Author(s): W. Tangborn; A. Post
Linked Author(s):
Keywords: No Keywords
Abstract: After centuries of relative stability Columbia Glacier began to disintegrate in the 1970s and went into a drastic retreat about 1980. With a 500 percent increase in the volume of icebergs calved from the glacier terminus since retreat began, the potential for an iceberg/oil tanker collision has risen. Since July 1996, monitoring of the glacier and the icebergs it produces has been underway. Observations using time-lapse photography, high-altitude aerial photography, and bathymetry of the recently opened fjord have been made. A mass balance model of the glacier was developed to reconstruct its balance history and relate mass change and runoff to iceberg calving. Using local tide and weather observations, an iceberg prediction model is under development to reduce the hazard created by the hundreds of large icebergs that enter the shipping lanes each year. The model provides real-time forecasts of icebergs released from the glacier into Prince William Sound.
Year: 1998