Taku Glacier in the rain

This year we'll have a big program on Taku Glacier. In late July we plan to drill through the ice to measure how much it is sliding over its base, and how sediment gets evacuated from under the glacier. In preparation we set up some instruments to measure glacier speed and melt. Last year this time it was relatively cold and sunny; this year mostly rain!

Panaroma of the front of Taku Glacier

Taku Glacier is one of the very few advancing glaciers in the world. This time lapse video shows the glacier advance over the past few months.

Anika running away from the advancing ice

The glacier mowing over trees

The advancing glacier lobe is pushing into the Taku River

Our camp from the air. There were almost 2 m of snow at this location a year ago.

Sand layer over snow. This sand was deposited during a flood in January

Annika waiting for the rain to stop

The tidal flats of Taku. This was over 100 m deep a little over 100 years ago!

Jason working on a GPS unit

Glacier landing!

It's been a while since I set foot on a glacier. More than half a year actually. So two weeks ago I figured I needed to go, even if it was for a short time and had nothing to do with work. I took advantage of a phenomenally beautiful day and did my first glacier landing on my old favorite glacier: Black Rapids Glacier