Terminus change of Kaskawulsh Glacier, Yukon, under a warming climate: retreat, thinning, slowdown and modified proglacial lake geometry

Links between proglacial lakes and glacier dynamics are poorly understood but are necessary to predict how mountain glaciers will react to a warmer, wetter climate, where such lakes are expected to increase both in number and volume. Here, we examine a long-term (similar to 120 year) record of terminus retreat, thinning and surface velocities from in-situ and remote sensing observations at the terminus of Kaskawulsh Glacier, Yukon, Canada, and determine the impact of a local proglacial hydrological reorganisation on glacier dynamics. After an initial deceleration during the late 1990s, terminus velocities increased at a rate of 3 m a(-2) from 2000-12, while proglacial Slims Lake area increased simultaneously. The rapid drainage of the lake in May 2016 substantially altered the velocity profile, decreasing annual velocities by 48% within 3 km of the terminus between 2015 and 2021, at an average rate of similar to 12.5 m a(-2). A key cause of the rapid drop in glacier motion was a reduction in flotation of the lower part of the glacier terminus after lake drainage. This has important implications for glacier dynamics and provides one of the first assessments of the impacts of a rapid proglacial lake drainage event on local terminus velocities.

Automated summary

This study examines the relationship between proglacial lakes and glacier dynamics using a long-term record of observations at the terminus of Kaskawulsh Glacier in Canada. The results show that the retreat of the glacier terminus and the increase in proglacial lake area are closely related. The rapid drainage of the lake in 2016 resulted in a significant decrease in glacier velocities, with a reduction of 48% within 3 km of the terminus.