Spatial Analysis and Calibration of Glacier-Climate Relationships across Alaska

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This award is for a study using recent advances in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to analyze the extent, area-altitude relations, microclimatic, and major climatic relationships of all Alaskan glaciers. Data sources include high-resolution Digital Elevation Models (DEM's), Digital Line Graph (DLG) files of glacier extent, and gridded climate estimates. The study will complement existing monitoring programs through spatial analysis of more than 46 derived parameters, including: minimum, maximum, and average elevation; area, slope angle, length, width, aspect, curvature, and shape; area-altitude distributions; potential insolation, shading, backwall height, upslope area, and continentality; hypsographic ELA, summer temperature, winter precipitation, and sensitivity to climate change. These parameters will be quantified for each glacier as a whole, and for individual 60 m grid cells as appropriate. Portions of the study will be dedicated to testing GIS results with direct measurements for greater than 30 Alaskan glaciers. Results will include not only datasets, but the ability to draw meaningful relationships from spatial trends. The new approach will be applied on a statewide level, providing an orders-of-magnitude increase in understanding of glacier and climate dynamics in the American Arctic.