Skip to content

Donate

Search for:

Search for:

Menu

Discover The Institute, Environmental Learning Center & Ecosystem
Sign Up Learning Adventures for all ages
Retreat Book your conference or gathering
Blog Stories from the field
Shop Apparel, gifts & souvenirs
Support Become a donor
Directions & visitor info

Donate

Get updates

mushroom fall 2010 retreat

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Name

Email (will not be published)

Message

Δ

Blog

Blog Home
Naturalist Notes
Life at the Learning Center
Institute News
Mountain School
Youth Adventures
Adventures
Field Excursions
Photography

Recent Articles

What Water Holds: From the North Cascades to Village Books
Meet the Bigg’s Killer Whale (Orcinus orca)
The Power of Patience: Building Community in Youth Leadership Adventures
Sourdough Fire closes Learning Center through 2023
Nature of Writing Speaker Series ⎸ Fall 2023

Follow us on Instagram

ncascades

A deep dive into a unique feature of the North Cas

A deep dive into a unique feature of the North Cascades from @wyatt.mullen:

“What causes a glacial lake’s unique color? Why do they vary from robin’s egg blue to jade green to even milky white? What makes Diablo Lake so instagrammable? The simple answer is glaciers & glacial flour—basically an extremely fine sediment created by the grinding of glaciers on bedrock that remains suspended in bodies of water & contributes to their unique color, but I was not satisfied by that answer. I wanted to know why there was such variance in the colors of lakes.
Warning, the next section gets physicsy.
•
An alpine lake’s color is determined by both the concentration of glacial flour & suspended particle size. We can understand this better if we take examples from the extremes. Pure water (like Crater Lake) appears blue to our eyes for a similar reason to why the sky is blue. Water molecules scatter shorter wavelengths (violet and blue) of light preferentially (due to an inverse relationship with wavelength that scales with 1/λ^4) thus giving deep & clear water an indigo-blue tinge. At the other extreme, thick, silty, or muddy water—generally seen in recently uncovered milky lakes with large amounts of active sediment—has a high density of large particles & scatters light non selectively across all wavelengths (in the sky this is why clouds are white).
•
When the level of sediment and particle size are just right, something unique happens. Particles less than 2 μm in diameter (like those in glacial flour) preferentially absorb shorter (blue & violet) wavelengths of light. This means the violet and blue wavelengths scattered by the water are absorbed by the glacial flour before they can reach our eyes. The only wavelengths that remain are the intermediate wavelengths (which is this case correspond to a blue/green color). The denser the sediment, the more the hues will shift towards green until once again it gets so dense the lake becomes opaque.
•
This image is from filaments of glacier flour immediately after they exited a glacier & before they had a chance to mix more homogeneously. From different perspectives this lake appeared green, silver, and blue.”

📸: @wyatt.mullen

IT'S THE LAST WEEK TO VOTE! Have you voted for u

IT'S THE LAST WEEK TO VOTE!

Have you voted for us through Target Circle?! If not, there’s still time. See how you can help direct Target’s giving to benefit North Cascades Institute and our community by visiting target.com/circle.

🎯 Vote by this Saturday, September 30th to support transformative learning experiences in nature!

#northcascadesinstitute #environmentaleducation #donate #giveback

Did you get to spend your weekend doing the things

Did you get to spend your weekend doing the things you love with the people you love? ⁣
Tag your bestie/s in the comments and what you love doing with them.

📸: @sarina_pizzala

Have you voted for us through Target Circle?! If n

Have you voted for us through Target Circle?! If not, there’s still time! See how you can help direct Target’s giving to benefit North Cascades Institute and our community by visiting target.com/circle.

🎯 Vote by September 30th to support transformative learning experiences in nature!

#northcascadesinstitute #environmentaleducation #donate #giveback

The weekend approaches. ⁣ How will you spend you

The weekend approaches. ⁣
How will you spend your two wild and precious days? Camping, hiking, backpacking, couch surfing, popcorn eating (guilty).

📍Ancestral homelands of the Nlaka’pamux & Nooksack people
📸: @tgood07

This Saturday, September 23rd, is National Public

This Saturday, September 23rd, is National Public Lands Day! Held every year on the fourth Saturday in September, National Public Lands Day is the nation's largest single-day volunteer effort, and offers everyone the chance to VISIT A NATIONAL PARK FOR FREE!

The theme for this year—30 Years of Care and Community—celebrates the 30th year of National Public Lands Day. Join the celebration by volunteering at a national park site near you, or just have fun and enjoy the health benefits of being outdoors in a green space in your community.

Learn about volunteer opportunities at a national park near you : https://www.nps.gov/subjects/npscelebrates/public-lands-day.htm#CP_JUMP_6237013

📸 Photo Credit
Slide 1 : National Park Service
Slide 2 : Britt Coy, North Cascades National Park
Slide 3 : Britt Coy, Olympic National Park
Slide 4 : NPS Photo, Mount Rainier National Park
Slide 5 : National Park Service

#NPLD #NPSVolunteer #MyParkStory #getoutthere #getoutdoors #northcascadesinstitute #learnoutside #teachoutside #cascadiaexplored #wanderwashington #northcascades #getoutside #northcascadesnationalpark #optoutside #explorewashington #mountrainiernationalpark #olympicnationalpark

Happy #wildlifewednesday! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Happy #wildlifewednesday! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⁣
Did you know you can take your pup on any trail within Ross Lake & Lake Chelan Recreation Areas & in nearby Forest Service lands?! Not to mention out on the water with you. The recreation areas reside within the North Cascades National Park Service Complex and there is forest service land bordering much of the park. But once you hit that park boundary, no dogs allowed. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
If you choose to take your dog on the trail, please keep them on a leash and if taking them on the water put a dog life jacket on them & always pick up after your precious fur babe 💩. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Do you take your dog on adventures with you? What’s your favorite dog friendly activity you do together? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

📍Ancestral homelands of the Nlaka’pamux, Skagit & Sauk-Suiattle people ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
📸: @adventures_of_lil_roo (Photo taken at Baker Lake, located outside the park service complex on national forest land)

✨DEADLINE EXTENDED!✨ Are you in high school in

✨DEADLINE EXTENDED!✨ Are you in high school in #Whatcom or #Skagit County? Are you ready to take action and make a difference in your community?!

Offered in partnership with RE Sources, Youth for the Environment and People (YEP!) is an opportunity for students to share ideas and passions, learn about climate change solutions, engage in local stewardship, and work on a group action project. And, of course, have fun! It's a time when adults step back and create space for youth voices and leadership like YOURS, and advocacy on issues YOU care about.

LEARN MORE & APPLY at the link in our bio!

#connectoutside #northcascadesinstitute
#youthactivists #changemakers #learningisfun #climatesolutions #youthleaders #youthaction #climateaction #environmentaleducation #teachoutside #learnoutside

Larch season is just around the corner! Who’s re

Larch season is just around the corner! Who’s ready? 🙋🏻‍♀️🍂⁣
📍Ancestral homelands of the Nlaka’pamux, Syilx (Okanagan), Methow & Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation
📸: @brandy___marie

Load More... Follow on Instagram

Enter your email address to be notified when a new post is published!

Discover
Sign Up
Retreat
Support

Directions & visitor info

(360) 854-2599 info@ncascades.org Contact

Get updates

Careers Media

© North Cascades Institute|Privacy Policy