This weekend I’ll be going to a small town called Yakutat in Alaska for a mapping project. What’s so special about this place?

The Hubbard Glacier has advanced enough to disconnect the Russell Fiord from the sea and create “Russell Lake” once in 1986 and again in 2002. The blocking of the fiord threatens the local fishing-based economy, as the Situk river would be flooded if the wall of ice and mud held up. Fortunately in 1986 and 2002 that didn’t happen; each time the natural dam broke with tremendous force (sometimes called “jökulhlaup”, usually but usually when caused by a volcano).

The following pictures show the dramatic difference between the normal opening (on May 20th, 2002) and the closed-off Russell lake (August 10th).

So what is the purpose of going there now? Scientists (someone, anyway) have predicted that it is only a matter of time before the Situk river is flooded, and are looking to find a way to prevent it from happening. The only realistic idea I’ve heard would be to basically dig a ditch (canal) to a different river to control the rising water of Russell Lake/Fiord – the water level had risen 61 feet above sea level in 2002. Among other things, we’ll be mapping some of the area that will be considered for the ditch construction.

These images are from the Tongass National Forest site, where you can find more information and photos from the Hubbard Glacier and Russell Fiord.