Scientist collecting samples on South Cascade Glacier

Scientist collection samples on South Cascade Glacier, northwestern Washington State. South Cascade Glacier located in a north-northwest facing valley near the crest of the Cascade Range in northwest Washington state. In 1959 scientists with the USGS began collecting mass balance data on South Cascade Glacier, now one of five "benchmark glaciers" in the US. These data constitute the longest continuous set of mass-balance data in North America which are used to understand glacier dynamics and hydrology, and to measure the glacier's response to climate change.