The Columbia Glacier | Geophysical Institute The Columbia Glacier is one of Alaska's better known tidewater glaciers, both from the standpoint of tourist attraction and the model it provides for scientific investigation In 1973 it became the object of close scientific scrutiny In Alaska, some 50 to 60 glaciers calve into the sea, but exhibit such diversified behavior that they have baffled glaciologists for decades For instance, some
Columbia Glacier Retreating | Geophysical Institute Columbia Glacier, located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) west of Valdez near the epicenter of the great 1964 earthquake, is rapidly losing its battle for survival It is the last of Alaska's 52 tidewater glaciers to begin its epic retreat from the sea Granted, Alaska still has plenty of glaciers left, but the tidewater glaciers--those that empty directly into the sea--are on a drastic decline
Alaska Glaciers Show Dramatic Melting - Geophysical Institute Columbia Glacier in Prince William Sound and Bering Glacier in the St Elias Mountains are two glaciers losing ice at an alarming rate: during the past decade, Columbia has shrunk by an average of about 21 feet per year along the length of the glacier; Bering has lost more than 9 feet per year
Ranking Rivers | Geophysical Institute For comparison, that's right ahead of the Columbia in area drained and right after it in discharge (The Columbia River also needs Canada to gain its rank; its source is in British Columbia ) Two Yukon tributaries also make the list The Porcupine ranks 20th in drainage area, and the Tanana is number 16 for average discharge
Alaskas Size in Perspective | Geophysical Institute Alaska is more than twice the size of the largest of the lower 48 states, and the amount of Alaska underlain by permafrost is equal to the size of three Californias Ten states are smaller than the area covered by glaciers in Alaska If glaciers of the adjacent Yukon Territory and British Columbia that connect to Alaska's ice fields (often referred to as the Alaska-Yukon glaciers) are added
The majesty and mystery of Alaska yellow cedar | Geophysical Institute These trees, which can live longer than 1,000 years, grow on the rainy coast from the Oregon California border through British Columbia and as far north as Prince William Sound The giants have in many areas died in large numbers, puzzling scientists who later came up with a non-intuitive theory of what killed them
Alaska’s big river never stops flowing | Geophysical Institute It’s midsummer, a good time to slip a canoe onto the Yukon River I start at the river town of Eagle, population 85, and will finish in Circle, population 104 Circle is about 170 twisting miles downriver The Yukon is the longest and highest-volume river by far in Alaska It is the third-longest in the U S , after the Mississippi and the Missouri At Eagle, the Yukon quietly piles into
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