Topographic and hydrological controls on partial and full surges of Little Kluane Glacier, Yukon
Abstract We demonstrate that a ~20 km long valley glacier in the St. Elias Mountains, Yukon, can experience both partial and full surges, likely controlled by the presence of a topographic constriction and the formation and drainage of supraglacial lakes. Based on analysis of air photos, satellite i...
Published in: | Journal of Glaciology |
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2024
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/jog.2024.35 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143024000352 |
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crcambridgeupr:10.1017/jog.2024.35 2024-06-23T07:54:14+00:00 Topographic and hydrological controls on partial and full surges of Little Kluane Glacier, Yukon Main, Brittany Copland, Luke Flowers, Gwenn Elizabeth Dow, Christine Fiona Van Wychen, Wesley Samsonov, Sergey Kochtitzky, William Canada Foundation for Innovation Canadian Network for Research and Innovation in Machining Technology, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Canada Research Chairs ArcticNet Parks Canada 2024 http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/jog.2024.35 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143024000352 en eng Cambridge University Press (CUP) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Journal of Glaciology page 1-14 ISSN 0022-1430 1727-5652 journal-article 2024 crcambridgeupr https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2024.35 2024-05-29T08:09:33Z Abstract We demonstrate that a ~20 km long valley glacier in the St. Elias Mountains, Yukon, can experience both partial and full surges, likely controlled by the presence of a topographic constriction and the formation and drainage of supraglacial lakes. Based on analysis of air photos, satellite images and field observations since the 1940s, we identify a full surge of ‘Little Kluane Glacier’ from 2013 to 2018, and a partial surge of just the upper north arm between 1963 and 1972. Repeat digital elevation models and velocity profiles indicate that the recent surge initiated from the upper north arm in 2013, which developed into a full surge of the main trunk from 2017 to 2018 with peak velocities of ~3600 m a −1 and frontal advance of ~1.7 km from May to September 2018. In 2016, a mass movement from the north arm to the main trunk generated a surface depression in a region immediately downstream of a topographic constriction, which promoted the formation and rapid drainage of supraglacial lakes to the glacier bed, and likely established the conditions to propel the initial partial surge into a full surge. Our results underscore the complex interplay between glacier geometry, surface hydrology and topography required to drive full surges of this glacier. Article in Journal/Newspaper Journal of Glaciology Yukon Cambridge University Press Kluane Glacier ENVELOPE(-139.318,-139.318,60.883,60.883) Long Valley ENVELOPE(-147.800,-147.800,-86.217,-86.217) Yukon Journal of Glaciology 1 37 |
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Open Polar |
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Cambridge University Press |
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crcambridgeupr |
language |
English |
description |
Abstract We demonstrate that a ~20 km long valley glacier in the St. Elias Mountains, Yukon, can experience both partial and full surges, likely controlled by the presence of a topographic constriction and the formation and drainage of supraglacial lakes. Based on analysis of air photos, satellite images and field observations since the 1940s, we identify a full surge of ‘Little Kluane Glacier’ from 2013 to 2018, and a partial surge of just the upper north arm between 1963 and 1972. Repeat digital elevation models and velocity profiles indicate that the recent surge initiated from the upper north arm in 2013, which developed into a full surge of the main trunk from 2017 to 2018 with peak velocities of ~3600 m a −1 and frontal advance of ~1.7 km from May to September 2018. In 2016, a mass movement from the north arm to the main trunk generated a surface depression in a region immediately downstream of a topographic constriction, which promoted the formation and rapid drainage of supraglacial lakes to the glacier bed, and likely established the conditions to propel the initial partial surge into a full surge. Our results underscore the complex interplay between glacier geometry, surface hydrology and topography required to drive full surges of this glacier. |
author2 |
Canada Foundation for Innovation Canadian Network for Research and Innovation in Machining Technology, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Canada Research Chairs ArcticNet Parks Canada |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Main, Brittany Copland, Luke Flowers, Gwenn Elizabeth Dow, Christine Fiona Van Wychen, Wesley Samsonov, Sergey Kochtitzky, William |
spellingShingle |
Main, Brittany Copland, Luke Flowers, Gwenn Elizabeth Dow, Christine Fiona Van Wychen, Wesley Samsonov, Sergey Kochtitzky, William Topographic and hydrological controls on partial and full surges of Little Kluane Glacier, Yukon |
author_facet |
Main, Brittany Copland, Luke Flowers, Gwenn Elizabeth Dow, Christine Fiona Van Wychen, Wesley Samsonov, Sergey Kochtitzky, William |
author_sort |
Main, Brittany |
title |
Topographic and hydrological controls on partial and full surges of Little Kluane Glacier, Yukon |
title_short |
Topographic and hydrological controls on partial and full surges of Little Kluane Glacier, Yukon |
title_full |
Topographic and hydrological controls on partial and full surges of Little Kluane Glacier, Yukon |
title_fullStr |
Topographic and hydrological controls on partial and full surges of Little Kluane Glacier, Yukon |
title_full_unstemmed |
Topographic and hydrological controls on partial and full surges of Little Kluane Glacier, Yukon |
title_sort |
topographic and hydrological controls on partial and full surges of little kluane glacier, yukon |
publisher |
Cambridge University Press (CUP) |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/jog.2024.35 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143024000352 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-139.318,-139.318,60.883,60.883) ENVELOPE(-147.800,-147.800,-86.217,-86.217) |
geographic |
Kluane Glacier Long Valley Yukon |
geographic_facet |
Kluane Glacier Long Valley Yukon |
genre |
Journal of Glaciology Yukon |
genre_facet |
Journal of Glaciology Yukon |
op_source |
Journal of Glaciology page 1-14 ISSN 0022-1430 1727-5652 |
op_rights |
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2024.35 |
container_title |
Journal of Glaciology |
container_start_page |
1 |
op_container_end_page |
37 |
_version_ |
1802646315263328256 |