West Northwall Firn
Encyclopedia
The West Northwall Firn is a glacial body near the peak of Puncak Jaya
(sometimes called Mount Carstensz or the Carstensz Pyramid) which is a mountain in the Sudirman Range
, western central highlands of Papua province
, Indonesia
. The glacier is situated at an altitude of approximately 4750 metres (15,584 ft) and is 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) north of the summit tower of Puncak Jaya.
The Northwall Firn split into several separate glaciers since 1936, the largest two remnants being the West Northwall Firm and the East Northwall Firn
. Research presented in 2004 of IKONOS
satellite imagery
of the New Guinean glaciers indicated that in the two years from 2000 to 2002, the West Northwall Firn had lost a further 19.4% of it's surface area. An expedition to the remaining glaciers on Puncak Jaya in 2010 discovered that the ice on the glaciers there is about 32 metres (105 ft) thick and thinning at a rate of 7 metres (23 ft) annually. At that rate, the remaining glaciers in the immediate region near Puncak Jaya are expected to last only to the year 2015.
The West Northwall Firn is a remnant glacier that was once part of an icecap that developed approximately 5,000 years ago. At least one previous icecap also existed in the region between 15,000 and 7,000 years ago, when it also apparently melted away and disappeared.
Puncak Jaya
Puncak Jaya or Carstensz Pyramid is the highest summit of Mount Carstensz in the Sudirman Range of the western central highlands of Papua province, Indonesia . Other summits are East Carstensz Peak and Ngga Pulu...
(sometimes called Mount Carstensz or the Carstensz Pyramid) which is a mountain in the Sudirman Range
Sudirman Range
The Sudirman Range or Dugunduguoo or Nassau Range is a mountain range in Papua province, Indonesia.Located at , it comprises a western portion of the Maoke Mountains. The highest peak in Oceania and Australasia, Puncak Jaya , is located here, as well as the large Grasberg copper and gold mine,...
, western central highlands of Papua province
Papua (Indonesian province)
Papua comprises most of the western half of the island of New Guinea and nearby islands. Its capital is Jayapura. It's the largest and easternmost province of Indonesia. The province originally covered the entire western half of New Guinea...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. The glacier is situated at an altitude of approximately 4750 metres (15,584 ft) and is 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) north of the summit tower of Puncak Jaya.
East Northwall Firn
The East Northwall Firn is a glacier near the peak of Puncak Jaya which is a mountain in the Sudirman Range, western central highlands of Papua province, Indonesia. The glacier is situated at an altitude of approximately and is northeast of the summit tower of Puncak Jaya...
. Research presented in 2004 of IKONOS
IKONOS
IKONOS is a commercial earth observation satellite, and was the first to collect publicly available high-resolution imagery at 1- and 4-meter resolution. It offers multispectral and panchromatic imagery. The IKONOS launch was called by John E. Pike “one of the most significant developments in...
satellite imagery
Satellite imagery
Satellite imagery consists of photographs of Earth or other planets made by means of artificial satellites.- History :The first images from space were taken on sub-orbital flights. The U.S-launched V-2 flight on October 24, 1946 took one image every 1.5 seconds...
of the New Guinean glaciers indicated that in the two years from 2000 to 2002, the West Northwall Firn had lost a further 19.4% of it's surface area. An expedition to the remaining glaciers on Puncak Jaya in 2010 discovered that the ice on the glaciers there is about 32 metres (105 ft) thick and thinning at a rate of 7 metres (23 ft) annually. At that rate, the remaining glaciers in the immediate region near Puncak Jaya are expected to last only to the year 2015.
The West Northwall Firn is a remnant glacier that was once part of an icecap that developed approximately 5,000 years ago. At least one previous icecap also existed in the region between 15,000 and 7,000 years ago, when it also apparently melted away and disappeared.