The vast majority of theses in this collection are open access and freely available. There are a small number of theses that have access restricted to the WWU campus. For off-campus access to a thesis labeled "Campus Only Access," please log in here with your WWU universal ID, or talk to your librarian about requesting the restricted thesis through interlibrary loan.

Date Permissions Signed

8-5-2020

Date of Award

Summer 2020

Document Type

Masters Thesis

Department or Program Affiliation

Huxley College of the Environment

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Environmental Studies

First Advisor

Bach, Andrew J.

Second Advisor

Flower, Aquila

Third Advisor

Clark, Douglas H., 1961-

Abstract

The Easton glacier on Mt. Baker, Washington has been the focus of several studies looking at ecological succession, glacier recession, and glacier mass balance. Several of these studies have noted a gap in the literature regarding the Easton glaciers terminus position in the early twentieth century. This study has refined the glacier's terminus position by using dendrochronological methods and identified the latest Little Ice Age end moraines. A chronology of the Easton glaciers terminus position overtime was created showing its recession and advancement since 1879. The rates of recession and advancement were calculated during this time highlighting the unpredictable behavior of glacial systems. By 1956, the Easton glacier had retreated a total of 2,708 meters since 1879. Between 1879 and 1910 the glacier retreated slowly, followed by a 25 year period of rapid retreat where the glacier retreated 1.87 kilometers. The retreat slowed until 1956, when the glacier began a period of advancement. Since 1990 the glacier has been in retreat, which has accelerated over the last few years. This study has also determined ecesis, the interval between deglaciation to vegetation establishment. Ecesis is about 9 years at the bottom of the foreland and 27-28 years at the top of the foreland. This trend of longer ecesis intervals at higher elevations reflects the colder conditions, poorer soil conditions and larger distance from seed sources compared to lower elevations. The findings from this study are only estimates but can still be used to inform on the Easton glaciers response to climate change and other environmental factors.

Type

Text

Keywords

Glacier, Recession, Dendrochronology, Tree rings, Mount Baker

Publisher

Western Washington University

OCLC Number

1190930416

Subject – LCSH

Glacial erosion--Environmental aspects--Washington (State)--Baker, Mount; Dendrochronology--Washington (State)--Baker, Mount

Geographic Coverage

Baker, Mount (Wash.)

Format

application/pdf

Genre/Form

masters theses

Language

English

Rights

Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.

Download

Share

COinS