Abstract: We document rapid loss of glacier ice in the Wheaton River watershed which contains the northeastern-most glaciers within the Coast Mountains. Our research involves the study of the Wheaton glacier, the largest of the glaciers in the Wheaton River watershed. Since the Little Ice Age, the Wheaton glacier has lost 50% of its area and 58 to 63% of its volume. Thinning and retreat have accelerated in the past 40 years and the glacier is now so thin and short that it may disappear during this century. This loss was quantified through the analysis of sequential aerial photography and bivariate scaling analysis. Observations in the climate record from 1907 to 2005 have shown an increase in mean atmospheric temperature, as well as an increase in average winter snowfall. Despite increasing winter snowfall, changes in temperature continue to be the main cause of the persistent negative mass balance of the Wheaton glacier. If air temperatures continue to rise and glaciers disappear from the Wheaton River watershed, discharges and timing of peak flow events of the Wheaton River will be affected.

Authors: Church, A. and Clague, J.J.

Keywords: Coast Mountains, Wheaton glacier

NTS Mapsheet(s): 105D

Citation: Church, A. and Clague, J.J., 2009. Recent Deglacierization of the Upper Wheaton River watershed, Yukon. In: Yukon Exploration and Geology 2008, L.H. Weston, L.R. Blackburn and L.L. Lewis (eds.), Yukon Geological Survey, p. 99-112.

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