Ice thickness, ablation, and other glaciological measurements on upper Fremont Glacier, Wyoming

Glaciological investigations of the Upper Fremont Glacier in the Wind River Range of Wyoming were conducted during 1990-1991. The glaciological data will provide baseline information for monitoring future changes to the glacier and support ongoing research utilizing glacial-ice-core composition to reconstruct paleoenvironmental records. Ice thickness, determined by radio-echo sounding, ranged from 60 to 172 m in the upper half of the glacier. Radio-echo sounding of ice thickness at one point was confirmed by drilling 159.7 m to bedrock. Annual ablation (including snow, firn, and ice) measured for the 1990-1991 period averaged about 0.93 m/a. Surface ice velocity and direction were monitored from July 1990 to August 1991. Ice velocity decreased in a downslope direction. The largest measured velocity was about 3.1 m/a and the smallest was 0.8 m/a. -from Authors