Daniel B Fagre
Lisa A McKeon
Chelsea J Martin-Mikle
2018
A comprehensive inventory of maximum glacial extent in Glacier National Park during the peak of the Little Ice Age
Vector Digital Data Set (Polygon)
Reston, VA
U.S. Geological Survey
https://doi.org/10.5066/P95YJ3CN
These polygon features represent the maximum extent of glaciers in Glacier National Park and two glaciers on U.S. Forest Service’s Flathead National Forest land during the peak of the Little Ice Age (mid-nineteenth century). Glacial margins are based on moraine deposits that result from active glaciation, and do not depict perennial snow and ice. The criteria used for determining which moraines constituted a former glacier were a) whether a terminal moraine was present, and b) whether the glacier area was five aces or more. Moraines were digitized based on the best available imagery, including WorldView imagery acquired between 2015 and 2017, border Imagery from the Department of Homeland Security acquired in 2009 and GoogleEarth imagery. High resolution imagery was supplemented with oblique aerial photographs flown in 2009 and 2016, historic photographs from the USGS photograph collection, and field notes from a 1914 USGS survey. Digitization was completed by Chelsea Martin-Mikle (USGS) and local knowledge and interpretation were provided by Dan Fagre and Lisa McKeon (USGS) in February, 2017 – February, 2018. Glacier margins were digitized at 1:2000 scale.
This dataset was created to develop a time series and history of glacier recession in Glacier National Park (GNP), Montana, USA. The dataset delineates the perimeters of glaciers of Glacier National Park and two additional glaciers on U.S. Forest Service’s Flathead National Forest land during the peak of the Little Ice Age (mid-nineteenth century). The peak of the Little Ice Age is the most recent maximum extent in glacier size for which there is still significant morainal evidence. Establishing the rates of glacier retreat, using the decreasing area of glacier ice, is key to understanding the Glacier National Park ecosystem and future state of resources. For instance, glacial meltwater is critical habitat for endangered stream insects. More broadly, retreating glaciers are indicative of long-term climate change and have hydrologic and ecologic importance to many park resources. Glaciers and their retreat are of great interest to park visitors and the American public and are part of Glacier National Park's appeal. This is important because Glacier National Park is a major driver of the regional economy. Appropriate use of these data include comparing Glacier National Park's glacier area from different periods, such as more recent years included in an earlier data release (Glacier margin time series [1966, 1998, 2005, 2015] of the named glaciers of Glacier National Park, MT, USA), and to different parts of the world. The change in glacier area can be used to create models of glacier-climate interactions, and to estimate glacier contributions to streamflow.
This dataset represents a comprehensive inventory of the glaciers of Glacier National Park (including 2 nearby glaciers on U.S. Forest Service’s Flathead National Forest land). The inventory represents the minimum number of glaciers that existed during the peak of the Little Ice Age (mid-nineteenth century) and constitutes a subset of the total snow and ice inventory of the park. The inventory does not represent a comprehensive accounting of all permanent snow and ice features in the park and does not include rock glaciers. A subsequent dataset will be published that will include all cryospheric features and better represent the hydrologic contribution of snow and ice features of the park. Glaciers typically leave visible moraines, as can perennial snow and ice over time. Similarly, pronival ramparts can appear similar to moraines. The criteria used for differentiating between ramparts and moraines, and for determining which moraines constitute a former glacier were a) whether a distinct terminal moraine was present, b) whether the glacier area was five acres or more, and c) whether the terminal moraine was breached by glacial meltwater. These criteria served as a guide in determining which features were moraines and no one variable necessarily ruled out the inclusion of a feature. Additionally, variables such as aspect, elevation, composition and geometry of rock debris, topographic position, presence of rock flour in nearby lakes, visible scouring or discoloration of bedrock and presence of vegetation pre-dating the mid-nineteenth century were analyzed. Features difficult to categorize were reviewed by an 8-person panel including 3 USGS scientists, National Park Service scientists and academics. When a feature remained difficult to categorize, it was excluded from the inventory. When segments of a glacial margin displayed no visible evidence, the segment was estimated and assigned a category that corresponds to a level of confidence. File attributes define categories and detail the length of each glacial margin that fall into each category. Corresponding shape files available upon request.
20141019
20150822
20150912
20160612
20150925
20170929
20160820
20160821
2005
200906
observed
None planned
-114.2486
-113.3643
49.0226
48.3084
ISO 19115 Topic Category
environment
geoscientificInformation
USGS Biocomplexity Thesaurus
glaciers
cryosphere
None
glacier area
alpine glacier
glacier retreat
satellite imagery
aerial imagery
moraine
USGS Thesaurus
snow and ice cover
USGS Metadata Identifier
USGS:5b194ca2e4b092d965237f4a
Geographic Names Information System
Glacier National Park
Flathead National Forest
Common geographic areas
Montana
None
None
U.S. Geological Survey
Daniel B Fagre
Research Ecologist
mailing address
PO Box 169
West Glacier
MT
59936
USA
406-888-7922
406-888-7923
dan_fagre@usgs.gov
Daniel B. Fagre, Lisa A. McKeon, Chelsea J. Martin-Mikle (USGS at GNP).
Environment as of Metadata Creation: Microsoft Windows 7 Version 6.1 (Build 7601) Service Pack 1; Esri ArcGIS 10.4.1 (Build 5686) Service Pack N/A (Build N/A)
Daniel B Fagre
Lisa A McKeon
Kristina A Dick
Andrew G Fountain
20170510
Glacier margin time series (1966, 1998, 2005, 2015) of the named glaciers of Glacier National Park, MT, USA
vector digital data
https://doi.org/10.5066/F7P26WB1
Initial glacier moraine analysis and digitization was performed by Chelsea Martin-Mikle using the best imagery available and industry-standard mapping software (ArcMAP). Each margin was subsequently reviewed by Dan Fagre and Lisa McKeon with finalized versions representing the consensus of analysis. Potential inaccuracies inherent to the imagery were not addressed except by excluding images that were visually distorted or heavily shaded. Mapped perimeters were compared to a limited number of ground surveys using Global Positioning Systems (GPS), however, for recent imagery such as WorldView, the spatial resolution and accuracy of georeferencing were superior. WorldView imagery is available at https://evwhs.digitalglobe.com/. WorldView, NAIP and other products downloaded from web sources were already corrected for spatial accuracy and were used as is, i.e. no additional geo- or ortho-rectification was conducted. WorldView images with the lowest off-nadir angles were used whenever possible to keep spatial errors to a minimum. The off-nadir angles are reported for those images. For each glacier, supplemental imagery was used to aid in interpreting the exact glacier perimeter based on moraine deposits during the mid-nineteenth century. Portions of some glacial moraines were covered by seasonal snow or were not visible. Some glaciers, particularly those facing north or northeast, were deep in shadows and details in the shadowed areas were difficult to discern. Oblique terrestrial and aerial photography were compared to help delineate the moraines in those cases. Photographs of glacial moraines shot by John Scurlock in 2009 were the most useful. These are available at http://glaciers.research.pdx.edu/image-galleries/Lewis-Range-MT. Historic photographs were also used to assess glacial extent during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. These are available at http://glaciers.research.pdx.edu/. In cases where imagery was not available or was poor in quality, 2009 imagery from the Department of Homeland Security and Google Earth were used.
No formal logical accuracy tests were conducted. Margins were delineated based on visual interpretation of glacial moraines. This was supplemented by cross-checking with multiple other images, both terrestrial oblique photography and other sources of aerial photography. GoogleEarth was used for interpreting 3-dimensional aspects of images from aerial and satellite photography. There were no expected ranges per se. The expectation was that glaciers covered more area in the mid-nineteenth century than they did in subsequent years. This occurred. Where glacier perimeters seemed as if they didn’t reflect likely location in the basin topography, extra efforts were made to assess relevant historic photographs.
Data set is considered complete for the information presented, as described in the abstract. The focus of this dataset was on moraines that reflect active glaciation during the peak of the Little Ice Age. Others had features of transitional glaciation but do not reflect active glaciation. There are other cases where a robust, small glacier may have existed, but there is not enough evidence to say it was not a pronival rampart. These features were not included in this survey. Where heavy shading, image distortion, or image quality was compromised in some way which made margin delineation uncertain, supplemental imagery was used to best determine margin. Users are advised to read the rest of the metadata record and record attributes for additional details.
A formal accuracy assessment of the horizontal positional information in the data set has not been conducted.
A formal accuracy assessment of the vertical positional information in the data set has either not been conducted, or is not applicable.
WorldView-1 satellite
20150822
WorldView-01 satellite image
Raster Digital Data (Aerial Imagery)
Longmont, CO, USA
DigitalGlobe
off-nadir angle 27.0
https://www.digitalglobe.com/
12000
Digital and/or Hardcopy Resources
20150822
observed
Source 1
glacier margins derived from WorldView-1 imagery taken on 20150822
WorldView-1 satellite
20141019
WorldView-01 satellite image
Raster Digital Data (Aerial Imagery)
Longmont, CO, USA
DigitalGlobe
off-nadir angle 105.0
https://www.digitalglobe.com/
12000
Digital and/or Hardcopy
20141019
observed
Source 2
glacier margins derived from WorldView-1 imagery taken on 20141019
WorldView-1 satellite
20150912
WorldView-01 satellite image
Raster Digital Data (Aerial Imagery)
Longmont, CO, USA
DigitalGlobe
off-nadir angle 4.73
https://www.digitalglobe.com/
12000
Digital and/or Hardcopy
20150912
observed
Source 3
glacier margins derived from WorldView-1 imagery taken on 20150912
WorldView-1 satellite
20150822
WorldView-01 satellite image
Raster Digital Data (Aerial Imagery)
Longmont, CO, USA
DigitalGlobe
off-nadir angle 11.7
https://www.digitalglobe.com/
12000
Digital and/or Hardcopy
20150822
observed
Source 4
glacier margins derived from WorldView-1 imagery taken on 20150822
WorldView-1 satellite
20150925
WorldView-01 satellite image
Raster Digital Data (Aerial Imagery)
Longmont, CO, USA
DigitalGlobe
off-nadir angle 16.8
https://www.digitalglobe.com/
12000
Digital and/or Hardcopy
20150925
observed
Source 6
glacier margins derived from WorldView-1 imagery taken on 20150925
WorldView-1 satellite
20150822
WorldView-01 satellite image
Raster Digital Data (Aerial Imagery)
Longmont, CO, USA
DigitalGlobe
off-nadir angle 14.9
https://www.digitalglobe.com/
12000
Digital and/or Hardcopy
20150822
observed
Source 7
glacier margins derived from WorldView-1 imagery taken on 20150822
WorldView-1 satellite
20150912
WorldView-01 satellite image
Raster Digital Data (Aerial Imagery)
Longmont, CO, USA
DigitalGlobe
off-nadir angle 16.7
https://www.digitalglobe.com/
12000
Digital and/or Hardcopy
20150912
observed
Source 8
glacier margins derived from WorldView-1 imagery taken on 20150912
WorldView-1 satellite
20150822
WorldView-01 satellite image
Raster Digital Data (Aerial Imagery)
Longmont, CO, USA
DigitalGlobe
off-nadir angle 7.91
https://www.digitalglobe.com/
12000
Digital and/or Hardcopy
20150822
observed
Source 9
glacier margins derived from WorldView-1 imagery taken on 20150822
WorldView-1 satellite
20150925
WorldView-01 satellite image
Raster Digital Data (Aerial Imagery)
Longmont, CO, USA
DigitalGlobe
off-nadir angle 23.0
https://www.digitalglobe.com/
12000
Digital and/or Hardcopy
20150925
observed
Source 10
glacier margins derived from WorldView-1 imagery taken on 20150925
WorldView-3 satellite
20160821
WorldView-03 satellite image
Raster Digital Data (Aerial Imagery)
Longmont, CO, USA
DigitalGlobe
off-nadir angle 7.42
https://www.digitalglobe.com/
12000
Digital and/or Hardcopy
20160821
observed
Source 11
glacier margins derived from WorldView-1 imagery taken on 20160822
WorldView-1 satellite
20150912
WorldView-01 satellite image
Raster Digital Data (Aerial Imagery)
Longmont, CO, USA
DigitalGlobe
off-nadir angle 26.2
https://www.digitalglobe.com/
12000
Digital and/or Hardcopy
20150912
observed
Source 12
glacier margins derived from WorldView-1 imagery taken on 20150912
WorldView-3 satellite
20160820
WorldView-03 satellite image
Raster Digital Data (Aerial Imagery)
Longmont, CO, USA
DigitalGlobe
off-nadir angle 21.2
https://www.digitalglobe.com/
12000
Digital and/or Hardcopy
20160820
observed
Source 13
glacier margins derived from WorldView-1 imagery taken on 20160820
WorldView-2 satellite
20170929
WorldView-02 satellite image
Raster Digital Data (Aerial Imagery)
Longmont, CO, USA
DigitalGlobe
off-nadir angle 24.5
https://www.digitalglobe.com/
12000
Digital and/or Hardcopy
20170929
observed
Source 14
glacier margins derived from WorldView-1 imagery taken on 20170929
WorldView-2 satellite
20160612
WorldView-02 satellite image
Raster Digital Data (Aerial Imagery)
Longmont, CO, USA
DigitalGlobe
off-nadir angle 20.2
https://www.digitalglobe.com/
12000
Digital and/or Hardcopy
20160612
observed
Source 15
glacier margins derived from WorldView-1 imagery taken on 20160612
USDA Farm Service Agency
2005
NAIP 2005 aerial imagery
Raster Digital Data (Aerial Imagery)
Salt Lake City, UT
National Agriculture Imagery Program
https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/aerial-photography/imagery-programs/naip-imagery/
Digital and/or Hardcopy
20050731
20050827
observed
Source 16
glacier margins derived from NAIP imagery collected in 2005
Department of Homeland Security
2009
DOHS 2009 Boarder Imagery
Raster Digital Data (Aerial Imagery)
Metadata contact: Montana State Library P.O. Box 201800 Helena, Montana 59620-1800 Telephone: 406-444-5354 TDD/TTY telephone: 406-444-4799 Fax: 406-444-0266E- Mail: geoinfo@mt.gov
ftp://ftp.geoinfo.msl.mt.gov/Data/Spatial/NonMSDI/Shapefiles/Orthophoto_Index_Border_2009.zip
Digital and/or Hardcopy
20090601
20090631
observed
Source 17
glacier margins derived from DOHS boarder imagery collected in July, 2009
WorldView-1 satellite
20160915
WorldView-01 satellite image
Raster Digital Data (Aerial Imagery)
Longmont, CO, USA
DigitalGlobe
off-nadir angle 105
https://www.digitalglobe.com/
12000
Digital and/or Hardcopy
20160915
observed
Source 18
glacier margins derived from WorldView-1 imagery taken on 20160915
Acquire most appropriate satellite imagery from DigitalGlobe EV web hosting. Imagery is selected by choosing the image that shows the least seasonal snow to best reveal glacier moraines. If multiple WorldView images are available for the same location, the image with the lowest off-nadir angle was chosen to reduce error. File attributes list specific images used in analysis. Export image as GeoTiff.
20170224
Import selected satellite image in to ArcGIS. Visually determine glacier margin based on moraines and digitize margin at 1:2000 scale. Where heavy shading, image distortion, or image quality was compromised in some way, supplemental imagery from another date was used to best determine margin. Note that glacial headwalls were commonly underestimated due to the difficulty inherent in observing vertical change from an aerial perspective. When this was the case, the known headwall location from the 2015 glacier margins were used. Oblique aerial photos and historic photos from the USGS collection were referenced to determine the mid-nineteenth century extent when source imagery was not adequate. File attributes list specific photos used in analysis. Attribute naming convention for WorldView source imagery includes the satellite used to acquire the image, the date of the referenced image and the off-nadir angle (ONA) of the image (i.e. wv01_ 20150822 ONA 27.0). If multiple images are listed in the source column, the first image is the “primary” image and is the most useful for digitization, whereas the second image listed is the "secondary" image and was somewhat less useful as a reference image (possibly due to higher off-nadir angle, seasonal snow, shading or image distortion).
20170221
Vector
G-polygon
147
Universal Transverse Mercator
12
0.9996
-111.0
0.00000000
500000.0
0.00000000
coordinate pair
0.6096
0.6096
meters
North_American_Datum_1983
GRS_1980
6378137.0
298.257222101
mid19thcent_GNPglaciers.shp Attribute Table
Table containing attribute information associated with the data set
Producer defined
FID
Internal feature number
ESRI
Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.
Shape
Feature geometry
ESRI
Polygon
The feature geometry of the shapes
Producer defined
Glac_Name
Glacier name
Producer defined
Name of glacier when glacier has a name, otherwise 'none'.
Year
Year of source data used to delineate glacier margins
Producer defined
2015
year 2015 of Gregorian Calendar
Producer defined
2014
year 2014 of Gregorian Calendar
Producer defined
2016
year 2016 of Gregorian Calendar
Producer defined
2009
year 2009 of Gregorian Calendar
Producer defined
2015, 2009
years 2015 and 2009 of Gregorian Calendar
Producer defined
2005
year 2005 of Gregorian Calendar
Producer defined
2005, 2016
years 2005 and 2016 of Gregorian Calendar
Producer defined
2017
year 2017 of Gregorian Calendar
Producer defined
2016, 2009
years 2016 and 2009 of Gregorian Calendar
Producer defined
Scale
Scale of source data
Producer defined
1:2000
map scale of 1:2000
Producer defined
drainage
Drainage glacier margin is located in
Producer defined
Drainage basin where glacier margin is located.
Source
Source imagery used to digitize each glacier margin
Producer defined
Name of specific image(s) used to delineate glacial margin. The attribute naming convention for WorldView source imagery includes the satellite used to acquire the image, the date of the referenced image and the off-nadir angle (ONA) of the image (i.e. wv01_ 20150822 ONA 27.0). Other imagery used to digitize glacier margins are imagery products and do not include specific dates and off-nadir angles (i.e. 2009 DOHS imagery and 2005 NAIP imagery). Users are advised to read the rest of the metadata record for additional details. If multiple images are listed in the source column, the first image is the “primary” image and is the most useful for digitization, whereas the second image listed is the "secondary" image and was somewhat less useful as a reference image (possibly due to higher off-nadir angle, seasonal snow, shading or image distortion).
Notes_USGS
Items of note pertaining to features or imagery issues
Producer defined
Explanation of moraine segments that may appear ambiguous.
Area1850
Area of main body of glacier during the peak of the Little Ice Age
Producer defined
11553.434014
4970064.26313
square meters
X_COORD
UTM X-coordinate, NAD 1983 UTM Zone 12N
Producer defined
262710.772908
324585.809528
meter
Y_COORD
UTM Y-coordinate, NAD 1983 UTM Zone 12N
Producer defined
5356121.02881
5432566.63112
meter
Classifica
The portion defined by the polygon to be the maximum extent of the glacier during the peak of the Little Ice Age
Producer defined
Little Ice Age max glacial extent
the portion defined by the polygon to be the maximum extent of the glacier during the peak of the Little Ice Age
Producer defined
Ownership
Federal land designation for the location of the glacier
Producer defined
Glacier National Park
Glacier National Park, Department of Interior
Producer defined
Flathead National Forest
Flathead National Forest, Department of Agriculture
Producer defined
Known
The length of the polygon depicting the maximum extent of the glacier during the peak of the Little Ice Age based on visible, physical evidence (i.e. moraines, vegetation, bedrock texture, bedrock coloration)
Producer defined
0
17358
meters
very_confi
In absence of visible, physical evidence (including due to shadows, seasonal snow and aerial imagery limitations) segments of a glacial margin that are estimated with a high level of confidence based on obvious topographic patterns. Note: these segments always underestimate margin area when in question
Producer defined
0
1222
meters
mod_confid
In absence of visible, physical evidence (including due to shadows, seasonal snow and aerial imagery limitations) segments of a glacial margin that are estimated with a moderate level of confidence based on likely topographic patterns. Note: these segments always underestimate margin area when in question
Producer defined
0
913
meters
perimeter
Total length of perimeter of the polygon depicting the maximum extent of the glacial margin during the peak of the Little Ice Age
Producer defined
484
17358
meters
aspect
Mean aspect of all pixels within the polygon that represents the maximum extent of the glacier during the peak of the Little Ice Age
Producer defined
0
311
degrees
The entity and attribute information provided here describes the tabular data associated with the data set. Please review the detailed descriptions that are provided (the individual attribute descriptions) for information on the values that appear as fields/table entries of the data set.
The entity and attribute information was generated by the individual and/or agency identified as the originator of the data set. Please review the rest of the metadata record for additional details and information.
U.S. Geological Survey
GS ScienceBase
mailing address
Denver Federal Center, Building 810, Mail Stop 302
Denver
CO
80225
USA
1-888-275-8747
sciencebase@usgs.gov
Distributor assumes no liability for misuse of data. Unless otherwise stated, all data, metadata and related materials are considered to satisfy the quality standards relative to the purpose for which the data were collected. Although these data and associated metadata have been reviewed for accuracy and completeness and approved for release by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the display or utility of the data on any other system or for general or scientific purposes, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty.
Digital Data
https://doi.org/10.5066/P95YJ3CN
None. No fees are applicable for obtaining the data set.
20200831
Lisa A Mckeon
U.S. Geological Survey
Physical Scientist
Mailing
PO Box 169
West Glacier
MT
59936
USA
406-888-7924
406-888-7923
lisa_mckeon@usgs.gov
FGDC Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata
FGDC-STD-001-1998