Wolverine Glacier

Active

By Ecosystems Land Change Science Program October 9, 2026

Wolverine Glacier is located in Alaska’s Kenai Mountains, along the western flank of Prince William Sound. Glacier observations began in 1966 and continue through present as the western most USGS Benchmark Glacier.

Return to Glaciers and Landscape Change

Wolverine Glacier is located in Alaska’s Kenai Mountains, along the western flank of Prince William Sound. The climate is maritime, characterized by both moderate temperatures and precipitation. Wolverine Glacier has a southerly aspect, with a narrow terminus at 1,476 ft (450 m) and a broad accumulation area up to 5,512 ft (1680 m) in elevation. In 2018 the Glacier was approximately 4.3 mi (7 km) long and encompassed an area of 6.0 mi²(15.6 km²) in its 9.5 mi²(24.5 km²) basin above a USGS stream gage (O'Neel et al, 2019).

Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details

Map showing winter precipitation and summer PDDs — Fig. 1. Top panel shows, Benchmark Glacier total winter precipitation at the median elevation of each glacier, based on local weather station data (O'Neel et al., 2019), for the 1991 – 2020 climate normal period. Map shows the location of Wolverine Glacier (large black dot) among the Benchmark Glacier network (smaller black dots). Glaciers of the Contiguous United States (CONUS), Canada, and Alaska shown in blue (Randolph Glacier Inventory, 2017). Bottom panel shows, Benchmark Glacier total summer positive degree days at the median elevation of each glacier, based on local weather station data (O'Neel et al., 2019), for the 1991 – 2020 climate normal period.

Glacier Mass Balance

Map showing glacier extent in 1972 vs. 2020 — Fig. 2. Map of Wolverine Glacier showing the location of mass balance sites (black circle with x), weather stations (green stars), and stream gage (blue square). The 1972 extent of Wolverine Glacier is shown in orange, and 2020 extent outlined in black.

In 1966 as part of the International Hydrological decade, USGS scientists began collecting mass balance, meteorological, and hydrological data at Wolverine Glacier. Today measurements at Wolverine Glacier constitute one of the longest continuous mass balance records in North America, providing insight into snow and ice dynamics, hydrology, and the regional impacts of glacier change.

Field visits to measure and maintain metal “ablation” stakes at mass balance sites occur each spring at the onset of the melt season, and again in early autumn near its end. Snow pits or cores are collected to measure the density of material gained or lost. By timing visits near the balance maxima and minima, measurements closely capture maximum winter accumulation and annual balance at each location. Beginning in 1975, additional surveying of mass balance stakes provides both ice velocity and surface elevation change at each site.

From 1966 through the mid-1970's, mass balance studies were relatively extensive, before being reduced to three sites dispersed across the glacier’s elevation. Since 2009, the number of mass balance measurements have increased to improve spatial variability sampling and account for changes to the glacier.

Continuing through today, core tasks involve extensive field measurements now combined with weather data and imagery analysis to calculate seasonal and annual glacier-wide mass balance. These data are published through an official USGS data release and submitted to the World Glacier Monitoring Service. The most recent mass balance results are available on the executive summary webpage. For more detailed description of methods see: O’Neel et al., 2019 and Florentine et al., 2023.

Blue and red bar chart of glacier mass balance over time. — Fig. 3. Wolverine Glacier glacier-wide annual mass balance (m w.e.; left axis), with positive years shown in blue and negative years in red. Blackline shows cumulative mass balance (m w.e.; right axis).

Meteorologic

Glacier adjacent meteorological observations began in 1967 with installation of temperature and precipitation instruments. Today the primary station is telemetered with near real-time temperature, relative humidity, precipitation, wind speed and direction data publicly available at the stations Water Data for the Nation webpage.

The Wolverine weather station (60°23' N, 148°55' W) is located at an altitude of 3,248 ft (990 m) on a tundra knoll along the western boundary of the basin. The station is slightly lower than the glacier's average equilibrium line altitude and approximately 1,640 ft (500 m) from the west edge of the glacier. The average annual air temperature at the recorder site is about 30.2°F (-1.0°C), and the average annual precipitation is approximately 43.3 in (1,100 mm). Snowfall is the dominant form of precipitation and usually accumulates on the glacier from September through mid-June. Daily average temperatures range from a low of -14.8°F (-26°C) to a high of 71.6°F (22°C). Daily precipitation catch can be over 4.4 in (113 mm).

Wolverine weather station collects weather data near the glacier to aid mass balance.

Current weather data is available from the Wolverine Glacier 24 MI NE of Seward AK (USGS site 15236895) website and includes:

Air Temperature
Relative Humidity
Wind speed
Wind Gust Speed
Wind direction
Cumulative Precipitation

A telemetered camera on USGS HIVIS, added to the weather station in May 2026, will display and archive once daily daylight images.

Image of glacier and temperature change chart below. — View looking northeast from site 15236895 WOLVERINE GLACIER 24 MI NE SEWARD AK at 3,250 ft (991 m) elevation. This view includes the northeast corner of Wolverine Glacier flowing down the unnamed 5400 ft (1,646 m) peak approximately 3.6 miles (5.8 km) away. The northwest corner of the glacier is out of view on the left. In the middle of the field of view the main ablation area of the glacier is visible. The glacier's terminus is out of view to the bottom right. Unnamed peaks in the northern part of the Sargent Icefield are visible in the distance at the right edge of the field of view.

Ridge-Top Climate Station

An additional weather station has operated intermittently at a higher elevation between 2012 and 2022. The ridge-top weather station (60°24' N, 148°57' W) is ~0.6 miles (1 km) west of the glacier at 4,659 ft (1420 m). Measurements at this site are currently limited to:

Air Temperature

Hydrologic

The USGS actively maintains a gaging station on Wolverine Creek downstream of the glacier terminus. Surface water data collection and analysis are conducted by standard techniques developed by the USGS. The site is one of nearly 100 surface water stations operated by the USGS in Alaska. Current telemetered data, statistics (annual, daily, and monthly means), and archived historical data can be viewed and downloaded at the water data for the nation website: USGS Monitoring Location 15236900 "Wolverine C NR Lawing AK".

A researcher locates an ablation stake near a crevasse on Wolverine Glacier. These collapsible poles are used to measure snow and ice melt on the glacier surface.

Location: Latitude 60°22'14"N., Longitude 148°53'48"W., 1,214 ft (370 m) altitude, in NE 1/4 sec.10, T.3 N., R.3 E., Hydrologic Unit 19020202, on left bank about 0.15 km downstream from terminus of Wolverine Glacier and 15.5mi (25 km) east of Lawing, Alaska.

Drainage area: 9.5 mi²(24.5 km²)

Period of record: October 1966 to September 1978, October 1980 to September 1981, May 1997 to September 1997, October 2000 to current.

Accuracy: Records are considered fair to poor. The creek bed is composed of poorly sorted gravel and small boulders. The channel is subject to frequent changes during high flows. Large fluctuations from ice melt and alternative damming and storage release during the melt season.

Discharge: Typical summer mean daily discharge ranges between 123.6 cfs (3.5 m³s^-1) and 353.1 cfs (10 m³s^-1) (interquartile range of daily mean values); the period-of-record instantaneous peak discharge was 1,801 cfs (51 m³s^-1) on August 21, 1981 (Benson and others, 1998).