basagix field notes

A little over a century ago, the White River Glacier on Mount Hood filled the canyon. Repeat photographs of White River Glacier taken in 1902 and 2015 highlight some of the changes on Mount Hood. The most obvious change is the loss of ice volume in White River canyon and inside the crater. White River Glacier from Station West. Left image taken on August 19, 2013; Right image taken on September 14, 2015. This is the sixth known year this glacier was photographed from this station (c. 1902, 2001, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2015). The original photograph appeared in a report by Langille and others in 1903. The photographer is not credited and no date is provided. I began rephotographing this glacier in 2011. It took two years to perfect the location. Locating the exact location of the original photograph is important not only for making good photo comparisons, but also assists with mapping early glacier boundaries. Mapping early glacier boundaries on volcanoes is particularly diffi...

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...