Gannett Glacier

Last updated

Gannet glacier
Gannet Peak with Gannett Glacier.jpg
Gannett Glacier on the north slope of Gannett Peak
USA Wyoming location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Gannet glacier
TypeMountain glacier
Coordinates 43°11′45″N109°38′44″W / 43.19583°N 109.64556°W / 43.19583; -109.64556 Coordinates: 43°11′45″N109°38′44″W / 43.19583°N 109.64556°W / 43.19583; -109.64556 [1]
Area3.63 square kilometres (897 acres) (in 1999)
TerminusMoraine
StatusRetreating

Gannett Glacier is the largest glacier in the Rocky Mountains within the United States. The glacier is located on the east and north slopes of Gannett Peak, the highest mountain in Wyoming, on the east side of the Continental Divide in the Wind River Range. Gannett is but one of dozens of glaciers located in the Fitzpatrick Wilderness of Shoshone National Forest. [2]

As is true with many glaciers around the world, Gannett Glacier is slowly disappearing. Photographic evidence clearly demonstrates that there has been an enormous reduction in the area of the glacier since the 1920s. The area of the glacier was estimated in 1950 to be 4.6 square kilometres (1,137 acres) and was measured in 1999 to be 3.63 square kilometres (897 acres). Measurements taken in 1958 and again in 1983 showed a depth reduction of 18.6 metres (61 ft) over 25 years. [3] A general warming pattern and a reduction in moisture is widely believed to be the reason for the glacier retreating. Numerous other glaciers are located in the immediate area including six more that are within the top ten in size within the Rocky Mountains of the U.S. [3]

In a 1989 study, both Gannett and Dinwoody glaciers were researched to determine the amount of melt water they supplied to streams. Both glaciers supply melt water which flows into Dinwoody Creek, which in turn flows into the Wind River. The melt water was found to have contributed increasingly lower amounts to the total water supplied to Dinwoody Creek. This has been attributed to the glaciers thinning and retreating, especially since 1950, when Gannett Glacier was measured to be almost 20 percent larger than in 1999. [4] The impact on reduced stream flow from Gannett Glacier due to glacial retreat affects more than just the amount of water available for the local ecosystem and downstream agricultural and ranching interests.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glacier</span> Persistent body of ice that is moving under its own weight

A glacier is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such as crevasses and seracs, as it slowly flows and deforms under stresses induced by its weight. As it moves, it abrades rock and debris from its substrate to create landforms such as cirques, moraines, or fjords. Although a glacier may flow into a body of water, it forms only on land and is distinct from the much thinner sea ice and lake ice that form on the surface of bodies of water.

Continental Divide of the Americas Principal hydrological divide of North and South America

The Continental Divide of the Americas is the principal, and largely mountainous, hydrological divide of the Americas. The Continental Divide extends from the Bering Strait to the Strait of Magellan, and separates the watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean from those river systems that drain into the Atlantic and Arctic oceans.

Mohawk River River in the U.S. state of New York

The Mohawk River is a 149-mile-long (240 km) river in the U.S. state of New York. It is the largest tributary of the Hudson River. The Mohawk flows into the Hudson in Cohoes, New York, a few miles north of the city of Albany. The river is named for the Mohawk Nation of the Iroquois Confederacy. It is a major waterway in north-central New York. The largest tributary, the Schoharie Creek, accounts for over one quarter (26.83%) of the Mohawk River's watershed. Another main tributary is the West Canada Creek, which makes up for 16.33% of the Mohawk's watershed.

Merced River River in California

The Merced River, in the central part of the U.S. state of California, is a 145-mile (233 km)-long tributary of the San Joaquin River flowing from the Sierra Nevada into the San Joaquin Valley. It is most well known for its swift and steep course through the southern part of Yosemite National Park, where it is the primary watercourse flowing through Yosemite Valley. The river's character changes dramatically once it reaches the plains of the agricultural San Joaquin Valley, where it becomes a slow-moving meandering stream.

Wind River Range Mountain subrange of the Rocky Mountains in Wyoming, United States

The Wind River Range is a mountain range of the Rocky Mountains in western Wyoming in the United States. The range runs roughly NW–SE for approximately 100 mi (160 km). The Continental Divide follows the crest of the range and includes Gannett Peak, which at 13,802 ft (4,207 m), is the highest peak in Wyoming; and also Fremont Peak at 13,750 ft (4,191 m), the third highest peak in Wyoming. There are more than 40 other named peaks in excess of 12,999 ft (3,962 m). With the exception of the Grand Teton in the Teton Range, the next 19 highest peaks in Wyoming after Gannett are also in the Winds.

Gannett Peak Mountain in Wyoming, United States

Gannett Peak is the highest mountain peak in the U.S. state of Wyoming at 13,810 feet (4,210 m). It lies in the Wind River Range within the Bridger Wilderness of the Bridger-Teton National Forest. Straddling the Continental Divide along the boundary between Fremont and Sublette counties, it has the second greatest topographic prominence in the state (7076') after Cloud Peak (7077'), and is the highest ground for 290.36 miles in any direction.

Shoshone National Forest National Forest in Wyoming, US

Shoshone National Forest is the first federally protected National Forest in the United States and covers nearly 2,500,000 acres (1,000,000 ha) in the state of Wyoming. Originally a part of the Yellowstone Timberland Reserve, the forest is managed by the United States Forest Service and was created by an act of Congress and signed into law by U.S. President Benjamin Harrison in 1891. Shoshone National Forest is one of the first nationally protected land areas anywhere. Native Americans have lived in the region for at least 10,000 years, and when the region was first explored by European adventurers, forestlands were occupied by several different tribes. Never heavily settled or exploited, the forest has retained most of its wildness. Shoshone National Forest is a part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, a nearly unbroken expanse of federally protected lands encompassing an estimated 20,000,000 acres (8,100,000 ha).

Glacial lake outburst flood Type of outburst flood that occurs when the dam containing a glacial lake fails

A glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) is a type of outburst flood caused by the failure of a dam containing a glacial lake. An event similar to a GLOF, where a body of water contained by a glacier melts or overflows the glacier, is called a jökulhlaup. The dam can consist of glacier ice or a terminal moraine. Failure can happen due to erosion, a buildup of water pressure, an avalanche of rock or heavy snow, an earthquake or cryoseism, volcanic eruptions under the ice, or massive displacement of water in a glacial lake when a large portion of an adjacent glacier collapses into it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Retreat of glaciers since 1850</span> Shortening of glaciers by melting

The retreat of glaciers since 1850 affects the availability of fresh water for irrigation and domestic use, mountain recreation, animals and plants that depend on glacier-melt, and, in the longer term, the level of the oceans. Deglaciation occurs naturally at the end of ice ages, but glaciologists find the current glacier retreat is accelerated by the measured increase of atmospheric greenhouse gases—an effect of climate change. Mid-latitude mountain ranges such as the Himalayas, Rockies, Alps, Cascades, Southern Alps, and the southern Andes, as well as isolated tropical summits such as Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, are showing some of the largest proportionate glacial losses. Excluding peripheral glaciers of ice sheets, total global glacial losses were likely 5500 gigatons over 1993–2018.

Big Pine Creek (California) River in California, United States

Big Pine Creek is a 12.1-mile-long (19.5 km) stream in Inyo County of eastern California, in the western United States. It flows from the eastern Sierra Nevada down to the Owens Valley, where it is a major tributary of the Owens River near Big Pine.

Meltwater Water released by the melting of snow or ice

Meltwater is water released by the melting of snow or ice, including glacial ice, tabular icebergs and ice shelves over oceans. Meltwater is often found in the ablation zone of glaciers, where the rate of snow cover is reducing. Meltwater can be produced during volcanic eruptions, in a similar way in which the more dangerous lahars form.

Dinwoody Glacier is located in Shoshone National Forest, in the U.S. state of Wyoming on the east side of the Continental Divide in the Wind River Range. Completely within the Fitzpatrick Wilderness, Dinwoody Glacier is one of the largest glaciers in the American Rocky Mountains, and as of 1989 was ranked fourth in area. In a 1989 study which examined repeat photography and stream flow analysis, Dinwoody Glacier was determined to have retreated rapidly between 1958 and 1983, though most of the reduction has been in the thickness of the glacier rather than its surface area. In the same 25-year period, the glacier lost an average of 23.4 m (77 ft) in thickness. Radar mapping of 72 locations on the glacier resulted in an average thickness of 54 m (177 ft) and a maximum measured depth of 111 m (364 ft). The 1989 study was commenced to examine the impact on water supplies to streams and rivers from glacier retreat of both Dinwoody and Gannett Glaciers.

Grasshopper Glacier is located in Shoshone National Forest, in the US state of Wyoming on the east of the Continental Divide in the Wind River Range. Grasshopper Glacier is in the Fitzpatrick Wilderness, and is part of the largest grouping of glaciers in the American Rocky Mountains. The glacier flows north, and glacial runoff supplies water to Grasshopper Creek, flowing eventually into the Wind River. The glacier shares a glacial margin with Klondike Glacier, located to the south. The glacier is named for grasshoppers that have been found entombed in the ice.

Gooseneck Glacier is located in the Fitzpatrick Wilderness, Shoshone National Forest, in the US state of Wyoming. The glacier is east of the Continental Divide in the northern Wind River Range and on the southeast flank of Gannett Peak, the tallest mountain in Wyoming. Gooseneck Glacier is separated from Dinwoody Glacier by a rocky outcropping and they are part of the largest grouping of glaciers in the American Rocky Mountains.

Mammoth Glacier is in the Bridger Wilderness of Bridger-Teton National Forest, in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The glacier is on the west side of the Continental Divide which separates it from Dinwoody Glacier to the east. Mammoth Glacier is the largest glacier on the west side of the Continental Divide of the Wind River Range and occupies a large, north facing cirque on the north slopes of Twin Peaks and just west of Mount Woodrow Wilson. Mammoth Glacier is part of the largest grouping of glaciers in the American Rocky Mountains.

Sphinx Glacier is in the Wind River Range, Bridger-Teton National Forest, in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The glacier is situated on the southern slope of Mount Woodrow Wilson and immediately west of the Continental Divide. The glacier is flanked on the east by a mountain known as The Sphinx. Sphinx Glacier is on the opposite side of the Continental Divide from Dinwoody Glacier.

The Sphinx is a 13,264-foot (4,043 m) mountain in the Wind River Range in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The summit is on the Continental Divide in both Shoshone and Bridger-Teton National Forests and it is .38 mi (0.61 km) east-southeast of Mount Woodrow Wilson. The Dinwoody Glacier flows from the north slopes of the peak, while Sphinx Glacier is on the southwest flank of the mountain.

Rocky Run is a tributary of the Susquehanna River in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately 2.3 miles (3.7 km) long and flows through Salem Township. The watershed of the stream has an area of 1.83 square miles (4.7 km2). In the early 1900s, the stream had a high level of water quality and was proposed for use as a water supply. The construction of a dam on it was proposed, but no formal plans were ever made. There are coal mines in the watershed, but they have been abandoned since the late 1800s. Wisconsinan Till, Wisconsinan Ice-Contact Stratified Drift, Boulder Colluvium, Wisconsinan Bouldery Till, coal dumps, and bedrock consisting of sandstone and shale all occur in the watershed. The drainage basin is designated as a Coldwater Fishery.

Buttermilk Creek (Susquehanna River tributary) River

Buttermilk Creek is a tributary of the Susquehanna River in Lackawanna County and Wyoming County, in Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately 6.8 miles (10.9 km) long and flows through Newton Township in Lackawanna County and Falls Township in Wyoming County. The watershed of the creek has an area of 26.1 square miles (68 km2). The creek is a perennial stream and is not designated as an impaired waterbody. Major geographical features in its watershed include the Buttermilk Falls in its lower reaches, as well as Fords Lake and Lake Winola.

Mill Run (Susquehanna River tributary) River

Mill Run is a tributary of the Susquehanna River in Wyoming County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately 3.5 miles (5.6 km) long and flows through Tunkhannock Township and Overfield Township. The stream is not designated as an impaired waterbody. In its upper reaches, it flows through glacial drift, while in its lower reaches, it passes over a waterfall. Lakes in the stream's watershed include Flow Pond.

References

  1. "Gannett Glacier". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved August 11, 2012.
  2. Gannett Peak, WY (Map). TopoQwest (United States Geological Survey Maps). Retrieved August 12, 2012.
  3. 1 2 Urbigkit, Cat. "Glaciers shrinking". Sublette Examiner. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
  4. Pochop, L.; R. Marston; G. Kerr; D. Veryzer; M. Varuska; R. Jacobel (July 9–11, 1990). "Glacial Icemelt in the Wind River Range, Wyoming". Watershed Planning and Analysis in Action Symposium Proceedings of IR Conference Watershed Mgt/IR Div/ASCE. Water Resources Data System Library. Retrieved August 12, 2012.