Repeated: Arapaho Glacier, Colorado

I visited the Arapaho Glacier in Colorado toward the end of August to document the site for the Glacier Rephoto Database project. The glacier is located below North and South Arapaho Peaks in the Front Range. The glacier contributes to the City of Boulder’s drinking water supply and is in a protected area. A trail, appropriately called Glacier View, provides a wonderful side view of the glacier. The convenient access enabled the glacier to be photographed over 20 times since 1898. The Arapaho Glacier has reportedly lost 52% of it’s surface area over the 20th century (Haugen et al., 2010). Below is the photo comparison of the glacier in 1898 (Brackett) and 2012 (Basagic).

Arapaho Glacier, Colorado
(left) R.Y. Brackett, August 24, 1898
(right) H. Basagic, August 27, 2012

In 1898 the glacier is in contact with the moraine. A small lake now resides where the glacier once occupied. There is still evidence of movement, illustrated by minor crevasses, and therefore the ice feature can still be considered a glacier. But for how long?

Brackett, R.Y. 1898: Arapaho Glacier photograph, National Snow and Ice Data Center

Haugen, B. D., Scambos, T. A., Pfeffer, W.T., Anderson, R. S., 2010: Twentieth-century changes in the thickness and extent of Arapaho Glacier, Front Range, Colorado. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research, 42(2): 198-209

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...

Glacier Rephotos from Mount Rainier

I posted a new batch of glacier repeat photos from Mount Rainier . Mount Rainier was quite an undertaking as it’s glaciers have been studied for a long time and there were many established photo stations. Last September I traveled to the mountain as part of the Glacier Rephoto Database Project to document the photo stations and acquire new repeat photographs to record the changes. Last year was focused on the Glacier-clad Volcanoes of the Pacific Northwest. Nisqually Glacier, Station 5 Mount Rainier is a big mountain compared to the other volcanoes in the Pacific Northwest and equally big is the quantity of ice. The grandeur of the mountain and expanse of ice has attracted numerous glacier studies over the past century including a number of repeat photography projects. Perhaps the most studied is the Nisqually Glacier. The glacier has undergone many changes over the past century. The three comparison photos from Station 5 illustrate the glacier a...

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

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