Glacier Monitoring of Climate Change in Montana's Beartooth Mountains

Dan Seifert, Geologist with the USFS, Dr. Edward Chatelain, Valdosta State University, Dr. Craig Lee, INSTAAR, University of Colorado at Boulder, Zach Seligman, University of Montana at Missoula and Don Evans, USFS, RSAC Haans Fisk, USFS, RSAC, and Paul Maus, USFS, RSAC have collaborated on a study to monitor the effects of long-term climate change on alpine glaciers in Montana's Beartooth Mountains.

This study is important and could possibly serve as a model for similar studies of glacial ice in mid-latitude areas of the northern and southern hemispheres. This study of changes in glacial ice (principally through mass-wasting) will greatly benefit from an on-site visit to several of the study glaciers to photograph, measure, and confirm (or refute) conclusions made regarding the rate of change, profile of glacial crown and margins, and condition of ice surface.

The ABWF will visit the East Grasshopper, Castle Rock and one other glacier (to be determined) in order to conduct careful GPS measurements along reproducible longitudinal transects. These measurements would be made at least every 100 meters in order to generate an accurate vertical (cross section) profile that could serve as a base line for future measurements. In addition, they would serve to assess the accuracy of existing glacier profiles made with GIS and Remote Sensing techniques. The ABWF's involvement in the project will begin during the summer of 2011 once the high country is accessible. Volunteer slots for the project have already been filled.