Blackfoot Glacier

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Blackfoot Glacier
Blackfoot Glacier at left was once joined to Jackson Glacier on the right
Blackfoot Glacier at left was once joined to Jackson Glacier on the right
Type Mountain glacier
Location Montana, U.S.
Coordinates 48°35′34″N, 113°40′07″W
Area 430 acres (1.74 km²)
Length 1 mile (1.6 km)
Terminus Moraine
Status Retreating

Blackfoot Glacier is the largest of the remaining 27 glaciers in Glacier National Park and is located to the north of Blackfoot Mountain.[1] The glacier was most recently measured in 1993 at 430 acres (1.74 km²), yet when first documented in 1850, the glacier also included the now separate Jackson Glacier and together, they covered 1,875 acres (7.59 km².) Blackfoot Glacier is retreating rapidly, as are all of the glaciers in the park. In 1850, there were an estimated 150 glaciers in the park. Glaciologists have stated that by the year 2030, all the glaciers in the park may diisappear.[2] Jackson and Blackfoot glaciers 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.[3]

The upper image shows how Blackfoot (on the left) and Jackson Glaciers (on the right) appeared in 1914. The lower image is taken from the same vantage point in 2001.
The upper image shows how Blackfoot (on the left) and Jackson Glaciers (on the right) appeared in 1914. The lower image is taken from the same vantage point in 2001.


[edit] See also

[edit] Cited references

  1. ^ Blackfoot Glacier, USGS Mount Jackson (MT) Topo Map (Map). TopoQuest. Retrieved on 2008-05-15.
  2. ^ Myrna, H.; P. Hall, Daniel B. Fagre (February 2003). "Modeled Climate-Induced Glacier Change in Glacier National Park, 1850-2100" (pdf). Bioscience 52 (2): 131–140. 
  3. ^ Monitoring and Assessing Glacier Changes and Their Associated Hydrologic and Ecologic Effects in Glacier National Park. U.S. Geological Survey, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (2007). Retrieved on 2008-01-19.
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