The 1987–88 surge of West Fork Glacier, Susitna Basin, Alaska, U.S.A.
Abstract A surge of West Fork Glacier, a temperate glacier in the Susitna Basin of the Alaska Range, began soon after the end of the 1987 melt season and terminated on 6 July 1988. Reconnaissance measurements of balance, elevation and speed had been made from 1981 to 1983. Daily measurements of surf...
Published in: | Journal of Glaciology |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
1994
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022143000007334 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143000007334 |
id |
crcambridgeupr:10.1017/s0022143000007334 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
crcambridgeupr:10.1017/s0022143000007334 2024-06-23T07:45:03+00:00 The 1987–88 surge of West Fork Glacier, Susitna Basin, Alaska, U.S.A. Harrison, W. D. Echelmeyer, K. A. Chacho, E. F. Raymond, C. F. Benedict, R.J. 1994 http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022143000007334 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143000007334 en eng Cambridge University Press (CUP) Journal of Glaciology volume 40, issue 135, page 241-254 ISSN 0022-1430 1727-5652 journal-article 1994 crcambridgeupr https://doi.org/10.1017/s0022143000007334 2024-06-12T04:04:59Z Abstract A surge of West Fork Glacier, a temperate glacier in the Susitna Basin of the Alaska Range, began soon after the end of the 1987 melt season and terminated on 6 July 1988. Reconnaissance measurements of balance, elevation and speed had been made from 1981 to 1983. Daily measurements of surface speed at two points 9 km apart and of the characteristics of the stream draining the glacier were begun during the surge and continued through the following year. The maximum displacement of the ice during the surge was about 4 km; the maximum change in surface elevation was about 120 m. Between the time of the start of detailed observations on 12 February 1988 and the onset of a complex termination phase during the last month of the surge, the speed was almost constant, and the water discharge was totally free of turbidity, indicating that no basal water was escaping from the glacier. During the termination phase, sharp changes in speed occurred, almost simultaneously at the two observation sites; each deceleration event was accompanied by high sediment concentration and high water discharge. This behavior is similar to that observed on Variegated Glacier during its 1982-83 surge. The mechanism of triggering (related to surface water input and the disruption of the internal drainage system) and the cause of the fast motion were probably the same for both surges, even though there are substantial differences in size and mass-balance characteristics. Article in Journal/Newspaper alaska range glacier Journal of Glaciology Alaska Cambridge University Press Journal of Glaciology 40 135 241 254 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Cambridge University Press |
op_collection_id |
crcambridgeupr |
language |
English |
description |
Abstract A surge of West Fork Glacier, a temperate glacier in the Susitna Basin of the Alaska Range, began soon after the end of the 1987 melt season and terminated on 6 July 1988. Reconnaissance measurements of balance, elevation and speed had been made from 1981 to 1983. Daily measurements of surface speed at two points 9 km apart and of the characteristics of the stream draining the glacier were begun during the surge and continued through the following year. The maximum displacement of the ice during the surge was about 4 km; the maximum change in surface elevation was about 120 m. Between the time of the start of detailed observations on 12 February 1988 and the onset of a complex termination phase during the last month of the surge, the speed was almost constant, and the water discharge was totally free of turbidity, indicating that no basal water was escaping from the glacier. During the termination phase, sharp changes in speed occurred, almost simultaneously at the two observation sites; each deceleration event was accompanied by high sediment concentration and high water discharge. This behavior is similar to that observed on Variegated Glacier during its 1982-83 surge. The mechanism of triggering (related to surface water input and the disruption of the internal drainage system) and the cause of the fast motion were probably the same for both surges, even though there are substantial differences in size and mass-balance characteristics. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Harrison, W. D. Echelmeyer, K. A. Chacho, E. F. Raymond, C. F. Benedict, R.J. |
spellingShingle |
Harrison, W. D. Echelmeyer, K. A. Chacho, E. F. Raymond, C. F. Benedict, R.J. The 1987–88 surge of West Fork Glacier, Susitna Basin, Alaska, U.S.A. |
author_facet |
Harrison, W. D. Echelmeyer, K. A. Chacho, E. F. Raymond, C. F. Benedict, R.J. |
author_sort |
Harrison, W. D. |
title |
The 1987–88 surge of West Fork Glacier, Susitna Basin, Alaska, U.S.A. |
title_short |
The 1987–88 surge of West Fork Glacier, Susitna Basin, Alaska, U.S.A. |
title_full |
The 1987–88 surge of West Fork Glacier, Susitna Basin, Alaska, U.S.A. |
title_fullStr |
The 1987–88 surge of West Fork Glacier, Susitna Basin, Alaska, U.S.A. |
title_full_unstemmed |
The 1987–88 surge of West Fork Glacier, Susitna Basin, Alaska, U.S.A. |
title_sort |
1987–88 surge of west fork glacier, susitna basin, alaska, u.s.a. |
publisher |
Cambridge University Press (CUP) |
publishDate |
1994 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022143000007334 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143000007334 |
genre |
alaska range glacier Journal of Glaciology Alaska |
genre_facet |
alaska range glacier Journal of Glaciology Alaska |
op_source |
Journal of Glaciology volume 40, issue 135, page 241-254 ISSN 0022-1430 1727-5652 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1017/s0022143000007334 |
container_title |
Journal of Glaciology |
container_volume |
40 |
container_issue |
135 |
container_start_page |
241 |
op_container_end_page |
254 |
_version_ |
1802650505695985664 |