Yukon Geological Survey publication metadata (English, HTML)

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Publisher-reported update

2026-08-26

Over the past several decades, the rate of temperature increase in the Arctic has been twice that of the rest of the planet. Climate modeling suggests that this region will experience greater climate warming over the remainder of this century than other parts of the world. We are studying the effects of recent, rapid and significant warming on physical environments of southern Yukon Territory, which is within sub-Arctic Canada. In this paper, we document rapid glacier retreat in the Wheaton River watershed, which presently supports the only glaciers on southern Yukon Plateau. Our research involves study of the largest of the glaciers in the Wheaton watershed, hereafter referred to informally as “Wheaton Glacier”. It addresses three questions: How has Wheaton Glacier changed over the past century? What is the relationship between historic activity of the glacier and regional climate? What have been the effects of climate warming and glacier retreat on the watershed? Wheaton Glacier has shrunk in area by 41% since the first photographs of it were taken in 1948. Glacier retreat has accelerated in the past 40 years, and the glacier is now so thin and short that it may disappear…

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