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We are now working with National Park Service to do some glacier mass balance work on Kahiltna. Kahiltna Glacier starts on the south summit of Denali at 20,320' and flows over 60 miles all the way down to 850' for almost 19,500' of vertical relief. That is the largest vertical relief of any glacier on earth. That makes it really interesting from a process perspective. The lower part of the glacier is a pretty standard glacier with winter accumulation and summer ablation. Most years the equilibrium line altitude (ELA; the transition from net accumulation to net ablation) is at about 6,000'. Up at 10,000' summer doesn't have much meaning. Any melt simply refreezes in the snowpack. Up at 14,000' summer is the main accumulation season, and winter is characterized by brutal cold and winds that scour away much of the snow from the previous summer. Working at Kahiltna is an opportunity to understand how some of the bigger and higher glaciers work, and how they will respond to climate change.

Kahiltna Fall 2023

Visitors 4
13 photos
Created 12-Nov-23
Modified 12-Nov-23
Kahiltna Fall 2023

Kahiltna Spring 2023

Visitors 5
13 photos
Created 21-Jun-23
Modified 21-Jun-23
Kahiltna Spring 2023