Worthington Glacier

Located just outside Valdez, Alaska, Worthington Glacier boasts some spectacular views. As usual, our photos of the glacier (and the valley) don't do it justice. Like most of Alaska’s glaciers, this valley glacier has been steadily retreating for the last 150 years, but not as dramatically as many others. The upper basin sits at 5,500 feet and collects about 28 feet of snow each year.

Worthington Glacier is part of an on-going study funded by the National Science Foundation to study ice flow dynamics as they relate to climate change. By comparing movement at Worthington with numerical models for glacier flow, scientists hope to answer important questions about the future of climate change. The glacier is named for the transit man of an 1899 survey party mapping an ice-free corridor to Alaska’s interior who survived being swept away in a glacial stream.