Michael Loso + Katelyn Goodwin Trajectory and fate of Human Waste on Denali's Kahiltna Glacier Exit Strategies Conference 2010 Sustainable Summits Initiative

1. 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
NPSphoto

2. Loso Exit 7/31/2010
The Problem
Kahiltna Glacier is the busiest “trail” in the Denali National Park wilderness, and it
has the least capacity to degrade human waste
0
2000
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2007
Pounds
Year
Kahiltna Total
Cumulative waste
burial 1970-2007
243,000 lbs

3. Loso Exit 7/31/2010
The Kahiltna
Basecamp
K Pass
Heartbreak Hill
11,200’ camp
Index Site
Ski Hill
7800’ camp

4. 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

5. Loso Exit 7/31/2010
Trajectory: ice vectors
Alaska Pacific University (2007-2009)
National Park Service (1991-2002)
• 5-65 cm/day
• Mainstem typical 40-50 cm/day (~500’ / yr)
net balance
accumulation
ablation
ELA

6. Loso Exit 7/31/2010
Trajectory: model predictions
Burial: 3360 m
Emergence: 1060 m
51 km downstream
405 years later

7. 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 314
Top ski hill 2777 43 1260 247
7800’ camp 2322 37 1415 168
Heartbreak 1992 30 1634 55
Index Site 1930 28 1690 32

8. 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 KatieGoodwinphoto

9. 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’

10. Loso Exit 7/31/2010
Fate: buried waste
Easting (m)
Nanoteslas

11. Loso Exit 7/31/2010
Fate: emergent waste
0
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6000
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
MPN
Freeze/Thaw cycles
Total coliform
E. coli
• Lab results: freeze-thaw cycles kill off microbes
• Physical degradation rate?
• Field search in August

12. 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.

13. 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
KatieGoodwinphoto
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

14. Loso Exit 7/31/2010
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
Denali National Park and Preserve
Murie Science and Learning Center
Alaska Pacific University
FIELD ASSISTANCE
NPS mountaineering rangers and patrol members
Jill Michalak
Dustin English
LAB AND LOGISTICAL SUPPORT
Rusty Myers
Jason Geck
Louis Sass
Thanks