Tasman Lake

Last updated

Tasman Lake
Lake Tasman and Mount Cook 101 5770.jpg
Lake Tasman and Mount Cook
Tasman Lake
NZ-SI plain map.png
Disc Plain red.svg
Tasman Lake
Location Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park, South Island
Coordinates 43°41′S170°10′E / 43.683°S 170.167°E / -43.683; 170.167
Lake type Proglacial lake
Primary outflows Tasman River
Basin  countriesNew Zealand
Max. length7 km (4.3 mi) [1]
Max. width2 km (1.2 mi) [1]
Surface area 6.91 km2 (2.67 sq mi) in 2013
Max. depth> 200 m (660 ft) [2]
Surface elevation715 m (2,346 ft) [3]
Frozenmost winters [4]

Tasman Lake is a proglacial lake formed by the recent retreat of the Tasman Glacier in New Zealand's South Island. [5]

Contents

In the early 1970s, there were several small meltwater ponds on the Tasman Glacier. By 1990, these ponds had merged into Tasman Lake. [6]

Tour boat among the icebergs on Tasman Lake Tour boat among the icebergs on Tasman Lake.jpg
Tour boat among the icebergs on Tasman Lake

Tasman Lake has quickened the retreat of the Tasman Glacier. Initially it did so by undercutting the cliff at the end of the glacier, causing parts of the cliff to fall into the lake. Since 2006, however, a 50–60 m (160–200 ft) apron of submerged glacial ice projects out from the cliff, and icebergs periodically break off the apron and float away down the lake. Because more of the glacier is now in contact with the water, its rate of retreat has increased. By 2008 the lake was about 7 km (4 mi) long, 2 km (1 mi) wide and 245 m (800 ft) deep, having almost doubled in area since 2000. [7] It is expected to grow to a maximum length of about 16 km (9.9 mi) within the next one or two decades. [8]

Tasman Lake, the glacier and the surrounding mountains are part of Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park. Taking a boat tour among the icebergs on the Tasman Lake is now a popular tourist activity. [9] For safety reasons the small inflatable boats are not allowed closer than 1.5 km (0.9 mi) to the 50 m (160 ft) tall terminal face of Tasman Glacier. [10] Tasman Lake can be reached by road from the nearby Mount Cook Village and a short walk from the car park at the end of the road.

Like many other geographic places in both New Zealand and Australia, it is named after Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman.

Tasman Lake - panoramic view from near its outlet.jpg
Tasman Lake viewed from near its outlet (right), in spring 2010

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aoraki / Mount Cook</span> Mountain in New Zealand

Aoraki / Mount Cook is the highest mountain in New Zealand. Its height, as of 2014, is listed as 3,724 metres. It sits in the Southern Alps, the mountain range that runs the length of the South Island. A popular tourist destination, it is also a favourite challenge for mountain climbers. Aoraki / Mount Cook consists of three summits: from south to north, the Low Peak, the Middle Peak and the High Peak. The summits lie slightly south and east of the main divide of the Southern Alps, with the Tasman Glacier to the east and the Hooker Glacier to the southwest. Mount Cook is ranked 10th in the world by topographic isolation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Island</span> One of the two main New Zealand islands

The South Island is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island and sparsely populated Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south by the Foveaux Strait and Southern Ocean, and to the east by the Pacific Ocean. The South Island covers 150,437 square kilometres (58,084 sq mi), making it the world's 12th-largest island, constituting 56% of New Zealand's land area. At low altitudes, it has an oceanic climate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Alps</span> Mountain range on the South Island in New Zealand

The Southern Alps are a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the range's western side. The name "Southern Alps" generally refers to the entire range, although separate names are given to many of the smaller ranges that form part of it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park</span> National park in New Zealand

Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park is a national park located in the central-west of the South Island of New Zealand. It was established in October 1953 and takes its name from the highest mountain in New Zealand, Aoraki / Mount Cook. The area of the park is 707 km2 (273 sq mi), and it shares a border with Westland Tai Poutini National Park along the Main Divide of the Southern Alps. The national park consists of reserves that were established as early as 1885 to protect the area's significant landscape and vegetation. Glaciers cover 40% of the park, including the county's largest glacier, Haupapa / Tasman Glacier. In 1990, the park was included in the area designated as the Te Wāhipounamu World Heritage Site. The park is managed by the Department of Conservation (DOC) alongside Ngāi Tahu, the iwi who are mana whenua in the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Pukaki</span> Lake in Canterbury Region, New Zealand

Lake Pukaki is the largest of three roughly parallel alpine lakes running north–south along the northern edge of the Mackenzie Basin on New Zealand's South Island. The others are Lakes Tekapo and Ōhau. All three lakes were formed when the terminal moraines of receding glaciers blocked their respective valleys, forming moraine-dammed lakes. The Alps2Ocean mountain bike trail follows the edge of Lake Pukaki for part of its length.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Tasman</span> Mountain in New Zealand

Mount Tasman is New Zealand's second-highest mountain, rising to a height of 3,497 metres (11,473 ft). It is located in the Southern Alps of the South Island, four kilometres to the north of its larger neighbour, Aoraki / Mount Cook. Unlike Aoraki / Mount Cook, Mount Tasman sits on the South Island's Main Divide, on the border between Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park and Westland Tai Poutini National Park. It is the highest point in Westland District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tasman Glacier</span> Glacier in New Zealand

Tasman Glacier is the largest glacier in New Zealand, and one of several large glaciers which flow south and east towards the Mackenzie Basin from the Southern Alps in New Zealand's South Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tasman River</span> River in New Zealand

The Tasman River is an alpine braided river flowing through Canterbury, in New Zealand's South Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hooker Glacier (New Zealand)</span> Glacier in New Zealand

Hooker Glacier is one of several glaciers close to the slopes of Aoraki / Mount Cook in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. It is not as large as its neighbour, the Tasman Glacier, measuring 11 kilometres in length.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mackenzie District</span> Territorial authority district in South Island, New Zealand

Mackenzie District is a local government district on New Zealand's South Island, administered by the Mackenzie District Council. It is part of the larger Canterbury Region. The region takes its name from the Mackenzie Basin, an elliptical intermontane basin which covers much of inland Canterbury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Matheson</span> Lake in New Zealand

Lake Matheson is a small glacial lake in South Westland, New Zealand, near the township of Fox Glacier. It was a traditional food-gathering place for local Māori. An easy walking track circles the lake, which is famous for its reflected views of Aoraki / Mount Cook and Mount Tasman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sealy Tarns</span>

Sealy Tarns is a small flat area with two small tarns halfway up the northern slopes of the Sealy Range, New Zealand. It is accessible from the Hooker Valley and Mount Cook Village via a tramping track maintained by the Department of Conservation (DOC). The track climbs steeply from about 850 m (2,789 ft) to 1,300 m (4,265 ft) via many switchbacks and over 2,200 steps built of large timber anchored into the ground. The track was established during the 1980s, and upgraded in 2012. The distance for a return trek from Hooker Valley Road to Sealy Tarns is 5.8 km.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hooker River</span> River in New Zealand

The Hooker River is a river in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. It flows south from Hooker Lake, the glacier lake of Hooker Glacier, which lies on the southern slopes of Aoraki / Mount Cook. After 3 kilometers, it flows through Mueller Glacier Lake, gathering more glacial water, before joining the braided streams of the Tasman River, also an outflow of a glacier lake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geology of the Canterbury Region</span>

Canterbury in New Zealand is the portion of the South Island to the east of the Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana, from the Waiau Uwha River in the north, to the Waitaki River in the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Hermitage Hotel</span>

The Hermitage Hotel in Mount Cook Village, New Zealand, is a hotel located inside the Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park, 65 kilometres (40 mi) north of Twizel. The current building dates from 1958 and forms the main part of Mount Cook Village, being the only large building. Along with a nearby lodge and motels, the hotel trades as Aoraki Mt Cook Alpine Village and is owned by Trojan Holdings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Sefton</span> Mountain in New Zealand

Mount Sefton is a mountain in the Aroarokaehe Range of the Southern Alps of New Zealand, just 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) south of Aoraki / Mount Cook. To the south lies Mount Brunner, and to the north The Footstool, both more than 400 metres (1,300 ft) shorter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hooker Lake</span> Proglacial lake in Mount Cook National Park, South Island

Hooker Lake is a proglacial lake that started to form in the late 1970s by the recent retreat of the Hooker Glacier. It is in the Hooker Valley, in the Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park in New Zealand's South Island, just south of Aoraki / Mount Cook.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hooker Valley Track</span> Walking path in New Zealand

The Hooker Valley Track is the most popular short walking track within the Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park in New Zealand. At only 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) length and gaining only about 100 m (330 ft) in height, the well formed track can be walked by tourists with a wide range of level of fitness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Cook Range</span> Mountain range in New Zealand

The Mount Cook Range is an offshoot range of the Southern Alps of New Zealand. The range forks from the Southern Alps at the Green Saddle and descends towards Lake Pukaki, encompassing Aoraki / Mount Cook and standing adjacent to the Tasman Glacier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of the South Island</span>

The South Island, with an area of 150,437 km2 (58,084 sq mi), is the largest landmass of New Zealand; it contains about one-quarter of the New Zealand population and is the world's 12th-largest island. It is divided along its length by the Southern Alps, the highest peak of which is Aoraki / Mount Cook at 3,724 metres (12,218 ft), making it 9th-highest island, with the high Kaikōura Ranges to the northeast. There are eighteen peaks of more than 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) in the South Island. The east side of the island is home to the Canterbury Plains while the West Coast is famous for its rough coastlines such as Fiordland, a very high proportion of native bush, and Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers. The dramatic landscape of the South Island has made it a popular location for the production of several films, including The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. It lies at similar latitudes to Tasmania, and parts of Patagonia in South America.

References

  1. 1 2 "Tasman Glacier retreat extreme". Massey University. 30 April 2008. Retrieved 2016-09-14.
  2. Sahiban Kanwal (13 January 2015). "University of Canterbury researchers use hi-tech jetboat to research Tasman Glacier". Stuff . The Timaru Herald . Retrieved 2016-09-14.
  3. "Tasman Lake, Canterbury". NZ Topo Map. Land Information New Zealand . Retrieved 2016-09-14.
  4. Charles R. Warren & Martin P. Kirkbride (1998). Temperature and bathymetry of ice-contact lakes in Mount Cook National Park, New Zealand - New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics. Vol. 41. Royal Society of New Zealand. pp. 133–143.
  5. "Place name detail: Tasman Lake". New Zealand Gazetteer. New Zealand Geographic Board . Retrieved 18 April 2008.
  6. Hochstein, M.P.; Claridge, D.; Henrys, S.A.; Pyne, A.; Nobes, D.C. and Leary, S.F. (1995). Downwasting of the Tasman Glacier, South Island, New Zealand: changes in the terminus region between 1971 and 1993 Archived 2008-10-22 at the Wayback Machine , New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics 38 (1), 1-16.
  7. Dykes, Robert C.; Brook, Martin S.; Winkler, Stefan (2010). "The contemporary retreat of Tasman Glacier, Southern Alps, New Zealand, and the evolution of Tasman proglacial Lake since AD 2000". Erdkunde . 64 (2): 147–148. doi:10.3112/erdkunde.2010.02.03. Archived from the original on 17 March 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
  8. "Tasman Glacier retreat extreme". Massey University. 2008-04-23. Retrieved 2008-04-24.
  9. Temple, Philip (2009-12-11). "Deniers don't have a rapidly melting glacier to stand on". The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 2010-02-23.
  10. Jeff Tollan (3 August 2010). "Tasman Glacier about to calve". Stuff . The Timaru Herald . Retrieved 2016-09-14.