Melting Sierra Nevada Glaciers on NPR

NPR ran a story on Sierra Nevada Glaciers last Monday as part of their Climate Watch series. Two NPR reporters, Sasha Khokha and Gretchen Weber, accompanied me up to Dana Glacier last September to shoot repeat photographs of IC Russell's 1883 photographs. Located just outside the border of Yosemite National Park, Dana Glacier is one of the most accessible glaciers in the Sierra Nevada. The hike can be made in a day, but it is through tough terrain at higher elevations. We were able to discuss glaciers and climate as we journeyed up to the glacier, while also recording background sound along the way. There was a fair breeze blowing so a large haired microphone nicknamed DLR (David Lee Roth) and an umbrella were deployed to reduce the blustery wind sound. When we reached the location of Russell's photograph I could see that the glacier had become smaller since 2004. It was not a surprise, as Rhonda and I had just visited Darwin Glacier, which had also shrunk since 2004. We continued to the base of the glacier where we could see the glacier was still moving, evident from crevasses. However, the glacier was clearly smaller, had lost volume, and a new small moraine had begun to form at the base of the glacier. The day had grown long and we journey back down the valley. I managed to get us caught up in some brush on the return trip, not very welcome after a long day out. We returned the car, happy to be back down and ready to treat ourselves to some dinner. It is sometimes tough to watch the glaciers continue to shrink, but I'm happy that the word is getting out and that people care enough to listen.

Check out the radio broadcast and multimedia reports. The story was also picked up on Patagonia's The Cleanest Line blog.

Rephotos of Mount Shasta Glaciers

I visited Mount Shasta on September 7, 2012 to reoccupy glacier photo stations established by Phil Rhodes in 1974. Phil is an expert on Mount Shasta’s glaciers and photographed the glaciers for several decades. I was fortunate to meet up with Phil for the first day of photographic surveys on Hotlum Glacier. Phil was invaluable in describing routes to stations and sharing his observations. I visited 10 of his stations at Hotlum, Bolam, Whitney, and Wintun glaciers over several days to record the station locations and rephotograph the scenes. Bolam Glacier: 1977 to 2012 The photo comparisons reveal the complex changes that have been occurring on Mount Shasta since the 1970s. Bolam Glacier receded, the Lower Wintun Glacier advanced, while others appear fairly stable. Past research has shown Whitney Glacier advancing since the 1950s through the early 2000s. The surface of Whitney Glacier appears to have lowered over the past 30 years from a photo station at 10,000 ft eleva...

130 Years of Change at Dana Glacier

Dana Glacier has a rich history of repeat photography. Owing greatly to its relative ease of access from Tioga Pass, the glacier has the greatest number of repeat photographs of any glacier in the Sierra Nevada. Israel Cook Russell first photographed Dana Glacier in 1883 while conducting surveys for the USGS. Little did he know that one of his photos would be purposefully repeated 32 times over the next 130 years by those seeking to maintain a photographic record of glacier change. Dana Glacier 1883 – 2013, from Station 4. Russell documented the existence of Dana Glacier when the glaciers in the Sierra Nevada were near their recent maximum. In 1883, the glacier is in contact with the moraine and crevasses are observed indicating movement. Since that time the glacier has retreated. The first and most repeated of Russell’s photograph shows the glacier from the north shore of Dana Lake. A comparison with the 2013 repeat photograph shows that the glacier has retreated and lost surf...

Ladd and Glisan Glaciers 1932-2021

This past summer I spent time on the west side of Mount Hood establishing new repeat photo stations at Ladd, Glisan, and Sandy glaciers. Below is an image taken by Carl P. Richards of the Mazamas in 1932. The location is on the terminal moraine of Ladd Glacier, directly across from Harry F. Reid's photo station '1002', established in 1901. The 1932 panorama features two frames: the left station features the Ladd Glacier, which has a long debris covered tongue; and Glisan Glacier in the lower right of the right frame. Top: 1932, C.P. Richards, National Snow and Ice Data Center Bottom: 2021, H. Basagic, The Glacier RePhoto Project In 2021, the debris covered terminus of Ladd Glacier has retreated into the left frame. This debris covered ice has detached from the active glacier, which is now a separate feature high above on the mountain. The Glisan Glacier has retreated to directly below Cathedral Ridge. Grasses and brush have begun to grow where the gl...

basagix field notes

Search This Blog