The Franz Josef Glacier: A Case Study of a Glacier Showing Recent Retreat

1. The Franz Josef Glacier: A Case Study of a Glacier Showing Recent Retreat

2. Starter... • Remember key words from last lesson and tell me, what would happen to glaciers worldwide if... • there was a particularly hot summer and mild winter • there was a huge volcanic eruption in USA and millions of tonnes of ash was sent into the atmosphere • global warming increased at a faster rate than predicted • northern Europe’s prevailing winds started to come from the north east

3. Learning Objectives: To locate the Franz Josef Glacier To link the glacier to the glacial budget To assess its rate of retreat and explain the reasons why

4. Watch this video clip and then, on your worksheet... Using an atlas to help, use your map worksheets to find and shade in New Zealand on the different scales. Also, locate the Franz Josef Glacier, as well as important New Zealand cities and the names of the sea/ocean. The Franz Josef Glacier

5. FactFile: read the following information and fill in the blanks... The Franz Josef Glacier is ........ long and is located in .................................................., on the west coast of New Zealand’s ................... Island. It descends from New Zealand’s Southern Alps ..........................................to less than 300m above sea level. The .................... emerging from the end of the glacier is called the ..................... River. North The Lake District 12km South Waiho River Westland National Park Tyne 120km Mountain Range Royal Palace city

6. Watch the following DVD clip called ‘Land and Time’. Watch from approx. 2mins 40secs in to about 8mins 30secs. Answer the questions and add as many more notes as possible to your notes sheet.

7. Have a look at the following diagram/graph. Let’s interpret it. What does it actually show? Describe the pattern using data.

8. Have a look at the following diagram/graph. Let’s interpret it. What does it actually show? Describe the pattern using data.

9. Retreat of the Franz Josef Glacier since the 19th Century. Describe the pattern.

10. A Symbolic Story: Listen to the following story and draw a number of pictures to illustrate the story. You are not allowed to use words at all (numbers are OK). Afterwards, try to re-tell your story to your partner. The Franz Josef Glacier is currently 12 km long and terminates 19 km from the Tasman Sea. It’s fed by a 20 square kilometres (7.7 sq mi) large snowfield at high altitude. It has a continuous pattern of advance and retreat, driven by differences between the volume of meltwater at the foot of the glacier and volume of snowfall feeding the névé (the névé is the beginning of the glacier, where most of the snow collects); this is the glacial budget of accumulation versus ablation. Due to strong snowfall it is one of the few glaciers in New Zealand which is still growing as of 2007, while others, mostly on the eastern side of the Southern Alps, have been shrinking heavily, a process attributed to global warming. Having retreated several kilometres between the 1940s and 1980s, the glacier entered an advancing phase in 1984 and at times has advanced at the phenomenal (by glacial standards) rate of 70 cm a day. The flow rate is about 10 times that of typical glaciers. Over the longer term, the glacier has retreated massively since the last ice age, and it is believed that it once extended into the sea some 10,000 to 15,000 years ago. This cyclic behaviour is well illustrated by a postage stamp issued in 1946, depicting the view from St James Anglican Church. The church was built in 1931, with a panoramic altar window to take advantage of its glacier-side location. By 1954, the glacier had disappeared from view from the church, but it reappeared in 1997. Based on past variations, scientists expect that the Franz Josef Glacier will retreat 5 km and lose 38% of its mass by 2100 due to global warming.