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Daniel B. Fagre, Ph.D. (Former Employee)

Science and Products

Avalanche forecasters ski out to investigate the crown of a large wet slab avalanche in Haystack Creek drainage. This drainage i

Snow and Avalanche Research

Snow scientists with the USGS are unraveling specific weather, climate, and snowpack factors that contribute to large magnitude avalanches in an effort to understand these events as both a hazard and a landscape–level disturbance. The Snow and Avalanche Project (SNAP) advances our understanding of avalanche-climate interactions and wet snow avalanches, and improves public safety through innovative...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center
Snow and Avalanche Research

Snow and Avalanche Research

Snow scientists with the USGS are unraveling specific weather, climate, and snowpack factors that contribute to large magnitude avalanches in an effort to understand these events as both a hazard and a landscape–level disturbance. The Snow and Avalanche Project (SNAP) advances our understanding of avalanche-climate interactions and wet snow avalanches, and improves public safety through innovative...
Learn More
Sperry Glacier in Glacier National Park.

Benchmark Glacier: Sperry

Sperry Glacier was chosen as the benchmark glacier for the glacier monitoring studies, due to the combination of its topographic characteristics, historic data, and access. Annual mass balance measurements began in 2005. Sperry Glacier joined the long-established USGS Benchmark Glacier Research program in 2013 where common field and analysis methods enable regional comparison and improved...
By
Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center
Benchmark Glacier: Sperry

Benchmark Glacier: Sperry

Sperry Glacier was chosen as the benchmark glacier for the glacier monitoring studies, due to the combination of its topographic characteristics, historic data, and access. Annual mass balance measurements began in 2005. Sperry Glacier joined the long-established USGS Benchmark Glacier Research program in 2013 where common field and analysis methods enable regional comparison and improved...
Learn More
Grinnell Glacier in Glacier National Park.

Secondary Glacier Network

The Secondary Glacier Network includes six glaciers (Chaney, Grinnell, Stanton, Agassiz, Swiftcurrent, Jackson-Blackfoot Glaciers) that form a north-south transect of approx. 60 km through the region, with Sperry Glacier just south of center. While these glaciers will be monitored less frequently than the benchmark glacier, Sperry, this network will provide data about the variability of processes...
By
Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center
Secondary Glacier Network

Secondary Glacier Network

The Secondary Glacier Network includes six glaciers (Chaney, Grinnell, Stanton, Agassiz, Swiftcurrent, Jackson-Blackfoot Glaciers) that form a north-south transect of approx. 60 km through the region, with Sperry Glacier just south of center. While these glaciers will be monitored less frequently than the benchmark glacier, Sperry, this network will provide data about the variability of processes...
Learn More
Researchers studying Sperry Glacier in Glacier National Park

Glacier Research

Climatic warming since the end of the Little Ice Age has resulted in substantial glacier ice loss around the world. Most glaciers have undergone thinning and many exhibit retreat at their margins. Glacier loss triggers a cascade of hydrological and ecological effects that impact plants, animals and can create human hazard and economic hardship. USGS scientists are using a variety of methods and...
By
Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center
Glacier Research

Glacier Research

Climatic warming since the end of the Little Ice Age has resulted in substantial glacier ice loss around the world. Most glaciers have undergone thinning and many exhibit retreat at their margins. Glacier loss triggers a cascade of hydrological and ecological effects that impact plants, animals and can create human hazard and economic hardship. USGS scientists are using a variety of methods and...
Learn More

Tree ring dataset for a regional avalanche chronology in northwest Montana, 1636-2017 Tree ring dataset for a regional avalanche chronology in northwest Montana, 1636-2017

This dataset includes processed tree ring data from avalanche paths in Glacier National Park and the Flathead National Forest in northwest Montana. The data were processed in three distinct phases that resulted in this dataset: collection, processing, and avalanche signal analysis. This dataset consists of samples from 647 trees with 2304 growth disturbances identified from 12 avalanche...
By
Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center

A comprehensive inventory of perennial snow and ice in Glacier National Park in 2005 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" is included...
By
Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center

Raw Ground Penetrating Radar Data on North American Glaciers 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...
By
Alaska Science Center

Glacier margin time series (1966, 1998, 2005, 2015) of the named glaciers of Glacier National Park, MT, USA Glacier margin time series (1966, 1998, 2005, 2015) of the named glaciers of Glacier National Park, MT, USA

This dataset was created to develop a time series and history of glacier recession in Glacier National Park (GNP), Montana, USA. The dataset delineates the 1966, 1998, 2005 and 2015 perimeters of the 37 named glaciers of Glacier National Park and two additional glaciers on U.S. Forest Services Flathead National Forest land (the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex) which borders GNP to the...
By
Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center
Filter Total Items: 82

Glacier recession since the Little Ice Age: Implications for water storage in a Rocky Mountain landscape Glacier recession since the Little Ice Age: Implications for water storage in a Rocky Mountain landscape

Glacial ice is a significant influence on local climate, hydrology, vegetation, and wildlife. We mapped a complete set of glacier areas from the Little Ice Age (LIA) using very high-resolution satellite imagery (30-cm) within Glacier National Park, a region that encompasses over 400,000 hectares. We measured glacier change across the park using LIA glacier area as a baseline and used...
Authors
Chelsea Mikle, Daniel B. Fagre
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center

Mountain plant communities: Uncertain sentinels? Mountain plant communities: Uncertain sentinels?

Mountain plant communities are thought to be sensitive to climate change and thus able to reveal its effects sooner than others. Two plant communities examined here, alpine treeline ecotones and alpine tundra, have been observed to respond to climate change in recent decades. Treeline has moved upslope and alpine tundra communities have had some species increase and others decrease. The
Authors
George P. Malanson, Lynn M Resler, Daniel B. Fagre, David R Butler
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center

Detecting snow depth change in avalanche path starting zones using uninhabited aerial systems and structure from motion photogrammetry Detecting snow depth change in avalanche path starting zones using uninhabited aerial systems and structure from motion photogrammetry

Understanding snow depth distribution and change is useful for avalanche forecasting and mitigation, runoff forecasting, and infrastructure planning. Advances in remote sensing are improving the ability to collect snow depth measurements. The development of structure from motion (SfM), a photogrammetry technique, combined with the use of uninhabited aerial systems (UASs) allows for high...
Authors
Erich H. Peitzsch, Daniel B. Fagre, Jordy Hendrikx, Karl W. Birkeland
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center

Identifying major avalanche years from a regional tree-ring based avalanche chronology for the U.S. Northern Rocky Mountains Identifying major avalanche years from a regional tree-ring based avalanche chronology for the U.S. Northern Rocky Mountains

Avalanches not only pose a major hazard to people and infrastructure, but also act as an important ecological disturbance. In many mountainous regions in North America, including areas with existing transportation corridors, reliable and consistent avalanche records are sparse or non-existent. Thus, inferring long-term avalanche patterns and associated contributory climate and weather...
Authors
Erich H. Peitzsch, Daniel B. Fagre, Gregory T. Pederson, Jordy Hendrikx, Karl W. Birkeland, Daniel K. Stahle
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center

Local topography increasingly influences the mass balance of a retreating cirque glacier Local topography increasingly influences the mass balance of a retreating cirque glacier

Local topographically driven processes – such as wind drifting, avalanching, and shading – are known to alter the relationship between the mass balance of small cirque glaciers and regional climate. Yet partitioning such local effects from regional climate influence has proven difficult, creating uncertainty in the climate representativeness of some glaciers. We address this problem for...
Authors
Caitlyn Florentine, Joel T. Harper, Daniel B. Fagre, Johnnie Moore, Erich H. Peitzsch
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center

Scale dependence of diversity in alpine tundra, Rocky Mountains, USA Scale dependence of diversity in alpine tundra, Rocky Mountains, USA

Drivers of alpine plant community composition have been observed to vary with scale. Diversity of alpine tundra across four regions of the Rocky Mountains and among plots within one region was examined relative to temperature and precipitation variables. For regional scale analyses, averages of three metrics of plot-level species diversity relative to environmental variables and regional...
Authors
George P. Malanson, Daniel B. Fagre, Dale L. Zimmerman
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center

Science and Products

Avalanche forecasters ski out to investigate the crown of a large wet slab avalanche in Haystack Creek drainage. This drainage i

Snow and Avalanche Research

Snow scientists with the USGS are unraveling specific weather, climate, and snowpack factors that contribute to large magnitude avalanches in an effort to understand these events as both a hazard and a landscape–level disturbance. The Snow and Avalanche Project (SNAP) advances our understanding of avalanche-climate interactions and wet snow avalanches, and improves public safety through innovative...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center
Snow and Avalanche Research

Snow and Avalanche Research

Snow scientists with the USGS are unraveling specific weather, climate, and snowpack factors that contribute to large magnitude avalanches in an effort to understand these events as both a hazard and a landscape–level disturbance. The Snow and Avalanche Project (SNAP) advances our understanding of avalanche-climate interactions and wet snow avalanches, and improves public safety through innovative...
Learn More
Sperry Glacier in Glacier National Park.

Benchmark Glacier: Sperry

Sperry Glacier was chosen as the benchmark glacier for the glacier monitoring studies, due to the combination of its topographic characteristics, historic data, and access. Annual mass balance measurements began in 2005. Sperry Glacier joined the long-established USGS Benchmark Glacier Research program in 2013 where common field and analysis methods enable regional comparison and improved...
By
Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center
Benchmark Glacier: Sperry

Benchmark Glacier: Sperry

Sperry Glacier was chosen as the benchmark glacier for the glacier monitoring studies, due to the combination of its topographic characteristics, historic data, and access. Annual mass balance measurements began in 2005. Sperry Glacier joined the long-established USGS Benchmark Glacier Research program in 2013 where common field and analysis methods enable regional comparison and improved...
Learn More
Grinnell Glacier in Glacier National Park.

Secondary Glacier Network

The Secondary Glacier Network includes six glaciers (Chaney, Grinnell, Stanton, Agassiz, Swiftcurrent, Jackson-Blackfoot Glaciers) that form a north-south transect of approx. 60 km through the region, with Sperry Glacier just south of center. While these glaciers will be monitored less frequently than the benchmark glacier, Sperry, this network will provide data about the variability of processes...
By
Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center
Secondary Glacier Network

Secondary Glacier Network

The Secondary Glacier Network includes six glaciers (Chaney, Grinnell, Stanton, Agassiz, Swiftcurrent, Jackson-Blackfoot Glaciers) that form a north-south transect of approx. 60 km through the region, with Sperry Glacier just south of center. While these glaciers will be monitored less frequently than the benchmark glacier, Sperry, this network will provide data about the variability of processes...
Learn More
Researchers studying Sperry Glacier in Glacier National Park

Glacier Research

Climatic warming since the end of the Little Ice Age has resulted in substantial glacier ice loss around the world. Most glaciers have undergone thinning and many exhibit retreat at their margins. Glacier loss triggers a cascade of hydrological and ecological effects that impact plants, animals and can create human hazard and economic hardship. USGS scientists are using a variety of methods and...
By
Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center
Glacier Research

Glacier Research

Climatic warming since the end of the Little Ice Age has resulted in substantial glacier ice loss around the world. Most glaciers have undergone thinning and many exhibit retreat at their margins. Glacier loss triggers a cascade of hydrological and ecological effects that impact plants, animals and can create human hazard and economic hardship. USGS scientists are using a variety of methods and...
Learn More

Tree ring dataset for a regional avalanche chronology in northwest Montana, 1636-2017 Tree ring dataset for a regional avalanche chronology in northwest Montana, 1636-2017

This dataset includes processed tree ring data from avalanche paths in Glacier National Park and the Flathead National Forest in northwest Montana. The data were processed in three distinct phases that resulted in this dataset: collection, processing, and avalanche signal analysis. This dataset consists of samples from 647 trees with 2304 growth disturbances identified from 12 avalanche...
By
Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center

A comprehensive inventory of perennial snow and ice in Glacier National Park in 2005 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" is included...
By
Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center

Raw Ground Penetrating Radar Data on North American Glaciers 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...
By
Alaska Science Center

Glacier margin time series (1966, 1998, 2005, 2015) of the named glaciers of Glacier National Park, MT, USA Glacier margin time series (1966, 1998, 2005, 2015) of the named glaciers of Glacier National Park, MT, USA

This dataset was created to develop a time series and history of glacier recession in Glacier National Park (GNP), Montana, USA. The dataset delineates the 1966, 1998, 2005 and 2015 perimeters of the 37 named glaciers of Glacier National Park and two additional glaciers on U.S. Forest Services Flathead National Forest land (the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex) which borders GNP to the...
By
Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center
Filter Total Items: 82

Glacier recession since the Little Ice Age: Implications for water storage in a Rocky Mountain landscape Glacier recession since the Little Ice Age: Implications for water storage in a Rocky Mountain landscape

Glacial ice is a significant influence on local climate, hydrology, vegetation, and wildlife. We mapped a complete set of glacier areas from the Little Ice Age (LIA) using very high-resolution satellite imagery (30-cm) within Glacier National Park, a region that encompasses over 400,000 hectares. We measured glacier change across the park using LIA glacier area as a baseline and used...
Authors
Chelsea Mikle, Daniel B. Fagre
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center

Mountain plant communities: Uncertain sentinels? Mountain plant communities: Uncertain sentinels?

Mountain plant communities are thought to be sensitive to climate change and thus able to reveal its effects sooner than others. Two plant communities examined here, alpine treeline ecotones and alpine tundra, have been observed to respond to climate change in recent decades. Treeline has moved upslope and alpine tundra communities have had some species increase and others decrease. The
Authors
George P. Malanson, Lynn M Resler, Daniel B. Fagre, David R Butler
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center

Detecting snow depth change in avalanche path starting zones using uninhabited aerial systems and structure from motion photogrammetry Detecting snow depth change in avalanche path starting zones using uninhabited aerial systems and structure from motion photogrammetry

Understanding snow depth distribution and change is useful for avalanche forecasting and mitigation, runoff forecasting, and infrastructure planning. Advances in remote sensing are improving the ability to collect snow depth measurements. The development of structure from motion (SfM), a photogrammetry technique, combined with the use of uninhabited aerial systems (UASs) allows for high...
Authors
Erich H. Peitzsch, Daniel B. Fagre, Jordy Hendrikx, Karl W. Birkeland
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center

Identifying major avalanche years from a regional tree-ring based avalanche chronology for the U.S. Northern Rocky Mountains Identifying major avalanche years from a regional tree-ring based avalanche chronology for the U.S. Northern Rocky Mountains

Avalanches not only pose a major hazard to people and infrastructure, but also act as an important ecological disturbance. In many mountainous regions in North America, including areas with existing transportation corridors, reliable and consistent avalanche records are sparse or non-existent. Thus, inferring long-term avalanche patterns and associated contributory climate and weather...
Authors
Erich H. Peitzsch, Daniel B. Fagre, Gregory T. Pederson, Jordy Hendrikx, Karl W. Birkeland, Daniel K. Stahle
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center

Local topography increasingly influences the mass balance of a retreating cirque glacier Local topography increasingly influences the mass balance of a retreating cirque glacier

Local topographically driven processes – such as wind drifting, avalanching, and shading – are known to alter the relationship between the mass balance of small cirque glaciers and regional climate. Yet partitioning such local effects from regional climate influence has proven difficult, creating uncertainty in the climate representativeness of some glaciers. We address this problem for...
Authors
Caitlyn Florentine, Joel T. Harper, Daniel B. Fagre, Johnnie Moore, Erich H. Peitzsch
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center

Scale dependence of diversity in alpine tundra, Rocky Mountains, USA Scale dependence of diversity in alpine tundra, Rocky Mountains, USA

Drivers of alpine plant community composition have been observed to vary with scale. Diversity of alpine tundra across four regions of the Rocky Mountains and among plots within one region was examined relative to temperature and precipitation variables. For regional scale analyses, averages of three metrics of plot-level species diversity relative to environmental variables and regional...
Authors
George P. Malanson, Daniel B. Fagre, Dale L. Zimmerman
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center
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