MOUNT RAINIER
GEOLOGY & WEATHER
Hello guest! [ Log In ]
Glacier Info - Ohanapecosh Glacier

NOTE: The data shown here is based on the 2021 glacier update at Mount Rainier, and should be considered the most up-to-date data on glaciers at the park (2023-04-06).

Ohanapecosh Glacier
This glacier on the lower part of the east side of Mount Rainier is south of Fryingpan Glacier. On its western end is Whitman Crest separating it from Whitman Glacier. The 1893 Fred G. Plummer map of the mountain calls the glacier Serviss for Professor Garrett P. Serviss, one of the leading science fiction writers and lecturers of the period. (Reese, 2009)

Switch Glacier:

STATISTICS AS OF 2021 (Beason et al., 2023):
Aerial Extent:
0.238 ± 0.014 square miles (0.616 ± 0.037 km2) (Rank: 20 of 29)
Debris Cover - Based on data from 2015 (Beason, 2017):
--No appreciable debris cover in 2015--
Estimated Glacier Volume: (See notes below)
0.0028 ± 0.0010 cubic miles (0.0115 ± 0.0040 km3)
Highest Elevation (Head):
8,392 feet (2,558 m)
Lowest Elevation (Terminus):
7,250 feet (2,210 m)
Elevation Range:
1,141 feet (348 m)
Length:
0.49 miles (0.79 km)
Average Slope:
21.24°
Average Flow Direction (direction the glacier flows towards):
East northeast (72°)
Glacier Type:
C - Cirque Glacier, or Glacier Head Starts Below Summit

CHANGE IN EXTENT, 1896-2021 (Beason et al., 2023):
Units 1896 1913 1971 1994 2009 2015 2021
Area, mi2 -- 1.146 0.529 0.536 0.303 0.258 0.238
Area, km2 -- 2.968 1.369 1.389 0.786 0.669 0.616
Area Change Between Periods

1913 1971 1994 2009 2015 2021
1896------------
1913---0.617 mi2
(-1.598 km2)
-0.610 mi2
(-1.579 km2)
-0.842 mi2
(-2.182 km2)
-0.888 mi2
(-2.299 km2)
-0.908 mi2
(-2.352 km2)
1971--0.007 mi2
(0.019 km2)
-0.225 mi2
(-0.584 km2)
-0.270 mi2
(-0.700 km2)
-0.291 mi2
(-0.754 km2)
1994---0.233 mi2
(-0.603 km2)
-0.278 mi2
(-0.720 km2)
-0.298 mi2
(-0.773 km2)
2009---0.045 mi2
(-0.117 km2)
-0.066 mi2
(-0.170 km2)
2015---0.021 mi2
(-0.053 km2)
Percent Change Between Periods

1913 1971 1994 2009 2015 2021
1896------------
1913---53.85%-53.20%-73.53%-77.46%-79.25%
1971--1.41%-42.63%-51.15%-55.04%
1994---43.43%-51.83%-55.67%
2009---14.85%-21.63%
2015---7.97%

ESTIMATED CHANGE IN VOLUME, 1896-2021 (Beason et al., 2023):
PLEASE see important notes about this, below...
Glacier-specific Scaling Parameter, c:
0.019171
Units 1896 1913 1971 1994 2009 2015 2021
Volume, mi3 -- 0.0237 0.0082 0.0084 0.0039 0.0031 0.0028
Volume, km3 -- 0.0987 0.0343 0.0350 0.0161 0.0129 0.0115
Volume Change Between Periods

1913 1971 1994 2009 2015 2021
1896------------
1913---0.015 mi3
(-0.064 km3)
-0.015 mi3
(-0.064 km3)
-0.020 mi3
(-0.083 km3)
-0.021 mi3
(-0.086 km3)
-0.021 mi3
(-0.087 km3)
1971--0.000 mi3
(0.001 km3)
-0.004 mi3
(-0.018 km3)
-0.005 mi3
(-0.021 km3)
-0.005 mi3
(-0.023 km3)
1994---0.005 mi3
(-0.019 km3)
-0.005 mi3
(-0.022 km3)
-0.006 mi3
(-0.023 km3)
2009---0.001 mi3
(-0.003 km3)
-0.001 mi3
(-0.005 km3)
2015--0.000 mi3
(-0.001 km3)
Percent Change Between Periods

1913 1971 1994 2009 2015 2021
1896------------
1913---65.24%-64.57%-83.73%-86.94%-88.34%
1971--1.93%-53.20%-62.43%-66.46%
1994---54.09%-63.14%-67.10%
2009---19.72%-28.33%
2015---10.73%
Important comments about the calculation of volume shown here

The calculation of glacial volume shown on this page is based on an analysis of two methods used at Mount Rainier in the past (Driedger and Kennard [1986]; and Nylen [2001]) as well as the most recent literature review for glacier area-volume scaling (Please review Beason et al. [2023] for an in-depth discussion about this issue). It should be noted that simply converting area to volume with an equation is extremely difficult and the values presented here have extremely large error margins (likely ± 35% or more). With that in mind, the values presented here should give you an estimate of the glacial volume and change in volume over time. Please use these data very carefully with those caveats.

The calcuation of the volume is as follows:

\[V_i = {(c_iA_i^{1.375}) + (c_nA_i^{1.36}) \over 2}\]

Where:
\(V_i\) = Average volume for the glacier in question (km3);
\(c_i\) = The glacier-specific scaling parameter (back-calculated from glacier area and volume in 1971 in Driedger and Kennard (1986); Method described in Beason et al. (2023). The value for the Ohanapecosh Glacier is 0.019171 (this is also listed above the volume graph);
\(c_n\) = The back-calculated scaling parameter from Nylen (2001) of 0.0255; and
\(A_i\) = The measured volume of the glacier in question (km2).

This is essentially an average of the back-calculated Dreidger and Kennard (1986) and Nylen (2001) methods (D&K is in the first parenthesis; Nylen in the second). For example, for the Ohanapecosh Glacier in 2021, you can find the following individual volumes:
Back-calculated Dreidger and Kennard (1986) Method: 0.0024 mi3 (0.0098 km3).
Back-calculated Nylen (2001) Method: 0.0032 mi3 (0.0132 km3).
Average of the two (above equation and values listed for 2021 here): 0.0028 mi3 (0.0115 km3).
Official volume estimate listed above, with error: 0.0028 ± 0.0010 mi3 (0.0115 ± 0.0040 km3).

As you can see, the D&K method tends to produce higher values and Nylen produces lower values; the average of these two methods probably estimates the glacial volume. Until further research is done in this area and we can develop a better method or equation to determine volumes, this is the method we are using to determine glacial volumes. For more information about this method, please read the methods section of Beason et al. (2023).

NOTES:

Area was not measured for this glacier in 1896

RAW DATA: