WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM ANALYSIS OF GLACIAL MELTWATER ON MOUNT RAINIER?

Decades of research demonstrate that analysis of glacial meltwater can offer valuable insight into inaccessible subglacial environments, revealing groundwater influence, bedrock composition, sediment production and evacuation, and the efficiency of the subglacial drainage system. On Mount Rainier, such analysis could be particularly valuable in assessing the risk of geologic hazards such as glacial outburst floods and debris flows. Analysis of meltwater from Nisqually, Tahoma, Carbon, Winthrop, and Emmons Glaciers reveal the challenges of applying traditional approaches to meltwater analysis to Mount Rainier glacier systems. These challenges include dramatic temporal variations in meltwater characteristics, rugged and remote sampling locations, and ever-changing meltwater channels. This presentation will review strategies for tackling these challenges, and will share data resulting from these strategies.