Columbia Glacier
Columbia Glacier in southcentral Alaska is a large tidewater glacier that flows into Prince William Sound. Since the 1980s it has undergone dramatic retreat and rapid thinning, with the terminus retreating tens of kilometers as the glacier has retreated from a formerly grounded stable position to a much smaller, faster-flowing state.
This glacier is a classic case of tidewater glacier retreat driven by dynamic thinning and increased calving as well as atmospheric warming; the rapid loss has contributed to local sea-level changes and freshwater input into coastal ecosystems and has been extensively studied as a model for fast glacier change.