Agassiz Glacier, 1913

Agassiz Glacier
Agassiz Glacier in 2005
Map showing the location of Agassiz Glacier
Map showing the location of Agassiz Glacier
Agassiz Glacier
Location in Montana
Typecirque glacier
LocationGlacier National Park, Flathead County, Montana, U.S.
Coordinates48°56′02″N 114°09′28″W / 48.93389°N 114.15778°W / 48.93389; -114.15778[1]
Area256 acres (1.04 km2) in 2005[2]
Length.40 mi (0.64 km)
TerminusBare rock
StatusRetreating

Agassiz Glacier is in Glacier National Park in the U.S. state of Montana. It is named after Louis Agassiz, a Swiss-American glaciologist. The glacier is situated in a cirque to the southeast of Kintla Peak west of the Continental Divide.[3] Agassiz Glacier is one of several glaciers that have been selected for monitoring by the U.S. Geological Survey's Glacier Monitoring Research program, which is researching changes to the mass balance of glaciers in and surrounding Glacier National Park.

The glacier is being monitored using remote sensing equipment and repeat photography, where images of the glacier are taken from identical locations periodically.[4] Tree ring samples have also been used previously to determine the extent of glacier retreat. Between 1966 and 2005, Agassiz Glacier lost a third of its surface area.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Agassiz Glacier". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
  2. ^ a b "Retreat of Glaciers in Glacier National Park" (PDF). United States Geological Survey. 2010. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
  3. ^ Kintla Peak, MT (Map). TopoQwest (United States Geological Survey Maps). Retrieved September 1, 2012.
  4. ^ "Monitoring and Assessing Glacier Changes and Their Associated Hydrologic and Ecologic Effects in Glacier National Park". Secondary Glacier Network. United States Geological Survey. August 2011. Archived from the original on December 17, 2007. Retrieved 2012-09-01.


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