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Adam Clark

I work with glaciers and avalanches in the mountains of northwest, Montana.

Research interests

Specifically my job has me measuring the mass balance of Sperry Glacier in Glacier National Park and forecasting for avalanches that threaten the spring plowing crews on Going-to-the-Sun Road. In addition I work to keep a network of high elevation weather stations operational while the elements we are measuring work simultaneously to destroy them. My goal is to advance our understanding of the processes driving glacier change in this region using quantitative glaciological methods. I also strive to make Glacier Park’s snow removal operations in avalanche terrain as safe as possible.

Education and Certifications

  • M.S. Geosciences. 2012. University of Montana, Missoula

  • B.A. Psychology. 2006. University of Montana, Missoula

Science and Products

Glaciological measurements and mass balances from Sperry Glacier, Montana, USA, years 2005–2015

Glacier mass balance measurements help to provide an understanding of the behavior of glaciers and their response to local and regional climate. In 2005 the United States Geological Survey established a surface mass balance monitoring program on Sperry Glacier, Montana, USA. This project is the first quantitative study of mass changes of a glacier in the US northern Rocky Mountains and continues t
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Ecosystems, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center

Case study: 2016 Natural glide and wet slab avalanche cycle, Going-to-the-Sun Road, Glacier National Park, Montana, USA

The Going-to-the-Sun Road (GTSR) is the premier tourist attraction in Glacier National Park, Montana. The GTSR also traverses through and under 40 avalanche paths which pose a hazard to National Park Service (NPS) road crews during the annual spring snow plowing operation. Through a joint collaboration between the NPS and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), a forecasting program primarily dealing w
By
Ecosystems, Climate Research and Development Program, Land Change Science Program, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center

Glacier-derived August runoff in northwest Montana

The second largest concentration of glaciers in the U.S. Rocky Mountains is located in Glacier National Park (GNP), Montana. The total glacier-covered area in this region decreased by ∼35% over the past 50 years, which has raised substantial concern about the loss of the water derived from glaciers during the summer. We used an innovative weather station design to collect in situ measurements on f
By
Ecosystems, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center
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Image: Garden Wall Weather Station, MT

Climate Change in Mountain Ecosystems (CCME)

Climate change is widely acknowledged to have a profound effect on the biosphere and cryosphere with many and diverse impacts on global resources. Mountain ecosystems in the western U.S., and the U.S. Northern Rocky Mountains in particular, are highly sensitive to climate change. Warming in western Montana is nearly 2 times greater than the rise in global temperatures over the last 100+ years...
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Ecosystems, Climate Research and Development Program, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center
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Climate Change in Mountain Ecosystems (CCME)

Climate change is widely acknowledged to have a profound effect on the biosphere and cryosphere with many and diverse impacts on global resources. Mountain ecosystems in the western U.S., and the U.S. Northern Rocky Mountains in particular, are highly sensitive to climate change. Warming in western Montana is nearly 2 times greater than the rise in global temperatures over the last 100+ years...
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Glacier-derived August runoff in northwest Montana

This article is part of the Fall 2015 issue of the Earth Science Matters Newsletter.

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Glacier-Wide Mass Balance and Compiled Data Inputs: USGS Benchmark Glaciers

Since the late 1950s, the USGS has maintained a long-term glacier mass-balance program at three North American glaciers. Measurements began on South Cascade Glacier, WA in 1958, expanding to Gulkana and Wolverine glaciers, AK in 1966, and later Sperry Glacier, MT in 2005. Additional measurements have been made on Lemon Creek Glacier, AK to compliment data collected by the Juneau Icefield Research
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Climate Research and Development Program, Alaska Science Center

A comprehensive inventory of perennial snow and ice in Glacier National Park in 2005

These polygon features represent a comprehensive inventory of perennial snow and ice on the landscape in Glacier National Park (GNP) in 2005. The imagery used to delineate perennial snow and ice was taken late season, therefore, all snow and ice present on the landscape is assumed to be perennial. Whether each polygon is "perennial snow and ice" or "active glacial ice&am
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Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center

Raw Ground Penetrating Radar Data on North American Glaciers

U.S. Geological Survey researchers conducted time-series ground-penetrating radar (GPR) surveys with a Sensors and Software 500-MHz Pulse Ekko Pro system. This data release contains ground-based (ski and snowmobile) as well as airborne common-offset profiles. All profiles are linked to coincident GPS observations. Additionally, common-midpoint data was collected at specific glacier locations. Coin
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Alaska Science Center

Science and Products