Eklutna Glacier is a land terminating

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its Ablation#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...

in Chugach State Park and the

Chugach Mountains The Chugach Mountains of southern Alaska are the northernmost of the several mountain ranges that make up the Pacific Coast Ranges of the western edge of North America. The range is about long and wide, and extends from the Knik and Turnagain ...

near

Anchorage, Alaska Anchorage () is the largest city in the U.S. state of Alaska by population. With a population of 291,247 in 2020, it contains nearly 40% of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolitan area, which includes Anchorage and the neighboring Ma ...

. Runoff from Eklutna Glacier contributes to

Eklutna Lake Eklutna Lake ( Dena'ina: ''Idlu Bena'') is a lake in the Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska, near the village of Eklutna.Eklutna Hydroelectric Project.Brabets, Timothy P. (1993). Glacier Runoff and Sediment Transport and Deposition: Eklutna Lake Basin, Alaska. ''U.S. Geological Survey''. Water-Resources Investigations Report 92-4132. https://pubs.usgs.gov/wri/1992/4132/report.pdf However, Eklutna Glacier is shrinking in response to climate change which will inevitably affect downstream water resources. Eklutna Glacier is also known by the Dena'ina name: Idlu Bena Li'a.

Geology

Eklutna Glacier is a 10 km long, 29 square km,

valley glacier A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams ove ...

originating from the

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological Epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fina ...

epoch. The glacier has two branches that converge about 2.7 km above the

glacier terminus A glacier terminus, toe, or snout, is the end of a glacier at any given point in time. Although glaciers seem motionless to the observer, in reality glaciers are in endless motion and the glacier terminus is always either advancing or retreating ...

. The Main Branch is characterized by a large, low-sloping basin compared to the smaller and steeper West Branch. Glacier elevation ranges from 580 m above sea level at the terminus to a maximum of 2100 m, according to 2010 statistics. The steep valley walls surrounding much of the glacier contain peaks over 2,500 m. Whiteout Glacier neighbors Eklutna Glacier at the southern edge of the main branch. Glacial melt heads the West Fork Eklutna River which flows north to Eklutna Lake, which was created by a natural damming at the northwest end of the glacially carved Eklutna River Valley by a recessional moraine.

Climate Change

Like many Alaskan glaciers, Eklutna Glacier is shrinking due to climate warming. Eklutna Glacier is located within the maritime Cook Inlet climate zone. Land terminating, lower elevation glaciers in maritime climates are losing mass at higher rates than continental glaciers. Field observations of Eklutna Glacier between 1975 and 2015 found a terminus retreat of 1.6 km. However, surface thinning accounts for most of the mass loss, with an average rate of -0.85 m per year of surface elevation change between 2010 and 2015 compared to -0.6 m per year from 1957 to 2010. Eklutna Glacier has an overall negative mass balance, meaning more melt is occurring than snow accumulation. As climate warming continues to cause ice melt, the glacier will continue decreasing in mass and eventually recede so much that it will no longer release meltwater. This will cause significant changes in streamflow for the downstream water resources of Eklutna Lake that depend on extra inflow from Eklutna Glacier.

History

Eklutna Glacier and neighboring Whiteout Glacier were used as a military training site between the 1950s and mid 1970s. Soldiers based out of Fort Richardson practiced skills for

arctic warfare Cold-weather warfare, also known as arctic warfare or winter warfare, encompasses military operations affected by snow, ice, thawing conditions or cold, both on land and at sea. Cold-weather conditions occur year-round at high elevation or at ...

including tactical cross country skiing, rappelling into

crevasse A crevasse is a deep crack, that forms in a glacier or ice sheet that can be a few inches across to over 40 feet. Crevasses form as a result of the movement and resulting stress associated with the shear stress generated when two semi-rigid pie ...

s, and glacier travel safety. Training in Alaska's harsh winters served to prepare soldiers for any cold winter that might arise in

Eurasia Eurasia (, ) is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. Primarily in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, it spans from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Japanese archipelago a ...

n battle grounds.

Research

Observations of Eklutna Glacier terminus retreat have occurred since the early 1900s and research of the glacier's dynamics have since become more robust. A

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, a ...

study in cooperation with the Municipality of Anchorage investigated glacial runoff and sediment contribution to the Eklutna Lake basin during the years 1985 to 1988. Glacial field work has been employed since the late 1980s by various agencies and research groups, focusing on accumulation and ablation measurements. This includes digging snow pits, setting stakes for

ablation Ablation ( la, ablatio – removal) is removal or destruction of something from an object by vaporization, chipping, erosion, erosive processes or by other means. Examples of ablative materials are described below, and include spacecraft materi ...

and

accumulation Accumulation may refer to: Finance * Accumulation function, a mathematical function defined in terms of the ratio future value to present value * Capital accumulation, the gathering of objects of value Science and engineering * Accumulate (highe ...

measurements, climatological station deployment, and laser altimetry.

Recreation

The Eklutna Traverse is a popular mountaineering and glacier navigating route that connects Eklutna Glacier, Whiteout Glacier, and Eagle Glacier. The retreat and thinning of Eklutna Glacier has made the once easy walk up the glacier terminus much more hazardous. Glacier skills and experience are advised for this technical traverse. The Mountaineering Club of Alaska maintains three historic huts along the Eklutna Traverse that can be used by travelers, including Pichler's Perch, built in 1964, on the northeast side of Eklutna Glacier near the terminus.

References

{{Reflist Glaciers of Alaska