Download - Michael Loso + Katelyn Goodwin - Trajectory and Fate of Human Waste on Denali's Kahiltna Glacier
Loso Exit 7/31/2010
Trajectory and fate of crevassed
human waste on Denali’s Kahiltna Glacier
Michael G. Loso, Ph.D.Katelyn Goodwin, MS candidate
Alaska Pacific University
Funded by Denali National Park and Preserve
NP
S p
hoto
Loso Exit 7/31/2010
The ProblemKahiltna Glacier is the busiest “trail” in the Denali National Park
wilderness, and it has the least capacity to degrade human waste19
7019
7119
7219
7319
7419
7519
7619
7719
7819
7919
8019
8119
8219
8319
8419
8519
8619
8719
8819
8919
9019
9119
9219
9319
9419
9519
9619
9719
9819
9920
0020
0120
0220
0320
0420
0520
0620
07
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
Kahiltna Total
Year
Poun
ds
Cumulative waste burial 1970-2007
243,000 lbs
Loso Exit 7/31/2010
The Kahiltna
Basecamp
K Pass
Heartbreak Hill
11,200’ camp
Index Site
Ski Hill
7800’ camp
Loso Exit 7/31/2010
Out of sight, out of mind?
• Trajectory– Where will it emerge?– When?
• Fate– Biologically active after burial?– Present in runoff?– Aesthetics?
Burial
Emergence
Loso Exit 7/31/2010
Trajectory: ice vectors
Alaska Pacific University (2007-2009)National Park Service (1991-2002)CRREL/UNH (2009)
half m
eter per day
• 5-65 cm/day • Mainstem typical 40-50 cm/day (~500’ /
yr)
net balance
accumulation
ablation
ELA
Loso Exit 7/31/2010
Trajectory: model predictions
Burial: 3360 m
Emergence: 1060 m 51 km downstream 405 years later
Loso Exit 7/31/2010
Trajectory: model predictions
Crevasse Location
Elevation (m)
Distance to
meltout (km)
Elevation at meltout
(m)
Years to
meltout
11,200’ Camp
3360 51 1060 405
K Pass curve 3062 46 1174 314Top ski hill 2777 43 1260 247
7800’ camp 2322 37 1415 168Heartbreak 1992 30 1634 55Index Site 1930 28 1690 32
Loso Exit 7/31/2010
Fate: biological activity• When in the “life cycle” of crevassed
waste is it a health hazard?• Indicators:
• fecal coliform • E. coli• others?
• Sampling strategies:• Glacier surface• Buried• Emergent• Meltwater runoff
Kat
ie G
oodw
in p
hoto
Loso Exit 7/31/2010
Fate: glacier surface
10 m
• Current disposal practices mostly effective, but…
• fecal coliform and E. coli present in pee holes near camps
• Improper disposal common on summit day
• coliform and E. coli present in year old surface sample from 18,900’
Loso Exit 7/31/2010
Fate: emergent waste
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 110
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
Total coliform
E. coli
Freeze/Thaw cycles
MPN
• Lab results: freeze-thaw cycles kill off microbes• Physical degradation rate?• Field search in August
Loso Exit 7/31/2010
Fate: meltwater runoff• Does buried or emergent waste
contaminate water supply?• Strategy: sample Kahiltna River and
supraglacial ponds• Control: sample tributary (non-glacial)
streams
• Whiteman et al. (2005) found Salmonella and Pseudomonas spp in stream exiting Glacier du Mont Mine, Switzerland. Attributed to mountain hut at head of glacier.
Loso Exit 7/31/2010
Summary• >100 tons of waste buried in the
Kahiltna• Emergence certain within 30-400
years• Biological activity likely after
emergence• Aesthetic impact uncertain
Kat
ie G
oodw
in p
hoto
NEXT STEPS• Search for emergent waste in
August• Improved mass balance model and
lower glacier velocities• Excavate buried waste in spring
2011 • Test for broader suite of pathogens