Site: Columbia
Icefield, AB/BC
Type |
Variable |
Frequency |
Period |
Availability |
Storage |
Note |
Hydrometric |
Streamflow
(derived) |
|
1948-2011 |
Water
Survey of Canada |
Files |
Sunwapta
River (1948 – 2011) North
Saskatchewan River near Whirlpool Point |
Glaciological |
Mass
balance including snow depth at points |
-Measured
seasonal & annual balances -Modelled
long-term annual balance post LIA |
2011-present |
Local,
NRCan |
Files |
Mt.
Snow Dome > Athabasca Mt.
Snow Dome > Saskatchewan Mt.
Snow Dome > South Castleguard/Bryce |
Glaciological |
Accumulation
rate |
Annual |
2011-present |
Local,
NRCan |
Files |
Snow
Dome summit and other sites along major flow lines |
Glaciological |
Glacier
thickness |
Limited |
1970s 2010s |
Local,
NRCan |
Files |
Historical
and contemporary ice-penetrating radar, seismic and calving margin thickness
surveys |
Glaciological |
Ice
motion |
Limited |
2010- present |
Local,
NRCan |
|
From
mass balance pole movement surveys and
limited success with InSAR |
Meteorological |
TBAAir temperature,
RH, wind speed and direction, barometric pressure, net radiation, net
radiation components: down- and upwelling longwave radiation (lwd, lwu), down- and
upwelling shortwave irradiance (swd, swu); soil heat flux, soil temperature, precipitation
(from weighing gauge such as a Geonor or
Belfort), event rainfall (from tipping bucket-type rain gauge), snow fall |
15
min |
2014-2018 |
Jasper
National Park and NRCan |
Database |
c/o Parks Canada
high-elevation network along Icefield Parkway corridor. Data in Athabasca
Glacier Moraine in WISKI. |
Remote
sensing |
Icefield/outlet
glacier area, length, elevation,
hypsometry, facies |
Decadal
– centenary |
|
Local,
NRCan |
Files |
Historic
and contemporary aerial photography, satellite imagery (Landsat, Radarsat, ModIS) and lidar swaths |
Current status of
the data and milestones
No local meteorological data are being collected at present. Any available data sets should be organized and copied to the central server location during summer and fall 2014.
Columbia Icefield
contact:
Michael N. Demuth, P.Eng., P.Geo.
Research Scientist in Glaciology, Cold Regions
Water Resources, Remote Sensing
NRCan/ESS Program on Climate Change Geoscience
Lead - State & Evolution of Canada's
Glaciers/ECV
Canadian National Representative - World Glacier
Monitoring Service
University of Saskatchewan - Centre for Hydrology
http://www.usask.ca/hydrology/people/Demuth_Mike.php
Cryosphere Geoscience Section
Geological Survey of Canada
Natural Resources Canada
601 Booth Street
3 - 386
Ottawa ON
K1A 0E8
tel: + 1 613 996 0235
facsimile / télécopieur: + 1 613 992 0190
e-mail: mike.demuth@nrcan.gc.ca