Current observations on three surges in Glacier Bay, Alaska, 1965–1968

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences
• Main Author: Field, William O.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1969
• Subjects: General Earth and Planetary Sciences; Glacier Bay; Rendu; Carroll; glacier; glaciers; Alaska
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/e69-083; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/e69-083

Nine glaciers in Glacier Bay, in southeastern Alaska, and three others within a radius of 60 km have been known to surge in the last 60 years. Of these, seven have surged during the 1960's. The surges of three of them, the Tyeen, Rendu, and Carroll, are discussed in this paper. Each glacier has surged one or more times previously. The course of each surge has been documented by photography but there has been no study of the regimes of these glaciers. The distribution in time and space of these and other surges in the Glacier Bay area are discussed and it is suggested that there may be external factors which cause more surges during some periods than others. These relationships need to be correlated and analyzed. A program of future observations is suggested.