(HA) Mazamas Research Evening 2010

Mazamas Research Evening 2010 - NW Glaciers, Change over the Past Century – April 9

Friday - April 9, 2010 @ 6pm. (Social hour, with refreshments starts at 6pm, program starts at 7pm)

Speakers:
Andrew G. Fountain, Professor, Geology Department Portland State University; Karl Lillquist, Professor, Geography Department Co-Director, Resource Management Program Central Washington University. The research findings to be presented are partially based on historic Mazamas photographs and glacier measurements. Historic photographs and artifacts from early glacier research will be on display.

In the early years of the Mazamas, the glaciers of Mt. Hood were photographed, measured, and studied by various members and many of their photos, documents and reports are preserved in the Mazamas archives. The early glacial photographs have proven to be very valuable to present glacial and climate change researchers and the upcoming Mazama Research Evening is based on these glacier photographs.

In October 1924, the Research Committee was formed by the Executive Council of the Mazamas for the purpose of carrying out one of the missions of the organization: “The collection of scientific knowledge and other data concerning snow peaks and other mountains.”  The initial research objectives of the Committee were to be focused on the Reid Glacier to measure its surface flow and melt rate.

On the first field trip to begin studying the Reid Glacier on October 13, 1924, bad weather and poor visibility prevented the research group members from doing anything at the Reid Glacier, so the group went to investigate the report of previously unheard of crevasses at what is now know as the Palmer Snow Field and was then called “The Big Snow Field”. (The winter of 1923 was notable for the lack of snow and was followed by an unusually warm summer of 1924 that exposed many crevasses.) The research group’s cursory examination convinced them that it was actually a glacier and this enthusiastic group returned the following week along with notable mountaineers - Rodney L. Glisan and L.A. Nelson; a Forest Service representative - Raymond Smith; and a staff member from the Oregon Journal - Fred McNeil, to verify that it was indeed a glacier. The next day, Earl Marshall - the first Chairman of the Mazamas Research Committee promptly submitted a report about the new glacier to the Mazamas Council and suggested the name Salmon River Glacier. So, within a month of the committee’s formation, they had led the effort to investigate the existence of a new glacier on Mt. Hood. This first Mazamas Research Committee was composed of Earl A. Marshall - Chairman, Fred W. Stadter, John A. Lee, Ira A. Williams, R.L. Glisan, Ray Conway, and Everett Philpoe.

In 1925, construction started on improving the access to the Cloud Cap area via the new Cooper Spur road on the North side of Mt. Hood and with this better access, the Eliot was substituted for systematic research over the Reid because of the easier access and because it was considered a more “typical” glacier. This was a continuation of glacier research on Mt. Hood that was first begun by Harry Fielding Reid of John Hopkins University in 1901.

In subsequent years, the Mazamas Research Committee went further afield with glacier research projects including an aerial photographic survey that started with Mt. Hood in 1935 and then expanded to include Adams, Rainer and St. Helens in 1936, followed by Jefferson and the Three Sisters in 1937. The 1936 Research Committee report includes this paragraph: “The chief purpose of the reports however is to extend the study of glaciations on the local mountains by putting on record authentic information concerning its nature and extent at this time, so that students of the subject in the decades to come will have a reliable basis by which to determine the changes taking place.”

The noted photographer Ray Atkeson reprised the aerial photography of Mt. Hood in 1946 and in 1956 another noted photographer Hugh Ackroyd did a huge survey of the Cascades for the Research Committee.

For the upcoming Mazamas Research Evening on April 9, 2010; two NW glaciology researchers Andrew Fountain from Portland State University and Karl Lillquist from Central Washington University will present their research findings that are based on the historical glacier photographs from the early Mazamas Research projects and touch upon related topics of climate change and how NW glacier trends are correlated with glaciers in other parts of the world.