Geomorphic Hazards in Glacial Conditioned Basins and Implications

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Geomorphic Hazards in Glacial Conditioned Basins and Implications RECREATIONAL TRAILS AND GEOMORPHIC HAZARDS IN GLACIALLY CONDITIONED BASINS: A CASE STUDY OF MANY GLACIER VALLEY, GLACIER NATIONAL PARK, MONTANA _________________________________________________________ A Thesis Presented to The Graduate Faculty Central Washington University _________________________________________________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science Resource Management _________________________________________________________ by Kari Elizabeth Nielsen June 2014 CENTRAL WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY Graduate Studies We hereby approve the thesis of Kari Elizabeth Nielsen Candidate for the degree of Master of Science APPROVED FOR THE GRADUATE FACULTY ___________ __________________________________________ Dr. Karl Lillquist, Committee Chair ___________ __________________________________________ Dr. Jennifer Lipton ___________ __________________________________________ Dr. Lisa Ely ___________ __________________________________________ Dr. Michael Pease ___________ __________________________________________ Dean of Graduate Studies ii ABSTRACT RECREATIONAL TRAILS AND GEOMORPHIC HAZARDS IN GLACIALLY CONDITIONED BASINS: A CASE STUDY OF MANY GLACIER VALLEY, GLACIER NATIONAL PARK, MONTANA by Kari Elizabeth Nielsen May 2014 Glacially conditioned, high mountain environments are prone to high energy geomorphic processes because of the abundance of water, steep slopes, high relief, and the frequent occurrence of freeze-thaw events. Geomorphic processes pose significant hazards to recreationalists in the Many Glacier Valley of Glacier National Park, MT. A total of 394 mass wasting landforms were identified from airphotos and 34 additional geomorphic events were identified from written historical documents. This research suggests geomorphic hazards occur in every basin and along every trail in the study area. Mass wasting and flooding are tied to wet weather events and wet periods in the climate record. The glacially conditioned landscape provides the potential, while water provides a triggering mechanism. In order from the most to least hazardous, the trails with the highest potential for injury to people and/or property are Cracker Lake, Iceberg Lake, Ptarmigan Tunnel, Swiftcurrent Pass, Grinnell Lake/Glacier, and Piegan Pass Trail. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There are many people who deserve acknowledgement for their support academically and personally throughout the past 3 years. I would like to acknowledge the Resource Management interdisciplinary program, students, and staff for their dedication, time, and support. Without 2 years of research and teaching assistantships from the REM program and direction from faculty, this project would not have been possible. I also owe gratitude to the Office of Graduate Studies for the Master’s Research Grant that provided funding to complete this project. I would like to thank my committee for guidance through this process. Dr. Lisa Ely, thank you for reviewing drafts and providing positive feedback. Dr. Jennifer Lipton, thank you for reviewing drafts and useful advice regarding methodologies. Dr. Michael Pease, thank you for your consistent support and never ending supply of Youtube® videos. Incredible thanks is owed to Dr. Karl Lillquist, whose repeated proofreading, expertise, and attention to detail has been incredibly helpful and absolutely necessary in the completion of this document. Special thanks are owed to Richard Menicke, Deirdre Shaw, and Daniel Jacobs of the National Park Service in Glacier National Park. Thank you for your consistent willingness to help, providing maps and data, and genuine interest in my research. I would also like to thank my field assistant and friend, Victor Brozovich, who helped make this research fun and entertaining in the field. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................1 Research Problem ...........................................................................................1 Research Objectives ........................................................................................5 Research Significance .....................................................................................5 II LITERATURE REVIEW .....................................................................................7 Mountain Climate ...........................................................................................7 Climate Change in Mountains ........................................................................7 Glaciation of Glacier National Park ................................................................9 Alpine Glacial Retreat in the 19th, 20th, and 21st Centuries...........................10 Geomorphic Processes in Glacially Conditioned Landscapes ......................15 Mountain Recreation .....................................................................................26 Geomorphic Hazards ....................................................................................29 Geomorphic Hazard Mapping.......................................................................30 Hazard Management .....................................................................................31 III STUDY AREA ...................................................................................................34 Location ........................................................................................................34 Climate ..........................................................................................................36 Hydrology .....................................................................................................38 Geology .........................................................................................................40 Geomorphology ............................................................................................43 Vegetation .....................................................................................................44 Human History and Land Use .......................................................................45 IV METHODS .........................................................................................................50 Acquiring Data ..............................................................................................50 Identifying, Classifying and Mapping Mass Wasting Landforms .......................................................................................53 Identifying and Mapping Flooding ...............................................................56 Identifying Spatial and Temporal Variables .................................................56 Creating Mass Wasting Hazard Maps ...........................................................60 Developing Trail Hazard Ratings .................................................................63 Developing Management Recommendations ...............................................63 v TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Chapter Page V RESULTS AND DISCUSSION .........................................................................65 Mass Wasting Landforms .............................................................................65 Historical Geomorphic Processes .................................................................77 Spatial and Temporal Variables ....................................................................85 Spatial Patterns of Geomorphic Hazards ....................................................103 Trail Hazard Ratings ...................................................................................116 Management Recommendations .................................................................121 VI CONCLUSION AND FUTURE RESEARCH .................................................125 Geomorphic Features and Events ...............................................................125 Spatial and Temporal Control Variables .....................................................125 Hazards and Trails ......................................................................................126 Management Recommendations .................................................................127 Future Research ..........................................................................................128 REFERENCES .................................................................................................130 vi LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1 Airphoto Datasets Used for Landform Interpretation .........................................51 2 Historical Record Datasets Used for Process Identification ...............................52 3 Descriptive Statistics for Geomorphic Features in the Many Glacier Valley .................................................................................67 4 Historical Mass Wasting in the Many Glacier Valley as Identified Through Newspaper Accounts, Park Reports, and Past Research .........................................................................82 5 Historical Flooding in the Many Glacier Valley as Identified Through Newspaper Accounts, Park Reports, and Past Research .........................................................................86 6 Mass Wasting Landforms Identified per Airphoto Set .......................................87 7 Controlling Variables Analyzed for Overall Mass Wasting in the Many Glacier Valley .........................................................93 8 Controlling Variables Analyzed for Rockfall in the Many
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