Eklutna Glacier Mass Balance
We are investigating the relationship between climate, mass balance, and ice dynamics at Eklutna Glacier in order to understand the way this glacier is responding to climate forcing.Abstract
Runoff from Eklutna Glacier contributes to Eklutna Reservoir, which is entirely utilized for water and power by Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city. This research aims to quantify the present relationship between the glacier geometry, glacier mass balance, and local climate, with the ultimate goal of gaining insight into future water resources. Of particular interest is the apparent altitude-mass-balance feedback and implications for future glacier mass balance. We are using a combination of mass balance from both direct measurments and from high frequency ground penetrating radar (GPR), surface elevations from various sources, ice thickness estimates from low-frequency GPR, and velocities from direct (GPS) measurements to understand the present water resource and investigate the changes in glacier geometry.
Products
| Title | Type |
|---|---|
| Point Measurements of Surface Mass Balance, Eklutna Glacier, Alaska, 2008-2015 | Data |
Contacts
Loso, Michael , 907-822-7285Status: completed
Start Year: 2008
End Year: 2016
Project Sites
Location
Chugach MountainsChugach State Park
Eklutna Glacier
State of Alaska
USGS Mission Area and Program
Land Resources → Climate Research and DevelopmentKeywords
Cryosphere > Glaciers/Ice Sheets > Ablation Zones/Accumulation ZonesCryosphere > Glaciers/Ice Sheets > Glacier Mass Balance/Ice Sheet Mass Balance