USING GIS AND LANDSAT TO TRACK HISTORICAL CHANGES IN LANDSCAPE PROCESSES

Glacier Bay, Alaska has been the site of unprecedented retreat of glaciers, vegetation succession, and soil development over the last 200 years. Documentation exists of glacial extents from around 1880 to the present, for vegetation succession from 1926 to the present, and for soil development from 1955 to the present. We produced a series of GIS maps for glacial retreat, vegetation succession, and soil development for the last 90 years. These maps can be used to document qualitative change based on photographs and descriptions. In addition, we produced Landsat images that document quantitative change from the mid-70’s to present. We used the rate of change quantified on Landsat images for glaciers and vegetation to explain differences in rate of change for these factors in various inlets in Glacier Bay. We also explore using the rate of change to predict possible future scenarios under changing climate conditions.