Switch Glacier:
NOTE: This page has been updated to show 2021 extents and changes
Inter Glacier
This small glacier between the Winthrop and Emmons Glaciers on the Mountain was named in 1896 "...from the fact that it does not head in the upper slopes, neither is it a tributary of any other glacier." It is located below Steamboat Prow. The name is sometimes recorded as Inter Glacier and is the source of the Inter Fork of the White River. (Reese, 2009)
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STATISTICS AS OF 2021 (Beason et al., 2022):
Aerial Extent:
0.206 ± 0.013 square miles
(0.532 ± 0.033 km2)
(Rank: 22 of 29)
Debris Cover (Based on Beason, 2017 - not updated in 2021):
0.006 ± 0.001 square miles
(0.015 ± 0.002 km2)
(Rank: 12 of 29)
Estimated Glacial Volume: (See notes below)
0.0026 cubic miles
(0.0108 km3)
Highest Elevation (Head):
9,627 feet
(2,934 m)
Lowest Elevation (Terminus):
7,376 feet
(2,248 m)
Elevation Range:
2,251 feet
(686 m)
Length:
0.92 miles
(1.48 km)
Average Slope:
26°
Average Flow Direction (Flows towards):
North northeast (25°)
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CHANGE IN EXTENT, 1896-2015 (Beason, 2017):
| Units |
1896 |
1913 |
1971 |
1994 |
2009 |
2015 |
2021 |
| Area, mi2 |
0.220 |
0.441 |
0.323 |
0.319 |
0.257 |
0.222 |
0.206 |
| Area, km2 |
0.570 |
1.143 |
0.836 |
0.826 |
0.665 |
0.574 |
0.532 |
Area change between periods
|
1913 |
1971 |
1994 |
2009 |
2015 |
2021 |
| 1896 |
0.221 mi2
(0.573 km2) |
0.103 mi2
(0.266 km2) |
0.099 mi2
(0.255 km2) |
0.037 mi2
(0.095 km2) |
0.001 mi2
(0.004 km2) |
-0.015 mi2
(-0.038 km2) |
| 1913 |
-- |
-0.119 mi2
(-0.307 km2) |
-0.123 mi2
(-0.318 km2) |
-0.185 mi2
(-0.478 km2) |
-0.220 mi2
(-0.569 km2) |
-0.236 mi2
(-0.611 km2) |
| 1971 |
|
-- |
-0.004 mi2
(-0.010 km2) |
-0.066 mi2
(-0.171 km2) |
-0.101 mi2
(-0.262 km2) |
-0.117 mi2
(-0.303 km2) |
| 1994 |
|
-- |
-0.062 mi2
(-0.160 km2) |
-0.097 mi2
(-0.252 km2) |
-0.113 mi2
(-0.293 km2) |
| 2009 |
|
-- |
-0.035 mi2
(-0.091 km2) |
-0.051 mi2
(-0.133 km2) |
| 2015 |
|
-- |
-0.016 mi2
(-0.042 km2) |
Percent change between periods
|
1913 |
1971 |
1994 |
2009 |
2015 |
2021 |
| 1896 |
100.52 % |
46.60 % |
44.80 % |
16.67 % |
0.67 % |
-6.61 % |
| 1913 |
-- |
-26.89 % |
-27.79 % |
-41.81 % |
-49.80 % |
-53.43 % |
| 1971 |
|
-- |
-1.23 % |
-20.41 % |
-31.33 % |
-36.30 % |
| 1994 |
|
-- |
-19.42 % |
-30.48 % |
-35.50 % |
| 2009 |
|
-- |
-13.72 % |
-19.96 % |
| 2015 |
|
-- |
-7.23 % |
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ESTIMATED CHANGE IN VOLUME, 1896-2021 (Beason et al., 2022; George and Beason, 2017):
PLEASE see important notes about this, below...
| Units |
1896 |
1913 |
1971 |
1981* |
1994 |
2009 |
2015 |
2021 |
| Volume, mi3 |
0.0028 |
0.0061 |
0.0043 |
0.0041 |
0.0042 |
0.0033 |
0.0028 |
0.0026 |
| Volume, km3 |
0.0116 |
0.0254 |
0.0178 |
0.0170 |
0.0176 |
0.0138 |
0.0117 |
0.0108 |
* = 1981 was the only year that glacial volumes have been measured. See note below.
Basal Shear Stress (τ): 2,393.03 lbs/ft2
Volume change between periods
|
1913 |
1971 |
1981 |
1994 |
2009 |
2015 |
2021 |
| 1896 |
0.0033 mi3
(0.0138 km3) |
0.0015 mi3
(0.0062 km3) |
0.0013 mi3
(0.0054 km3) |
0.0014 mi3
(0.0060 km3) |
0.0005 mi3
(0.0022 km3) |
0.0000 mi3
(0.0001 km3) |
-0.0002 mi3
(-0.0009 km3) |
| 1913 |
-- |
-0.0018 mi3
(-0.0075 km3) |
-0.0020 mi3
(-0.0084 km3) |
-0.0019 mi3
(-0.0078 km3) |
-0.0028 mi3
(-0.0116 km3) |
-0.0033 mi3
(-0.0137 km3) |
-0.0035 mi3
(-0.0146 km3) |
| 1971 |
|
-- |
-0.0002 mi3
(-0.0009 km3) |
-0.0001 mi3
(-0.0002 km3) |
-0.0010 mi3
(-0.0040 km3) |
-0.0015 mi3
(-0.0062 km3) |
-0.0017 mi3
(-0.0071 km3) |
| 1981 |
|
-- |
0.0001 mi3
(0.0006 km3) |
-0.0008 mi3
(-0.0032 km3) |
-0.0013 mi3
(-0.0053 km3) |
-0.0015 mi3
(-0.0062 km3) |
| 1994 |
|
-- |
-0.0009 mi3
(-0.0038 km3) |
-0.0014 mi3
(-0.0059 km3) |
-0.0016 mi3
(-0.0069 km3) |
| 2009 |
|
-- |
-0.0005 mi3
(-0.0021 km3) |
-0.0007 mi3
(-0.0031 km3) |
| 2015 |
|
-- |
-0.0002 mi3
(-0.0009 km3) |
Percent change between periods
|
1913 |
1971 |
1981 |
1994 |
2009 |
2015 |
2021 |
| 1896 |
118.58 % |
53.72 % |
46.32 % |
51.60 % |
18.93 % |
0.75 % |
-7.40 % |
| 1913 |
-- |
-29.67 % |
-33.06 % |
-30.65 % |
-45.59 % |
-53.91 % |
-57.64 % |
| 1971 |
|
-- |
-4.81 % |
-1.38 % |
-22.63 % |
-34.46 % |
-39.76 % |
| 1981 |
|
-- |
3.61 % |
-18.72 % |
-31.14 % |
-36.71 % |
| 1994 |
|
-- |
-21.55 % |
-33.54 % |
-38.92 % |
| 2009 |
|
-- |
-15.28 % |
-22.14 % |
| 2015 |
|
-- |
-8.09 % |
With the exception of data in 1981, all values here are calculated estimates based on work by Driedger and Kennard (1986), which calculates glacier volumes with the following equations:
If Glacier Length (L) > 8,500 ft:
If Glacier Length (L) < 8,500 ft:
Basal shear stress (τ) is calculated as:
Where V is the calculated volume of the glacier (ft3), A is the calculated area of the glacier (ft2), ρ is the density of ice (1.779 slug/ft3), g is the acceleration of gravity (32.178 ft/s2), and α is the average slope of the glacier.
If you need a really good research project, recalculating the glacier volumes at Mount Rainier is the way to go!
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NOTES:
Data References:
Beason et al., 2022,
Beason, 2017,
George and Beason, 2017,
Reese, 2009, and
Driedger and Kennard, 1986