2009 was a year of exceptional summer warmth in the North Cascades.
The resulting ablation led to a negative mass balance of 1.93 m for the
year. This is equivalent to a 2.1 m slice of each glacier lost.
Given the average thickness of North Cascade glaciers at 50 meters, this
is a 4% loss of total volume in one season.
2009 Field Report
Lyman Glacier taken from same location in 1921 and 2005.
Loss of glacier volume since 1984, represents 20-40% of entire glacier
volume.
Assistants 1983-2006: Cliff Hedlund, John Brownlee, Gregg Maddrey, Cliff Mitchell, Joe Drumheller, Richard Campbell, Monica Gowan, David Knoll, Mike Carver, Ann Fitzgerald, Jill Turner, Bill Prater, Scott Townsend, Dan Kaplinski, Don Sayegh, Doxey Kemp, Greg Langkamp, Seth Lemke, Kate Johnson, Kalman Barcsay, Zolt Barcsay, Joel Harper, Lee Scheper, Jarle Seche Jensen, John Maggiore, Mike Hylland, William Long, Bruce Williamson, Paula Hartzell, Ben Barrett, Ed Blanchard, Joe Wood, Richard Taylor, Tim Bartholomaus, Tom Hammond, Will Wright, Ben Pelto,
Erik Budsberg, Quin Ourada, Maria Coryell Martin, Brad Markle, Chris Lyles,
Shannon Skinner, Jill Pelto
Early August on Sholes glacier in 2009, limited snowcover, by summers end 90%
of the glacier was bare ice.
Glacier mass balance is assessed in crevasses such as this on Easton Glacier.
Note the horizontal horizon marking the 2007 summer surface with 3 .2 m of 2008
winter snowpack on top.
