Earth ID: 30055

Columbia Glacier, Alaska

Released on June 27, 2013

The Columbia Glacier in Alaska is one of the most rapidly changing glaciers in the world. These false-color images show how the glacier and the surrounding landscape has changed since 1986. Snow and ice appears bright cyan, vegetation is green, clouds are white or light orange, and the open ocean is dark blue. Exposed bedrock is brown, while rocky debris on the glacier’s surface is gray. By 2011, the terminus had retreated more than 20 kilometers (12 miles) to the north. Since the 1980s, the glacier has lost about half of its total thickness and volume. The retreat of the Columbia contributes to global sea-level rise, mostly through iceberg calving. This one glacier accounts for nearly half of the ice loss in the Chugach Mountains. However, the ice losses are not exclusively tied to increasing air and water temperatures. Climate change may have given the Columbia an initial nudge, but it has more to do with mechanical processes. In fact, when the Columbia reaches the shoreline, its retreat will likely slow down. The more stable surface will cause the rate of calving to decline, making it possible for the glacier to start rebuilding a moraine and advancing once again.

For More Information

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/WorldOfChange/columbia_glacier.php

Credits

Robert Simmon (Sigma Space Corporation): Animator
Jesse Allen (Sigma Space Corporation): Animator
Mark Malanoski (GST): Project Support
Adam P. Voiland (Sigma Space Corporation): Writer

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

Short URL to share this page:
https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/30055

Mission:
Landsat

Data Used:

Note: While we identify the data sets used in these visualizations, we do not store any further details nor the data sets themselves on our site.

This item is part of this series:
World of Change

Keywords:
DLESE >> Cryology
GCMD >> Earth Science >> Cryosphere >> Glaciers/Ice Sheets >> Ice Sheets
GCMD >> Earth Science >> Cryosphere >> Sea Ice >> Ice Growth/Melt
GCMD >> Earth Science >> Cryosphere >> Snow/Ice >> Ice Extent
GCMD >> Earth Science >> Hydrosphere >> Snow/Ice >> Ice Velocity
SVS >> Hyperwall
NASA Science >> Earth
SVS >> Presentation

GCMD keywords can be found on the Internet with the following citation: Olsen, L.M., G. Major, K. Shein, J. Scialdone, S. Ritz, T. Stevens, M. Morahan, A. Aleman, R. Vogel, S. Leicester, H. Weir, M. Meaux, S. Grebas, C.Solomon, M. Holland, T. Northcutt, R. A. Restrepo, R. Bilodeau, 2013. NASA/Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Earth Science Keywords. Version 8.0.0.0.0