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Nisqually Glacial Velocity GSA2013 SURFICIAL ICE VELOCITIES OF THE LOWER NISQUALLY GLACIER AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO OUTBURST FLOOD HAZARDS AT MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK, WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES WALKUP, Laura C.1, BEASON, Scott R.1, KENNARD, Paul M.1 , OHLSCHLAGER, Justin G.2, and STIFTER, Anna C.1 (1) Mount Rainier National Park, 55210 238th Ave E, Ashford, WA 98304, [email protected], (2) Geology, Portland State University, 17 Cramer Hall, 1721 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97201 I. ABSTRACT II. LOCATION III. BACKGROUND IV. HISTORIC OUTBURST FLOODS V. METHODS 592,000 593,000 594,000 595,000 596,000 597,000 598,000 Mount Rainier, Washington is the tallest of a number of glacier-clad The Nisqually Glacier has one of the longest histories of scientific examination of any glacier in the Pictured: Scott Beason Pictured: Paul Kennard and Laura German Pictured: Jeff Fortner and Paul Kennard Emmons Photo by: Paul Kennard Photo by: Laura Walkup Photo by: Laura Walkup Glacier United States, having been studied since the 1850s. Most historic studies on the Nisqually look at volcanic peaks within the Cascade Range. Standing at 4,392 m (14,411 ft) Columbia Columbia Bellingham A C Crest Crest Little Tahoma Glacier Tahoma mass balance, glacial extent, or surface elevation while few have examined glacial velocity. Past and having 25 major glaciers, it contains more glacial ice than any other Glacier Peak Disappointment 5 Washington Cleaver Spokane single peak in the continental United States. Glaciers are the headwaters of 5,189,000 Seattle 5,189,000 research indicates that the lower Nisqually glacier has displayed varied glacial velocities throughout Point Gibraltar its measurement history. The available historic velocity data is presented in the table below. a number of rivers emanating from Mount Rainier, many of which flow to Success Rock Olympia Tacoma Ellensburg 90 Pictured: Anna Stifter Mount Rainier Nisqually Photo by: Laura Walkup Yakima the Puget Sound, approximately 60 km (37 mi) away. Glaciers on Mount National Park Glacier Nisqually Ice Cliff Maximum Velocity Minimum Summer 82 182 Survey Interval Location on Glacier Data Source Rainier have unleashed damaging outburst floods (jökulhlaups) in the (mm/day) Velocity (mm/day) Cathedral Nisqually Cowlitz Vancouver Ingraham past, often without warning. Previous observations have indicated an Cleaver Rocks 5,188,000 Cleaver 100Glacierkm 5,188,000 Near ELA 380 210 Hodge, 1974 Kautz Ice Wilson June - Sept 1968 Photo by Brockman, empiric link between changing glacial velocities and glacial outburst flood Cliff Headwall Camp Ingraham Near Terminus 146 88 Hodge, 1974 05/29/1939 hazards. Specifically, the lower portions of the glaciers were often stagnant Tahoma Muir Glacier Cleaver Near ELA 460 340 Hodge, 1974 when outburst floods occurred. Additionally, the current Nisqually glacier May - Sept 1969 Pictured: Paul Kennard Near Terminus 130 68 Hodge, 1974 Photo by: Laura Walkup Success A: Historic photo showing a “surge” of water pouring C: The Longmire maintenance area was inundated during extent is similar to glacial extent in the 1950s when an outburst flood Cleaver 5 km Cowlitz 5,187,000 Glacier 5,187,000 Muir Near ELA 740 660 Hodge, 1974 over the face of the Nisqually Glacier. Historic the 1955 glacial outburst flood. In addition to its impacted Longmire, one of the visitor destinations and work areas in the Wilson Wapowety Snowfield May 1970 Kautz Kautz Cleaver Cleaver Cleaver Moon Near Terminus 77 68 Hodge, 1974 accounts of glacial outburst floods include importance as the maintenance area for the park, this The change in position of rocks on/entrained in the park. Success Glacier Nisqually Rocks Rocks were chosen based on their location and likelihood of staying in place and survivability against rolling or Glacier Glacier 1943 – 1949 ~1,900 m 110* 70* Meier, 1968 observations that the outburst can occur above the area is adjacent to other administrative buildings and glacial ice were measured weekly and used as a Wilson falling into crevasses. Rocks chosen as survey points were labeled with a unique ID number. The location where Glacier Little proxy to categorize total velocity of the glacier. Africa 1950 – 1959 ~1,900 m 315* 137* Meier, 1968 terminus of the glacier (possibly originating from the visitor destinations such as the Longmire museum and the the survey rod was placed was also marked on the rock in order to ensure that the same location was surveyed This study explores whether the surficial velocity field of the Nisqually Pyramid 5,186,000 5,186,000 These velocities also helped determine the aerial glacier is changing and if ice velocity changes can be used to indicate glacial Glacier 1960 – 1966 ~1,900 m (Near ELA) 452* 247* Meier, 1968 interface between active and stagnant ice) and sweep Longmire Inn. each time (so as not to introduce additional measurement error). Flags were placed in the ice adjacent to the extent of the glacier that was moving rapidly outburst flood potential. Multiple sites on the lower Nisqually glacier were Paradise the glacial ice clean of debris. survey point in order to provide a point of reference in case the rocks rolled or slid. Van Trump Glacier * Meier’s data is average yearly data, and thus averages out seasonal velocity changes Kautz Glaciers D: Impacts of the 1955 outburst flood to the riverbank and versus barely moving. Surveying was conducted surveyed weekly during the summer/fall of 2011 and 2012. The surficial Glacier 2 2 Empiric evidence suggests that jökulhlaups at Mount Rainier tend to occur when large amounts of B: Photo of a debris flow initiated by a glacial outburst park road between the main park entrance and Longmire. with a Topcon GPT-3105 5-second electronic total Pictured: Bryce Limon and Laura Walkup Pictured: Justin Ohlschlager velocity field of the lower 1 km (0.4 mi ) of the glacier was calculated from The Sugarloaf stagnant ice are present in their lower reaches. Additionally, Hodge (1974) found that the summer station using standard surveying practices. Photo by: Paul Kennard Photo by: Jeff Fortner repeated measurements. Between 2011 and 2012, observed velocities in 5,185,000 STUDY 5,185,000 flood on Tahoma Creek, Mount Rainier National Park. Nisqually ice velocity of the Nisqually glacier increased significantly in the vicinity of the equilibrium line Normally if a rock falls into a Glacier the upper portions of the study area accelerated while the lower portions McClure Photo by G.G. Parker, 07/26/1988 AREA Rock (ELA), while slowing occurred toward the terminus (relative to the previous summer) just prior to crevasse that data point is lost, K of the glacier slowed or remained the same. Shortly after the on-glacier E S afet y e q u i p m e nt E R D C NE the 1970 outburst flood. B however, in this case the I LE SKYL P B H A Basalt B IG study concluded in October 2012, we observed a short-lived anomalous 1 E H R including versatile, high P Cliff Panorama A D K I R Point S crevasse was closing and was A E P m (3 ft) rise in river stage at Longmire during a rainstorm on the upper 5,184,000 5,184,000 He suggested that observed variations in ice velocity were correlated with the amount of liquid visibility clothing, a P G M L U A C relatively safe to venture inside. R I T E mountain. Field evidence corroborated the stage record and indicates a N R water temporarily stored within the glacier. This indicates that the presence of more englacial c l i m b i n g h e l m e t , Mildred A SKYLINE V 3 3 Point E This measurement was assigned T Golden small outburst flood (approximately 15 m /s (525 ft /s)) was released from A water leads to faster ice velocities and a higher potential for outburst floods, while the absence of harness, rope, ice axe, G Gate N TRUMP E a high measurement error since AN D -V L S O large quantities of englacial water leads to slower glacial flow and fewer outburst floods. If this is the glacier during this rain event. L crevasse rescue gear, L G FA T it had clearly changed positions E CREEK 1 M km Cushman consistently the case, annual glacial velocity measurement could be a powerful tool in the DEADHORSE A mountaineering boots, O A 5,183,000 5,183,000 C Crest T MORAINE AL vertically. However, despite Our work contributes to the understanding of glacial outburst floods and VIST prediction of potentially devastating glacial outburst floods. crampons, etc were 592,000 593,000 594,000 595,000 596,000 597,000 598,000 having dropped several feet provides an additional line of evidence that changing ice velocities precede required in order to At least four major, damaging glacial outburst floods have been released from the Nisqually Glacier, down into the glacier, this rock outburst floods. Further study of glacial velocity fields could provide a Map showing the study area extent on the Nisqually Glacier on the southern side of Mount safely survey much of along with many smaller outburst events. The floods of 1926 and 1934 damaged the bridge below In addition to being measured and recorded by the Total Station, GPS positions of the rocks were also measured was traveling at the same rate predictive methodology for glacial outburst floods in similar terrain. These Rainier. The Nisqually Glacier is the largest south-facing glacier on Mount Rainier and it is the study area due to the glacial terminus, and the floods in 1932 and 1955 destroyed it (Hodge, 1972).
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