Sitnews -Stories in the News - Ketchikan, Alaska

Hubbard Glacier Closes Russell Fiord

July 24, 2002
Wednesday - 12:40 am

Yakutat, AK - On Tuesday it was announced that the Hubbard Glacier, near Yakutat, Alaska, has pushed its terminal moraine up against Gilbert Point enough to block the

---

July 21, 2002

Looking up what's left of Russell River
as the moraine pushes against
Gilbert Point shows how much
the glacier has advanced. Compare
to the photo taken on July 3.
US Forest Service photo

July 03, 2002

"Russell River" continues to run into Disenchantment Bay with very little
if any tidal inflow.
National Park Service photo
---

entrance to Russell Fiord. Until recently, the channel between the glacier and solid land carried a significant amount of water from the fiord to the ocean, but has been turned into a series of pools of water. This closure has created a 39 mile-long lake within what was Russell Fiord. While the ice has not yet sealed off the two bodies of water, the expansion of the moraine has created an unstable barrier between the two water bodies.

Yakutat District Ranger Tricia O'Connor reports that both the glacier and the moraine are very hazardous, and that the Disenchantment Bay side of the moraine is choked with ice floes. "While we have not closed the area, I strongly advise people not to place themselves at risk by approaching the moraine, the channel, or the waters on either side of the closure site," she said.

The US Geological Survey remote gauging station in the lake shows that the lake level continues to rise approximately half a foot a day and presently stands at over 37 feet above mean sea level. Should a stable ice dam form and the lake level rise to an elevation of about 131 feet (40 m), Russell Fiord could drain southward into the Situk River drainage, altering a world-class fishery, and inundating national forest and private land, The Situk River is a world-renowned steelhead and salmon stream and the most productive stream for its size in Alaska. It is a primary subsistence and commercial stream, and has a popular sport fishery with many lodges to support visitation.

Because of the cultural, environmental and economic consequences of Russell Lake draining into the Situk River, Federal, Tribal, State, and local officials and citizens are closely following the glacier's activities. The Forest Service is leading contingency planning with involved agencies, O'Connor added.

Photos:

Gallery of Hubbard Glacier Photos