MOUNT RAINIER
GEOLOGY & WEATHER
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Glacier Info - Russell 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).

Russell Glacier
Russell Glacier is located on the northwest side of the mountain west and north of Russell Cliff separated from that feature by Willis Wall, Liberty Ridge and the upper regions of the Carbon Glacier. It is connected to the Carbon Glacier above Seattle Park. It was named by the Mountaineers in 1909 to honor Professor I.C. Russell. Israel Cook Russell was a professor of geology at the University of Michigan in 1892 and conducted numerous surveys in the American west, in New Zealand, and the West Indies. He died in 1906. (Reese, 2009)

Switch Glacier:

STATISTICS AS OF 2021 (Beason et al., 2023):
Aerial Extent:
1.045 ± 0.057 square miles (2.706 ± 0.149 km2) (Rank: 12 of 29)
Debris Cover - Based on data from 2015 (Beason, 2017):
0.009 ± 0.001 square miles (0.023 ± 0.002 km2) (Rank: 17 of 29)
Estimated Glacier Volume: (See notes below)
0.0199 ± 0.0070 cubic miles (0.0828 ± 0.0290 km3)
Highest Elevation (Head):
9,675 feet (2,949 m)
Lowest Elevation (Terminus):
6,663 feet (2,031 m)
Elevation Range:
3,013 feet (918 m)
Length:
1.70 miles (2.74 km)
Average Slope:
22.03°
Average Flow Direction (direction the glacier flows towards):
North northeast (28°)
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 2.550 1.895 1.380 1.404 1.077 1.117 1.045
Area, km2 6.605 4.909 3.574 3.637 2.789 2.892 2.706
Area Change Between Periods

1913 1971 1994 2009 2015 2021
1896-0.655 mi2
(-1.696 km2)
-1.170 mi2
(-3.031 km2)
-1.146 mi2
(-2.968 km2)
-1.473 mi2
(-3.816 km2)
-1.434 mi2
(-3.713 km2)
-1.506 mi2
(-3.900 km2)
1913---0.515 mi2
(-1.335 km2)
-0.491 mi2
(-1.272 km2)
-0.818 mi2
(-2.120 km2)
-0.779 mi2
(-2.017 km2)
-0.851 mi2
(-2.203 km2)
1971--0.024 mi2
(0.063 km2)
-0.303 mi2
(-0.785 km2)
-0.263 mi2
(-0.682 km2)
-0.335 mi2
(-0.868 km2)
1994---0.327 mi2
(-0.848 km2)
-0.288 mi2
(-0.745 km2)
-0.360 mi2
(-0.931 km2)
2009--0.040 mi2
(0.103 km2)
-0.032 mi2
(-0.084 km2)
2015---0.072 mi2
(-0.187 km2)
Percent Change Between Periods

1913 1971 1994 2009 2015 2021
1896-25.68%-45.89%-44.94%-57.77%-56.21%-59.04%
1913---27.19%-25.91%-43.18%-41.08%-44.88%
1971--1.77%-21.95%-19.07%-24.30%
1994---23.31%-20.48%-25.61%
2009--3.69%-3.00%
2015---6.45%

ESTIMATED CHANGE IN VOLUME, 1896-2021 (Beason et al., 2023):
PLEASE see important notes about this, below...
Glacier-specific Scaling Parameter, c:
0.017014
Units 1896 1913 1971 1994 2009 2015 2021
Volume, mi3 0.0672 0.0448 0.0291 0.0298 0.0207 0.0218 0.0199
Volume, km3 0.2802 0.1868 0.1211 0.1240 0.0863 0.0907 0.0828
Volume Change Between Periods

1913 1971 1994 2009 2015 2021
1896-0.022 mi3
(-0.093 km3)
-0.038 mi3
(-0.159 km3)
-0.037 mi3
(-0.156 km3)
-0.047 mi3
(-0.194 km3)
-0.045 mi3
(-0.190 km3)
-0.047 mi3
(-0.197 km3)
1913---0.016 mi3
(-0.066 km3)
-0.015 mi3
(-0.063 km3)
-0.024 mi3
(-0.101 km3)
-0.023 mi3
(-0.096 km3)
-0.025 mi3
(-0.104 km3)
1971--0.001 mi3
(0.003 km3)
-0.008 mi3
(-0.035 km3)
-0.007 mi3
(-0.030 km3)
-0.009 mi3
(-0.038 km3)
1994---0.009 mi3
(-0.038 km3)
-0.008 mi3
(-0.033 km3)
-0.010 mi3
(-0.041 km3)
2009--0.001 mi3
(0.004 km3)
-0.001 mi3
(-0.004 km3)
2015---0.002 mi3
(-0.008 km3)
Percent Change Between Periods

1913 1971 1994 2009 2015 2021
1896-33.34%-56.79%-55.74%-69.20%-67.64%-70.45%
1913---35.18%-33.61%-53.80%-51.45%-55.68%
1971--2.42%-28.72%-25.11%-31.63%
1994---30.41%-26.87%-33.24%
2009--5.08%-4.07%
2015---8.71%
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 Russell Glacier is 0.017014 (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 Russell Glacier in 2021, you can find the following individual volumes:
Back-calculated Dreidger and Kennard (1986) Method: 0.0160 mi3 (0.0669 km3).
Back-calculated Nylen (2001) Method: 0.0237 mi3 (0.0987 km3).
Average of the two (above equation and values listed for 2021 here): 0.0199 mi3 (0.0828 km3).
Official volume estimate listed above, with error: 0.0199 ± 0.0070 mi3 (0.0828 ± 0.0290 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:

-- No Notes supplied --

RAW DATA: