Adam Clark
Biography
M.S. Geosciences. 2012. University of Montana, Missoula
B.A. Psychology. 2006. University of Montana, Missoula
Research interests
I work with glaciers and avalanches in the mountains of northwest, Montana. 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.
Science and Products
Climate Change in Mountain Ecosystems (CCME)
Climate change is widely acknowledged to be having a profound effect on the biosphere with many and diverse impacts on global resources. Mountain ecosystems in the western U.S. and the Northern Rockies in particular are highly sensitive to climate change. In fact, the higher elevations of the Northern Rockies have experienced three times the global average temperature increase over the past...
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...
Clark, Adam; Fagre, Daniel B.; Peitzsch, Erich H.; Reardon, Blase A.; Harper, Joel T. 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...
Hutchinson, Jacob; Peitzsch, Erich H.; Clark, Adam 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...
Clark, Adam; Harper, Joel T.; Fagre, Daniel B.