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Linker, J.S., 2001

Sediment flux as an indicator of glacial erosion: Matanuska Glacier, Alaska

Bibliographic Reference

Linker, J.S., 2001, Sediment flux as an indicator of glacial erosion: Matanuska Glacier, Alaska: East Lansing, Michigan, Michigan State University, M.S. thesis, 45 p.

Abstract

Sampling of daily suspended sediment of meltwater, collected at 2 hour intervals during the 1997-2000 ablation seasons for melt streams and selective vents draining the terminus of the Matanuska Glacier, Alaska, was determined to assess the temporal variation of sediment flux with discharge and the annual sediment yield. The seasonal pattern of suspended sediment transport in meltwater streams shows large sediment pulses early in the ablation season, followed by more subdued variations in sediment flux later in the ablation season. Assuming a bedload contribution of approximately 35%, the total sediment flux for the Matanuska Glacier during the 1997-2000 melt seasons ranged from 2.68E + 03 tonnes km -2 for the 2000 melt season to 5.58E + 03 tonnes km-2 for the 1999 melt season. These fluxes represent a range of subsequent erosion rates of 1.01 mm yr-1 for the 2000 melt season to 2.08 mm yr-1 for the 1999 melt season.

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