Stable Isotope Study of Two Yukon Surging Glaciers

A stable isotope study analyzes basal ice and debris layers in Trapridge and Backe glaciers in the Yukon's St. Elias Range. The research focuses on subpolar surging glaciers that are approximately 5 km long and 1 km wide, with a surge cycle of 40-50 years. The dataset documents an isotopically variable basal freezing cycle along marginal ice faces and meltwater tunnels.

Use Cases

• Analyze stable isotope signatures in basal ice layers to model subglacial freezing processes.
• Correlate isotopic variability with the 40-50 year surge cycle documented for Trapridge and Backe glaciers.
• Map the extent of parallel basal debris layers along marginal ice faces and meltwater tunnels.
• Compare isotopic data between the frozen-to-bed ablation zone and the pressure-melting-temperature accumulation zone.

Strengths

• Study focuses on two distinct surging glaciers with a documented 40-50 year surge cycle.
• Research covers specific geographic features: glaciers approximately 5 km long and 1 km wide in the St. Elias Range.

Limitations

• Unknown data volume, row count, and column structure limit analytical planning.
• Data is presented in HTML format, which may require extraction for quantitative analysis.

Provenance

Source

Government of Yukon

Collection Method

Stable isotope study of basal ice and debris layers.

Time Range

null

Freshness

null

Geography

Trapridge and Backe glaciers, St. Elias Range, Yukon, Canada.