Anderson Glacier Explained

Anderson Glacier
Type:	Mountain glacier
Location:	Mount Anderson, Olympic National Park, Jefferson County, Washington, USA
Map:	USA Washington
Label Position:	right
Map Size:	225
Coordinates:	47.7133°N -123.335°W
Coordinates Ref:	^[1]
Terminus:	Proglacial lake
Status:	Severe retreat/extinct

Anderson Glacier was a glacier located in a cirque south of Mount Anderson in the Olympic Mountains and Olympic National Park.^[2] The southward-facing glacier starts on the steep headwalls of the cirque at about 6200feet to 6000abbr=onNaNabbr=on. It flows down to about 5240abbr=onNaNabbr=on before terminating. Meltwater from the glacier enters a lake at about 4949abbr=onNaNabbr=on before tumbling down a steep cliff.^[2] Between 1927 and 2009, Anderson Glacier lost more than 90 percent of its surface area.^[3] By 2011, the glacier was gone.^[4] The lack of glacial meltwater from the Anderson Glacier has caused the Quinault River to reach new recorded lows.^[5]

See also

• List of glaciers in the United States

Further reading

• Anderson Glacier, Olympic Mountains, Washington Disappears (January 9, 2015)

Notes and References

1. 1515874. Anderson Glacier. 2012-10-06.
2. TopoQwest (United States Geological Survey Maps). Mount Steel, WA. 2012-10-06.
3. Web site: Glaciers and Climate Change. National Park Service. 2012-10-06.
4. News: Ahearn . Ashley . December 2, 2015 . Facing Rising Waters, A Native Tribe Takes Its Plea To Paris Climate Talks . NPR . Five years ago the Anderson Glacier, which contributes cool water to the Quinault River at critical times of year, disappeared for good..
5. News: Ahearn . Ashley . December 2, 2015 . Facing Rising Waters, A Native Tribe Takes Its Plea To Paris Climate Talks . NPR . But without the glacier, the Quinault River was lower than ever before recorded. So low that while walking through a newly exposed stretch of river bed, one tribal member accidentally stubbed his toe on what turned out to be a mastodon jaw that may have been submerged since the last ice age..