Columbia Glacier (Washington)

Columbia Glacier (Columbia Glacier)
Columbia Glacier in the background on the left, looking north (2005)
location	Snohomish County , Washington , USA
Mountains	Cascade chain
Type	Kar glacier
length	1.6 km
surface	0.85 km²
Ice thickness	⌀ 75 m
Coordinates	47 ° 57 '45 "  N , 121 ° 20' 55"  W Coordinates: 47 ° 57 '45 "  N , 121 ° 20' 55"  W.
drainage	Troublesome Creek to Blanca Lake
particularities	ends in a moraine; declining

Aerial view of Columbia Glacier in early autumn 2009

The Columbia Glacier is a glacier in the Henry M. Jackson Wilderness in Washington state . It descends from 5,600 ft (1,707 m) to 4,700 ft (1,433 m) above sea ​​level . The glacier is surrounded by Columbia Peak , Monte Cristo Peak and Kyes Peak and the source of Blanca Lake and Troublesome Creek, a tributary of the North Fork Skykomish River .

The glacier retreated 278 ft (85 m) between 1979 and 2004. The retreat is due to the current reduced snowfall and increased summer melt, which has an impact on the mass balance . The glacier is in imbalance with the climate and is becoming increasingly thinner and shorter.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ TopoQwest ( United States Geological Survey Maps). Blanca Lake, WA [map]. Retrieved October 20, 2012.
2. ↑ Mauri Pelto: The Impact of sampling density on glacier mass balance determination . Department of Environmental Science, Nichols College. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved October 20, 2012. 

Web links

Commons : Columbia Glacier (Washington)  - Album containing pictures, videos and audio files

• Columbia Glacier ( English ) In: Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey . Retrieved October 20, 2012.