Skip to main content

Storm in the Dry Valleys

I arrived to Lake Hoare camp a week ago and was surprised by the light dusting of snow on the valley floor. There were also older drifts scattered around camp. Some drifts are > 1 meter thick, a sharp contrast to last season when there was no snow on the valley floor.

We enjoyed a high pressure for a couple of days, temperatures around -10C with sun. Glacier measurements were going well, got about half way through before a low pressure rolled in. The three day storm brought some interesting weather. First, the katabatic winds blew for 30 hours with gusts to 35 knots, removing all recent snow and warming temps to +2C. Then a dusting of snow, more winds, and then woke this morning to 9 cm of snow on the ground. The two no fly days have put me behind on glacier measurements, but hopefully the preparation work I completed allows me catch up over the next couple of weeks.
From Antarctica 2009
Labels:

Popular posts from this 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...
Read more

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...
Read more

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...
Read more