Glacier juneau icefield alaska science center usgs. At its widest point, the glacier is more than a half mile wide, with ice 300 to 1,800 feet deep. After transferring 30 minutes from your juneau cruise pier downtown to the mendenhall valley heliport, you will weighcheck in with the flightseeing excursion staff before boarding your helicopter. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Pelto juneau icefield research program foundation for glacier and environmental research reprinted from geografiska annaler, vol8 1 a, no. Although jirp has used gps since 1992, the 2010 field season saw the first use of gnss gear on the juneau icefield. The study modeling the evolution of the juneau icefield between 1971 and 2100 using the parallel ice sheet model pism by florian a. The program nominally occurs between late june and late august, traversing. The annual surface mass balance records of the lemon creek glacier and taku glacier observed by the juneau icefield research program are the longest continuous glacier annual mass balance data. Juneau icefield mass balance program 19462011 article pdf available in earth system science data 61. Ground penetrating radar gpr data usgs began collecting groundpenetrating radar gpr data at several glaciers during 20, with a goal of improving winter mass balance estimates. Juneau icefield, alaska since its inception in 1946, the juneau icefield research program jirp has offered undergraduate and graduate students a unique research opportunity on the large system of temperate glaciers located north of juneau, alaska. The usgs benchmark glacier mass balance program strives to quantify glacier mass changes, climate parameters and streamflow at four glacierized basins in north america. James headen arianna varuoloclark research experiences for undergraduates symposium reus this conference featured keynote talks, presentations by students from research experiences for undergraduates reu programs in all disciplines, sessions for reu students.
This research allows us to contribute to an understanding of how climate change is affecting glaciers, and how glacier melt will affect local ecosystems and the global environment. The juneau icefield is an ice field located just north of juneau, alaska, continuing north through. You get to try out our software to make sure it is compatible with your system and that it. The pirates of glacier mass balance juneau icefield. However, recent mass balance deficits have drawn attention to the importance of changing weather conditions in southeast alaska. The juneau icefield research program jirp was organized in 1946 and continues today as a preeminent field research experience. The history of the mass balance team is the history of jirp. The icefield is the source of many glaciers including the. Jul 09, 2019 2019 juneau icefield research program jirp students during a four day and 83 kilometers ski traverse across taku glacier, carrying all their food, water, clothing, tents, and science gear as they help measure the mass balance along the way. Visitors come from around the world to trek on the 3,000yearold icefield itself or. The taku glacier near juneau, alaska has been studied by the juneau icefield research program since 1946, and is the longest continuous mass balance study of any glacier in north america. The mendenhall is just one of the 38 major glaciers that flow from the juneau icefield, an expanse of interconnected glaciers that.
My team also installed glacier mass balance stakes along gilkey glacier, which extends from the juneau icefield, to document how much snow accumulates and melts annually. The mendenhall glacier is a tongue of ice stretching 12 miles from the juneau icefield to mendenhall lake. The mass balance student research project juneau icefield. In the case of gaseous combustion processes with zero heat exchange with the environment, this yields the adiabatic flame temperature. Juneau software is dedicated to providing fun, easy to use software to the general computing public at an affordable price. The equilibrium flow and mass balance of taku glacier 19502006. Taku glacier north cascade glacier climate project. All baseline computations were performed with the geotracer gps software version 2.
Icefield helicopter excursion juneau tours and shore excursions. From 19481986 the glacier had a positive glacier mass balance driving the advance. Mass balance measurements on the lemon creek glacier, sumau icereld alaska 19531998 by maynard m. Study says alaska could lose massive icefield by 2200. Juneau icefield research program jirp, juneau, alaska. Frontiers stikine icefield mass loss between 2000 and 20. We enjoyed our time with you and are so happy to hear that your fatherdaughter experience was a home run. The 2015 glacier mass balance project crew created this video blog to give readers a better sense of their efforts. Jirpers have been hard at work over the summer digging snow pits all over the juneau icefield, measuring the winter accumulation and calculating the mass balance of the taku glacier, the largest outlet glacier of the icefield. Juneau helicopter icefield flightseeing excursion juneau. The august 17th 1984 image is the oldest landsat image that i consider of top quality.
The 2016 summer field season of the juneau icefield research program marked the. Sep 01, 2018 ground penetrating radar gpr data usgs began collecting groundpenetrating radar gpr data at several glaciers during 20, with a goal of improving winter mass balance estimates. Ncgcp has measured annual mass balance for the last 31 years on north cascades glaciers. Remote sensing free fulltext exceptionally high 2018. In 2014, landterminating glaciers are 50% of the stikine icefields glaciated area and contribute. Our itinerary was a ninemile ski to c9, pausing to dig a pit just short of camp on the matthes glacier. Juneau icefield mass balance program 19462011 earth system. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading juneau icefield research project 19491958 developments in quaternary. It can be utilized in simulation, for example, to estimate the performance of the process, to detect bottlenecks in the circuit, and to create models of the processing stages. He is the united states representative to the world glacier monitoring service, which collects all mass balance and terminus change data for glaciers.
Natalie kehrwald, sarah fortner, and several others published their paper, boreal blazes. I was on the llewellyn glacier with jirp on the east side of the icefield the day this image was taken. Balance button is used to obtain the product temperature with a zero heat balance. The juneau icefield is the 5th largest expanse of ice and snow in the the northern hemisphere. Abstract the glaciers are distributed in different climate regimes to better define glacier response to changes in climate forcing. Chris mcneil led the reanalysis of the jirp mass balance record stretching back to 1946. Last summer, both new and veteran researchers participated in the program. Juneau icefield research program mass balance measurements by. Nearly all originate from the high divide along the alaskacanada border. Mass balancing is a common data reconciliation method used widely in metallurgy. Pdf stikine icefield mass loss between 2000 and 202014. Environmental science envs catalog university of alaska. The annual surface mass balance records of the lemon creek glacier and taku glacier observed by the juneau icefield research program.
Juneau s most popular attraction and the most easily accessible alaska glacier is the mighty, magnificent mendenhall glacier, located just miles from downtown juneau and only a few minutes from the airport. It stretches nearly 150 miles north to south between the cities of skagway and juneau, alaska. The glaciers have all lost significant mass with a mean annual balance of. The juneau icefield research program jirp is one of the oldest glacier. Mass balance is the change in the mass of a glacier or ice body, or part thereof, over a stated span of time.
A sensor web is a collection of heterogeneous sensors which autonomously reacts to the observed environment. On the juneau icefield research program, students and scientists use this method known as mass balance to determine the total amount of water in the form of ice and snow that has accumulated at predetermined points on the juneau icefield in the past year. Pdf the annual surface mass balance records of the lemon creek glacier and taku glacier observed by the juneau icefield research program are the. Soak up alaskas amazing scenery from two different perspectives on a helicopter tour and a guided glacier walk from juneau. This continuity has made possible the two longest glacier massbalance.
Our scientists in the field national snow and ice data center. Since 1948, the juneau icefield research program has monitored glaciers of the juneau icefield. The juneau icefield research program jirp has been examining the glaciers of. The usgs benchmark glacier mass balance program strives to quantify glacier mass.
Juneau glacier tours mendenhall glacier, tracy arm. Mauri has spent the last 35 summers working in the field on glaciers in alaska and washington with the juneau icefield research program and the north cascade glacier climate project. Modeling and simulation of minerals processing with metsmart software. Juneaus most popular attraction and the most easily accessible alaska glacier is the mighty, magnificent mendenhall glacier, located just miles from downtown juneau and only a few minutes from the airport. Mass balance project 2015 video juneau icefield research. The southeast alaska monitoring network for science, technology, education, and research seamonster project has implemented a sensor web in partially glaciated watersheds near juneau, alaska, on the edge of the juneau icefield. Juneau icefield research program jirp munich alpine hazards.
Juneau icefield research project 19491958 developments in. Set 2,000 feet 610 meters above downtown juneau, the 1,500squaremile 3,885squarekilometer juneau icefield is the fifth largest in north america and feeds 38 major glaciers, including mendenhall glacier. You get to try out our software to make sure it is compatible with your system and that it fits your needs before you buy it with your registration. The icefield itself is a conglomerate of 34 glaciers. The juneau icefield research program jirp was an eightweek immersion in the wilderness of the juneau icefield, during which participants undergraduate, graduate, and high school juniors and seniors traversed from juneau, alaska to atlin, british columbia. Biomass burning and vegetation types archived in the juneau icefield. Juneau icefield research program mass balance measurements. Seating will be based on the total weight of the shore excursion guests, including clothes, shoes, and jacket, the helicopter can hold up to six. Visitors come from around the world to trek on the 3,000yearold icefield itself or tour one of its many glaciers. The juneau icefield is an ice field located just north of juneau, alaska, continuing north through the border with british columbia, extending through an area of 3,900 square kilometres 1,500 sq mi in the coast range ranging 140 km 87 mi north to south and 75 km 47 mi east to west. Examples of individual glacier basins that contribute to icefield mass loss being smaller than the regional average between 2000 and 202014, include the mass gain at taku in the juneau icefield mentioned in the last paragraph and the relative stability of leconte in the stikine icefield. Both airborne and groundbased data collections are disseminated here, including several efforts undertaken in collaboration with agency and academic partners.
Juneau icefield is a glacier in alaska and has an elevation of 5151 feet. Alaska icefield expeditions juneau all you need to know. Alaska could lose massive icefield by 2200 cambridge core. Juneau icefield, bergschrund and icefield surrounded by aretes, august 30, 1971 glaciers 6358. We are studying the health of the juneau icefield by measuring the changing masses of the glaciers over time. Agu on tumblr dear agu, hello from the juneau icefield. Project highlights 2007 juneau icefield research program. Taku is the worlds thickest known temperate alpine glacier, and experienced positive mass balance between the years 1946 and 1988, resulting in a huge advance. Storglacieren in sweden is the only glacier with a similarly long data set. Taku glacier experienced a period of positive mass balance with a mean. Students stacey edmonsond left and audrey erickson right of the juneau icefield research program, measuring glacier mass balance at the flow divide of taku and mendenhall glaciers during the summer of 2019. Juneau icefield research program jirp home facebook.
While the juneau icefield has been studied in detail since 1946, the ways in which it has been measured have constantly changed and improved. Jirp holds one of the longest records of glacial mass balance data having measured taku glacier mass balance every year since 1946. Glacier mass balance measurements on taku glacier, alaska. Juneau icefield mass balance of taku and lemon creek glaciers. Students will conduct original research on the icefield and present their findings at the end of the. Mass balance measurements on the lemon creek glacier. The program nominally occurs between late june and late august, traversing between juneau, alaska and atlin, british columbia. Mass balance the jirp blog juneau icefield research. Since the 1940s, the juneau icefield research program jirp has been measuring surface mass balance on the juneau icefield. All mass balance programmes in south american reported negative values ranging from 0. Hello wmartingator, thank you for choosing to visit with us.
This has led the wgms to establish both a long term data archive, but also protocol for mass balance observations and reporting. We appreciate you taking the time to share your experience for your shout out to acacia, and for the 5s. Usgs benchmark glacier mass balance alaska science center. Recent climate change impacts on mountain glaciers wiley. Regine hock geophysical institute, university of alaska. Alaska icefield expeditions juneau 2020 all you need to. We market our software using the shareware concept. D to trace the deposition and modification of precipitation during its lifetime in the annual snowpack on the juneau icefield. The landsat images have become a key resource in the examination of the mass balance of these glaciers pelto, 2011. The most sought after juneau flightseeing option, this tour is great for those looking to see juneaus huge icefield from a birds eye view and up close. Juneau helicopter tour and guided icefield walk 2020.