Regional‐Scale Response of Glacier Speed to Seasonal Runoff Variations on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska

Abstract Seasonal variations in glacier motion are influenced by water supply and associated changes in subglacial drainage systems. Few studies have investigated how year‐to‐year variations in glacier runoff modify these seasonal speed patterns. We analyze more than 200 correlations between glacier surface speed and runoff for 77 glaciers (∼3,070 km 2 ) on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, from 2015 to 2019. Correlations for the same‐month or same‐season were typically weak or insignificant. However, lower‐than‐average ice speeds in a given month or season often correspond with higher‐than‐average runoff in preceding months or seasons. Delays up to 9 months (e.g., correlations between April speed and preceding July runoff), suggest the impact of interannual runoff variations on ice speed lasts longer than previously documented. Unlike previous studies in the region and elsewhere, winter speed and summer runoff are weakly correlated or uncorrelated, while winter speed negatively correlates with October/November runoff.