Glaciers of Prince William Sound Navigation Links / Further Reading
What is a glacier? In general, glaciers form when snow accumulates at a faster rate than it can melt. The snow compresses under its own weight, gradually turning into ice. Under the force of gravity and its enormous weight, the glacier becomes fluid, and creeps slowly downhill.
Smaller icebergs like this 20'wide "bergy bit" are common in College Fjord. SEA photo
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There are two main types of glaciers in Prince William Sound -- Apron (or hanging) glaciers, and valley glaciers. Apron glaciers cling to mountainsides, and generally have a localized origin. In contrast, valley glaciers literally fill valleys, and they often originate from large icefields. A valley glacier that reaches the sea is termed a tidewater glacier, and they usually terminate in a vertical wall of ice, often 200' - 300' high. Watching and hearing these glaciers calve ice into the sea with a tremendous roar is the highlight of many folks' visit to the Sound.
Ten of the Sound's 17 tidewater glaciers are concentrated in College and Harriman Fjords. |
Glacier watching has become so popular in Prince William Sound that there are currently only a handful of glaciers that do not have daily visits by 100's of tourists aboard tour boats. Added to these are scores of people in kayaks and aboard smaller charter boats, such as Sound Eco Adventures' M/V Sound Access. Conservationists and Chugach National Forest planners and are currently exploring ways to avoid conflicts or possible boating accidents between the growing number of people visiting the Sound's glaciers. |
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Yale Glacier, like most of the Sound's glaciers, is retreating. The unvegetated bedrock gives stark evidence of how recently it was covered by millions of tons of glacial ice. |
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Harvard Glacier, in vivid contrast, proves it is advancing by pushing over vegetation. |
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