D3 Glacial Investigation Homework
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University of Rhode Island *
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103
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Geography
Date
Feb 20, 2024
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2
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GEO 103 Discussion 3: Glacial Investigation Homework Investigation: When will there no longer be glaciers in Glacier National Park?
In this investigation you will estimate how long it will be before there are no longer glaciers in Glacier National Park based on historical records. Begin by viewing the StoryMap https://geonarrative.usgs.gov/glacierclimate/
1)
Use the slider in the overview section to examine Grinnell Glacier. a.
What changes do you see in Grinnell Glacier from 1910 to 2016? i.
The changes I see in the Grinnell Glacier are that the glacier is melting and there is now a body of water at the bottom instead of just ice. b.
Based only on this evidence, approximately how many years do you think it will be until Grinnell Glacier is completely melted? i.
I think the Grinnell Glacier will be completely melted in around 150ish years.
c.
How did you come up with your estimate?
i.
I came up with my estimate by subtracting the dates of the two pictures and approximating how much was already melted and how much more there is to melt based on the time difference between the two pictures. 2)
How is glacier mass balance measured?
a.
Glacier mass balance is measured by monitoring the seasonal and annual changes of a glacier 3)
What insights did O’Neel and others (2019) provide regarding the benchmark glacier data from 1983-2017? a.
The insights they provided were that the analysis framework is identical at each glacier to be able to cross-compare them with each other. 4)
Scientists have been studying the glaciers at Glacier National Park for quite some time. Why do you think they have done so? a.
They have been studying glaciers at Glacial Natural Park to be able to track how much each glacier is melting and be able to compare them with other similar glaciers from a similar area. 5)
The rate of recession for a terminus of a glacier is not the best indication of how quickly it is losing volume. List as many reasons as you can why this is so. a.
The rate of recession is not the best indication of how quickly a glacier is losing volume because the glacier melting is being affected by multiple different factors which could increase or decrease how quickly the glacier is losing volume. 6)
What else could we measure, related to glacier volume, that might be a better proxy? a.
We could measure how the climate is changing and how it is specifically affecting the glacial melting. Use the data below to investigate the question “When will there no longer be glaciers in Glacier National Park?”
Grinnell Glacier Data from Status of Glaciers in Glacier National Park (
https://www.usgs.gov/centers/norock/science/retreat-glaciers-glacier-national-park
)
Area at Little Ice Age maximum=1.9765 km
2
Area in 1966=1.0202 km
2
Area in 1998=0.7159 km
2
Area in 2005=0.6158 km
2
Area in 2015=0.5637 km
2
7)
Come up with a graphical representation for the above data. You may make a graph similar to “Cumulative mass balance at USGS Benchmark Glaciers” over time from the Local section of the StoryMap with date along the x-axis and area along the y-axis.
8)
Based on your graph, when do you think Grinnell Glacier will be completely melted?
Based on my graph I think the glacier will be completely melted by around 2060.
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