage, a reflection of climatic conditions, is evident when photographs taken at the time of discovery are compared with later photographs. Annual precipitation and terminus-recession measurements, together with detailed systematic...
Authors
Arthur Johnson
Updated Date: July 17, 2025