Columbia Glacier Retreating - Geophysical Institute Columbia Glacier, located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) west of Valdez near the epicenter of the great 1964 earthquake, is rapidly losing its battle for survival It is the last of Alaska's 52 tidewater glaciers to begin its epic retreat from the sea Granted, Alaska still has plenty of glaciers left, but the tidewater glaciers--those that empty directly into the sea--are on a drastic decline
The Columbia Glacier | Geophysical Institute The Columbia Glacier is one of Alaska's better known tidewater glaciers, both from the standpoint of tourist attraction and the model it provides for scientific investigation In 1973 it became the object of close scientific scrutiny In Alaska, some 50 to 60 glaciers calve into the sea, but exhibit such diversified behavior that they have baffled glaciologists for decades For instance, some
Alaska Glaciers Show Dramatic Melting - Geophysical Institute Columbia Glacier in Prince William Sound and Bering Glacier in the St Elias Mountains are two glaciers losing ice at an alarming rate: during the past decade, Columbia has shrunk by an average of about 21 feet per year along the length of the glacier; Bering has lost more than 9 feet per year
The Shuttle Red Aurora | Geophysical Institute By glowing red on Sunday night, April 12, 1981, the heavens over the United States displayed their pleasure with the successful flight of the shuttle Columbia Perhaps because Columbia was up that night, more Americans than usual looked up at the sky and saw the red aurora that covered much of the nation, even as far south as Texas
Ranking Rivers - Geophysical Institute For comparison, that's right ahead of the Columbia in area drained and right after it in discharge (The Columbia River also needs Canada to gain its rank; its source is in British Columbia ) Two Yukon tributaries also make the list The Porcupine ranks 20th in drainage area, and the Tanana is number 16 for average discharge
Alaskas Size in Perspective | Geophysical Institute Alaska is more than twice the size of the largest of the lower 48 states, and the amount of Alaska underlain by permafrost is equal to the size of three Californias Ten states are smaller than the area covered by glaciers in Alaska If glaciers of the adjacent Yukon Territory and British Columbia that connect to Alaska's ice fields (often referred to as the Alaska-Yukon glaciers) are added
Alaska glaciers help drive rise in sea level | Geophysical Institute Many glaciers smaller than about five square kilometers — like those in the European Alps, New Zealand, Scandinavia and Glacier National Park in Montana — will disappear by the end of this century, said Radic, a researcher at the University of British Columbia and former graduate student at the Geophysical Institute
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