Hubbard [1] ( English Hubbard Glacier ) is a valley tree-like glacier , the largest on the coast of Alaska ( USA ). The glacier originates on Mount Logan , in Yukon ( Canada ) and stretches for 122 kilometers (76 miles) and rests on Yakutat Bay and Disenchantment Bay on the territory of Alaska. The width of the front of the glacier (abutting against the bays) today is approximately 9 kilometers in summer and about 15 in winter. In height, the frontal part of the glacier reaches 120 meters above sea level.
| Hubbard | |
|---|---|
| English Hubbard glacier | |
 | |
| Characteristics | |
| Length | 122 km |
| condition | Growing |
| Location | |
| Countries |
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| Regions | Yukon Territory , Alaska |
The age of ice at the foot of the Hubbard Glacier is about 400 years, it takes so much time for ice to go down from Mount Logan to the ocean. The top 67 km are in Canada, the bottom 48 km are in the United States. The average height of the firn line is 850 m. Since the end of the 19th century, the glacier has been moving 17-18 m per year.
Before reaching the sea, Hubbard connects with the Valerie Glacier , which flows into it from the west. The Valerie Glacier significantly increases the amount of ice reaching the bays, and in the near future, glaciers threaten to completely cover them.
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Interesting Facts
Hubbard Glacier - growing. It has continued to grow and advance for about the last hundred years. In May 1986, the Hubbard Glacier advanced into the sea so much that it blocked the entrance to the Russell Fiord ( Eng. Russell Fiord ) and thereby created the "Russell Lake". During the summer of 1986, a new lake was filled with fresh meltwater, and its level increased by 25 meters relative to sea level, and a decrease in salinity threatened marine life.
On the night of October 8, the jumper created by the glacier could not stand it and collapsed. Over the next 24 hours, approximately 5.3 km³ of water returned to the sea and the fjord was re-connected to the ocean at its previous level. This was the second largest destruction of a glacial lake in recorded history.
Something similar happened in the spring of 2002. The glacier again moved a considerable distance into the bays, and the moraine again clogged the Russell Fjord. In mid-August, after heavy rains, the water level in the clogged bay rose to 18 meters above sea level, and the water washed away the moraine into the ocean. However, due to the continued growth of the glacier, this can happen again (the chance is quite large). If the bay is locked again, then the waters in it will rise to such a level that it will come out of the shores from the south and find its way into the Pacific Ocean through the Situk River. This will destroy the natural habitat of trout in the river, and also seriously damage the local airport.
In summer, the Hubbard and Valerie glaciers melt, and icebergs break off from them. Their sizes are sometimes truly gigantic and can reach the height of a 10-story building. These giants pose a great danger to shipping in the region.
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Notes
- ↑ Geographic Encyclopedic Dictionary: Geographic Names / Ed. A.F. Treshnikov . - 2nd ed., Ext. - M .: Soviet Encyclopedia , 1989. - S. 520. - 210 000 copies. - ISBN 5-85270-057-6 .
Links
- USGS - Hubbard Glacier, Alaska . ak.water.usgs.gov . Date of treatment April 22, 2019.