bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ice–water interactions during floods from Grænalón glacier-dammed lake, Iceland
Authors: Roberts Matthew J. , Pálsson Finnur , Gudmundsson Magnús Tumi , Björnsson Helgi , Tweed Fiona S.
Published: November 2007

This paper explores changing ice–water interactions during jökulhlaups from Grænalón, a 5 × 108m3 subaerial lake dammed by Skeiðarárjökull, Iceland. Unstable drainage of Grænalón since the early 20th century has resulted in 45 jökulhlaups whose hydrologic character has varied enormously. Geomorphic observations and geophysical measurements from the inlet and outlet zones of the subglacial floodwater tract constrained the hydromechanical factors governing ice–water interactions at Grænalón. To date, three distinct drainage regimes have occurred in response to the changing surface elevation of Grænalón. Shifts from one drainage regime to another involved pronounced changes in jökulhlaup magnitude, timing and cyclicity. Present hydraulic conditions for lake drainage differ from the classical view of a pressure-coupled lake draining directly beneath an ice dam. Instead, low-amplitude drawdown occurs at regular, frequent intervals when hydrostatic pressure in a shallow, rock–ice trench enables water to flow beneath a sagging ice barrier. Floodwater exits Skeiðarárjökull in a supercooled state due to rapid hydraulic displacement from an overdeepened subglacial basin.
Biological ice-core analysis of Sofiyskiy glacier in the Russian Altai
Authors: Uetake J. , Kohshima S. , Nakazawa F. , Suzuki K. , Kohno M. , Kameda T. , Arkhipov S. , Fujii Y.
Published: November 2007

We examined microorganisms and pollen in a pit (4.5m deep) and a shallow ice core (25.01m long) from Sofiyskiy glacier in the Altai mountains of Russia for potential use in dating ice cores from a mid-latitude glacier. The ice-core and pit samples contained various green algae, cyanobacteria, bacteria, fungi and pollen. In the vertical profiles of the pit, algal biomass peaks corresponded to high δ18O layers and Pinaceae pollen peaks, suggesting that these algae grew during the melt season. In contrast, the layer with the lowest δ18O contained almost no algal cells. Major peaks of the cyanobacteria, bacteria and a fungus roughly corresponded to those of the algae. However, seasonal changes in these microorganisms became indistinct deeper in the core, as did the seasonal variation in δ18O and major ions, most likely due to heavy meltwater percolation and/or post-depositional decomposition. In contrast, clear seasonal cycles were evident in the algal biomass and pollen in snow samples. Assuming that the peaks of the snow algae and Pinaceae pollen marked summer layers and that the layers with almost no snow algae represented the winter layers, we estimated that the ice core contained 16 annual layers (1985–2001). The mean annual mass balance for the period was estimated to be 1.01mw.e. The value agreed well with those estimated from stake measurements, indicating that snow algae and pollen could provide reliable boundary markers of annual layers in the ice cores of this region.
A study on the vertical profile of bacterial DNA structure in the Puruogangri (Tibetan Plateau) ice core using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis
Authors: Zhang Xinfang , Yao Tandong , An Lizhe , Tian Lide , Xu Shijian
Published: November 2007

The bacterial DNA structures at different depths in the Puruogangri (Tibetan Plateau) ice core (83.45m) were investigated by the denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) DNA fingerprinting technique. DGGE profiles indicated that the bacterial species diversity in glacial ice is high, and indigenous species represented by common bands in all samples may grow on the glacial surface. Bacterial diversity, as estimated by Shannon indices (mean 2.91; SD 0.25; n = 13), was comparable to that of soil habitats and had a positive correlation with Ca2+ concentration (R = 0.71; P< 0.01), a good proxy of dust. This suggested that the soil ecosystem was the main source of bacteria in this glacier. The low similarity indices (0–43%) were found between the ice-core samples, which corresponded to the episodic deposition under defined climatic conditions and low activity of microorganisms in glacial ice. The profiles of bacterial species composition in glacial ice may be a bio-indicator of climatic changes or dating.
Ice volumetric changes on active volcanoes in southern Chile
Authors: Rivera Andrés , Bown Francisca , Mella Ronald , Wendt Jens , Casassa Gino , Acuña César , Rignot Eric , Clavero Jorge , Brock Benjamin
Published: November 2007

Most of the glaciers in southern Chile have been retreating and shrinking during recent decades in response to atmospheric warming and decrease in precipitation. However, some glacier fluctuations are directly associated with the effusive and geothermal activity of ice-covered active volcanoes widely distributed in the region. The aim of this paper is to study the ice volumetric changes by comparing several topographic datasets. A maximum mean ice thinning rate of 0.81 ± 0.45 m a−1 was observed on the ash/debris-covered ablation area of Volcan Villarrica between 1961 and 2004, whilst on Volcan Mocho the signal-to-noise ratio was too small to yield any conclusion. An area reduction of 0.036 ±0.019 km2 a−1 since 1976 was obtained on Glaciar Mocho, while on Volcan Villarrica the area change was −0.090 ± 0.034 km2 a−1 between 1976 and 2005. Glaciers on active volcanoes are therefore shrinking, mainly in response to climatic driving factors. However, volcanic activity is affecting glaciers in two opposite ways: ash/debris advection is helping to reduce surface ablation at lower reaches by insulating the ice from solar radiation, while geothermal activity is probably enhancing melting and water production at the bedrock, resulting in negative ice-elevation changes.
Seasonal and spatial variability in snow chemistry at Eclipse Icefield, Yukon, Canada
Authors: Yalcin Kaplan , Wake Cameron P. , Kang Shichang , Kreutz Karl J. , Whitlow Sallie I.
Published: November 2007

Samples collected from four snow pits at Eclipse Icefield, Yukon, Canada, were analyzed for stable isotopes and major ions to assess seasonal and spatial variability in snow chemistry. Accumulation since the end of the 2001 summer season over the 0.1 km2 area sampled ranges from 0.77 to 1.16mw.e. Snow-pit stratigraphy and chemical records demonstrate that the low accumulation at pit 3 is due to an under-representation of winter snow accumulation at that site. For all major-ion species, chemical concentrations are independent of snow accumulation rate. Seasonal variations are evident in the major-ion records and can be divided between sea-salt species (Na+, Cl−) that peak in late fall to winter, and dust (Ca2+, Mg2+, K+) and other species (NH4+, NO3−, SO42–, C2O22–) that peak in late spring to summer. The signal common to all four snow pits identified by empirical orthogonal function analysis ranges from 49% of the total variance for Na+ and Cl− to as high as 80% of the total variance for SO42–. There is greater spatial variability in species associated with coarse-mode particles (Na+, Cl−, Ca2+, Mg2+) than in species present mainly in accumulation-mode aerosols (SO42–, NH4+) or in the gas phase (NO3−).
A potential high-elevation ice-core site at Hielo Patagόnico Sur
Authors: Schwikowski Margit , Brütsch Sabina , Casassa Gino , Rivera Andrés
Published: November 2007

The Patagonia icefields constitute a unique location in the Southern Hemisphere for obtaining non-polar paleo-records from ice cores south of 45°S. Nevertheless, no ice-core record with meaningful paleoclimate information has yet been obtained from Patagonia. This deficiency is due to extremely harsh field conditions, and to the fact that the main plateaus of both Hielo Patagónico Norte (HPN; northern Patagonia icefield) and Hielo Patagónico Sur (HPS; southern Patagonia icefield) are strongly affected by meltwater percolation. In order to explore the suitability of high-elevation glacier sites at HPS as paleoclimate archives, three shallow firn cores were retrieved covering the altitude range 1543−2300 ma.s.l. The glaciochemical records from the two lower sites confirm the presence of superimposed ice, a clear sign of meltwater formation and percolation. In the core from 2300 m, the glaciochemical signature appears to be preserved, indicating that no significant melting occurred. Although there might be problems associated with wind erosion and extreme melt events, there is good potential for well-preserved paleo-records within glaciers in the Patagonia icefields located higher than 2300 m.
Seasonal variability of ionic concentrations in surface snow and elution processes in snow–firn packs at the PGPI site on Ürümqi glacier No. 1, eastern Tien Shan, China
Authors: Li Zhongqin , Edwards Ross , Mosley-Thompson E. , Wang Feiteng , Dong Zhibao , You Xiaoni , Li Huilin , Li Chuanjin , Zhu Yuman
Published: November 2007

To investigate the effects of both non-meltwater and meltwater-related post-depositional processes on chemical species within the snow–firn pack, a research program, the Program for Glacier Processes Investigation, was initiated in July 2002 by the Tien Shan Glaciological Station, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The seasonal variability of the ionic concentrations in surface snow samples and ion elution behavior in the snow–firn pack were assessed from surface samples collected year-round and 1011 samples collected from a snow pit at weekly intervals from September 2003 through September 2004. The results indicate that elevated ionic concentrations in spring and summer result from Asian dust-storm-derived aerosol input and other aerosols entrained in precipitation. Potential sources of these chemical species are explored using correlation and factor analyses. The elution sequence through the snow–firn pack was determined to be SO42– >Ca2+> Na+>NO3− >Cl−>K+> Mg2+ >NH4+. The elution of ions at the sampling site was found to be driven primarily by air temperature and became evident when a diurnal mean temperature of –3.6˚C was attained. At 0.3˚C all of the year-round new ionic input was leached from the snow.
Glaciological characteristics of the ablation zone of Baltoro glacier, Karakoram, Pakistan
Authors: Mayer C. , Lambrecht A. , Belò M. , Smiraglia C. , Diolaiuti G.
Published: November 2007

Baltoro glacier in the Karakoram, Pakistan, is one of the world’s largest valley glaciers. It drains an area of about 1500 km2 and is >60km long. In 2004 an Italian/German expedition carried out a glaciological field program on the ablation zone of the glacier, focusing on the ablation conditions and the dynamic state of the glacier. As Baltoro glacier is a debris-covered glacier, ice ablation also depends on the debris properties. Stake measurements of ice ablation and debris cover in combination with meteorological data from automatic weather stations close by have been used to determine the local melt conditions. Results from these calculations have been combined with an analysis of different classes of surface cover and information about precipitation, using remote-sensing techniques, in order to calculate mass fluxes for the upper part of Baltoro glacier. The dynamic state of the glacier has been investigated by GPS-based surface velocity measurements along the stake network. A comparison of these short-term measurements during the melt season with surface velocities computed from feature tracking of satellite images shows a high seasonal variability of the ice motion. We have shown that this variability is up to 100% of the annual mean velocity. On the basis of these investigations, the mass fluxes at the Concordia cross-section have been quantified. This approach can now be used together with the ablation calculations to reconstruct the variability of glacier extent and volume in the past using available climate data from the central Karakoram. From the comparison of historical measurements and photographs it is shown that the snout of Baltoro glacier is oscillating back and forth a couple of hundred metres. Otherwise it seems not to react with the same magnitude as other glaciers to the climatic change. Elevation changes at Concordia are a few tens of metres at the most.
Seasonal and spatial variations of snow chemistry on Mount Logan, Yukon, Canada
Authors: Goto-Azuma Kumiko , Koerner Roy M. , Demuth Michael N. , Watanabe Okitsugu
Published: November 2007

Three ice cores were recovered on or near Mount Logan, Yukon, Canada, at 3017, 4135 and 5340 ma.s.l. in 2002. Prior to ice-core drilling, we collected snow-pit and shallow core samples from Mount Logan in 2001 to study seasonal and spatial variations of snow chemistry. We dug snow pits at six sites between 2420 and 5340 m a.s.l. before the beginning of the melt season, with the exception of a pit at 3180 m a.s.l., where the melt season had just started but had affected only the near-surface stratigraphy. Three of the pits were extended deeper with a shallow core. The snow-pit and core samples were analyzed for ion chemistry and δ18O. A series of depth profiles of ions and δ18O shows spatial variations, though characteristic peaks can usually be traced across all the profiles. Concentrations and deposition fluxes of Na+ and Cl−, which are mainly of sea-salt origin, decrease with altitude. On the other hand, deposition fluxes of NO3−, SO42–, Ca2+ and NH4+ show a weak positive relationship with elevation below the summit plateau. Stable isotopes (δ18O) decrease with altitude, with a distinctive jump between 3200 and 4500 m a.s.l., as was reported previously. Stable isotopes (δ18O), Cl−, CH3SO3− (MSA), Na+ and Ca2+ show clear seasonal variations, which would enable us to date the cores by annual-layer counting.
A snow algal community on Akkem glacier in the Russian Altai mountains
Authors: Takeuchi Nozomu , Uetake Jun , Fujita Koji , Aizen Vladimir B. , Nikitin Stanislav D.
Published: November 2007

Snow algae are cold-tolerant algae growing on snow and ice and have been reported on glaciers in many parts of the world. Blooms of snow algae can reduce the surface albedo of snow and ice and significantly affect their melting. In addition, snow algae found in ice cores can be potential indicators of the paleo-environment, making them of great interest both to the biology and the geophysics of glaciers. A snow algal community was investigated in 2002 and 2003 on Akkem glacier in the Russian Altai mountains, where no information on its biological community has previously been available. Five species of snow algae including green algae and cyanobacteria were observed on the glacier. Red snow due to a bloom of algae (Chloromonas sp.) was visually apparent in the snow area during our study periods. The total algal cell-volume biomass on the glacier ranged from 97 to 1156μL m−2, which is equivalent to that reported previously on glaciers in the Himalaya and Alaska. The community structure showed that Mesotaenium berggrenii and/or Ancylonema nordenskioeldii, which are common species on glaciers in the Northern Hemisphere, were dominant in the ice area, while Chloromonas sp. was dominant in the snow area. Such community structures are similar to those on Alaskan and Arctic glaciers but differ from those on Himalayan and Tibetan glaciers, even though the Altai mountains are geographically closer to the Himalaya and Tibet than to Alaska. The difference in algal communities between the Altaic and other glaciers is discussed together with physical and chemical conditions affecting the algae.
δ18O records from Tibetan ice cores reveal differences in climatic changes
Authors: Yao Tandong , Li Zexia , Thompson Lonnie G. , Mosley-Thompson Ellen , Wang Youqing , Tian Lide , Wang Ninglian , Duan Keqin
Published: November 2007

Observations of the δ18O in precipitation from four ice cores (Puruogangri, Dasuopu, Guliya and Dunde) from the Tibetan Plateau (TP) provide additional important perspectives on climatic warming during the 20th century in a region where there is a lack of instrumental and observational climate data. The average δ18O and surface air temperature over the TP show very similar fluctuations since 1955, which provides new evidence that the δ18O in the ice cores is at least in part a temperature signal. Nevertheless differences and similarities exist among the four records. Some climatic events, particularly the major cooling episodes, are synchronously recorded in Puruogangri and Dasuopu and in the Bange meteorological air-temperature record. The major features of the ice cores allow them to be classified into two groups, the northern TP group (Dunde and Guliya) and southern TP group (Puruogangri and Dasuopu). This classification is determined by the different processes driving climate change between the northern and southern regions of the TP. Moreover, the δ18O variability between the ice cores within each region further documents the smaller-scale regional variability.
Modification of three ice-core δ18O records from an area of high melt
Authors: Shugui Hou , Jiawen Ren , Dahe Qin
Published: November 2007

Stable oxygen isotope ratios (δ18O) of three shallow ice cores (extending back to 1963) from Urümqi glacier No. 1 at the headwater of Urümqi river, Tien Shan, northwest China, were used to test the relationship between δ18O and contemporaneous surface air temperature (Ta). The ice cores were dated using the seasonal stable-isotopic signals, and seven insoluble particulate β-activity horizons associated with known nuclear tests. Although a strong positive relationship exists between δ18O in precipitation and Ta at our study site, this relationship is not preserved between the annually averaged ice-core δ18O records and the local temperature due to post-depositional modification. These results indicate that the processes forming the ice-core chemical records in areas of high melt must be understood before the δ18O record can be confidently interpreted as a climatic indicator.
Estimation of atmospheric transmissivity of solar radiation from precipitation in the Himalaya and the Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Matsuda Yoshihiro , Fujita Koji , Ageta Yutaka , Sakai Akiko
Published: November 2007

Though solar radiation is important for glacier mass-balance simulation, solar radiation data are not always available. As a result of analyzing meteorological data measured in the Himalaya and the Tibetan Plateau, a favorable correlation between precipitation and atmospheric transmissivity of solar radiation is found in terms of monthly values. Monthly mean solar radiation is derived from the relationship between atmospheric transmissivity of solar radiation and precipitation with input of monthly precipitation, latitude, skyline and time. The differences between estimated and observed monthly mean solar radiation are <40Wm−2 in most cases. However, the differences at some sites are significantly large. The error in the estimated solar radiation during the monsoon season can be large when the monthly mean precipitation rate is about 5 mm d−1. Though the error in the estimated solar radiation during the non-monsoon season is generally small due to low precipitation in the Himalaya and the Tibetan Plateau during this season, it can exceed 100 W m−2.
Peculiar phenomena regarding climatic and glacial variations on the Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Shi Yafeng , Liu Shiyin , Shangguan Donghui , Li Donglian , Ye Baisheng
Published: November 2007

In contrast to the worldwide intensive warming and consequent glacier shrinkage during the last 30 years, two peculiar phenomena have been observed on the Tibetan Plateau: (1) the temperature has decreased about 0.6˚C on the northern Tibetan Plateau, with smaller than average glacier retreat and meltwater discharge, and (2) a number of glaciers have been advancing on the southeast Tibetan Plateau in response to increased precipitation. These observations indicate the complex nature of the response of glaciers to climate changes.
Correlation between precipitation and temperature variations in the past 300 years recorded in Guliya ice core, China
Authors: Yang Meixue , Yao Tandong , Wang Huijun , Gou Xiaohua
Published: November 2007

The Guliya ice cap, on the crest of the Kunlun Shan, central Asia, is an ideal site for acquiring ice cores for climate-change studies. Detailed analyses of the precipitation index (glacier accumulation) and the temperature proxy (δ18O) recorded in the Guliya ice core since 300 years BP show that precipitation correlates with temperature in this region. Climate conditions in the Guliya region since 300 years BP can be separated into three periods: warm and wet from AD 1690 to the end of the 18th century; cold and dry from the 19th century to the 1930s; and warm and wet again since the 1940s. During this period, the climate exhibits just two phases: warm/wet and cold/dry. Comparison of the temperatures and the precipitation recorded in the Guliya ice core shows that variations of temperature and precipitation in the region correlate quite well. However, changes in the precipitation regime appear to lag behind those of the temperature by 20–40 years. We believe this results from the larger heat capacity of the ocean relative to that of the land. Hence, ocean temperatures and corresponding evaporation rates change more slowly than do continental conditions. Additionally, however, positive feedback processes, such as increasing temperatures and precipitation improving vegetation, moisture retention and, hence, local convective precipitation probably play an important role. In this paper, we explain how the timescale of evolving vegetation and the feedback mechanism between precipitation and the temperature could help explain why the changes in precipitation lag those of temperature by 20–40 years over long periods. Taking this time lag into account, we should be able to predict future precipitation trends, based on observed temperature trends.
A first shallow firn-core record from Glaciar La Ollada, Cerro Mercedario, central Argentine Andes
Authors: Bolius David , Schwikowski Margit , Jenk Theo , Gäggeler Heinz W. , Casassa Gino , Rivera Andrés
Published: November 2007

In January 2003, shallow firn cores were recovered from Glaciar Esmeralda on Cerro del Plomo (33°14’S, 70°13’W; 5300 ma.s.l.), central Chile, and from Glaciar La Ollada on Cerro Mercedario (31°58’S, 70°07’W; 6070 ma.s.l.), Argentina, in order to find a suitable archive for paleoclimate reconstruction in a region strongly influenced by the El Nino-Southern Oscillation. In the area between 28°S and 35°S, the amount of winter precipitation is significantly correlated to the Southern Oscillation Index, with higher values during El Nino years. Glaciochemical analysis indicates that the paleo-record at Glaciar La Ollada is well preserved, whereas at Glaciar Esmeralda the record is strongly influenced by meltwater formation and percolation. A preliminary dating of the Mercedario core by annual-layer counting results in a time-span of 17 years (1986-2002), yielding an average annual net accumulation of 0.45 m w.e.
Effect of heavy snowfall on ground temperature, northern Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Yang Meixue , Yao Tandong , Gou Xiaohua , Wang Huijun
Published: November 2007

Very heavy snowfall occurred in the Amdo-Nagqu region during winter 1997/98, and enormous numbers of sheep and yaks died due to starvation and low temperatures. Some observation sites of the GEWEX (Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment) Asian Monsoon Experiment (GAME)-Tibet are located in this area. In this paper, the variation of the ground temperature (GT) on the northern part of the Tibetan Plateau and its relationship with the heavy snow cover is analyzed based on the GAME-Tibet in situ observational data at several sites. The temporal and spatial differences of the variations of the daily maximum, daily minimum and range in GT are significant in 1997/98 in the northern part of the Tibetan Plateau. For example, at site D110, the daily range in GT fluctuated only 0.2˚C from the end of December 1997 to mid-April 1998, but in the north, at site D66, the daily range in GT fluctuated between 5˚C and ∼20˚C at the same depth and during the same period. At the southernmost site, MS3637, the daily range in GT fluctuated within 1.0˚C from mid-November to early February. From mid-February to mid-March, the daily range in GT increased and the peak was 8.1 ˚C. The temperature variation was related to the heavy snowfall that occurred on the northern Tibetan Plateau in winter 1997/98. The snow-cover conditions at different sites on the northern Tibetan Plateau were evaluated quantitatively from the variation of the GT at shallow depths.
Comparison of Holocene electrical records from Dome C and Vostok, Antarctica
Authors: Wolff Eric , Basile Isabelle , Petit Jean-Robert , Schwander Jakob
Published: November 2007

As part of the European Project for Ice Goring in Antarctica, a new deep ice core is being drilled at Dome C. Two electrical methods have been used on the core drilled so far: a new design of electrical conductivity method (EGM) instrument, and a traditional dielectric profiler. The two profiles are very similar in both peaks and background, consistent with acidity being the dominant influence on both in this part of the record. The Dome C records have been compared to EGM records from Vostok, and a tentative match has been made between them. This suggests a long-term average ratio of accumulation rate of 1.36 between this Dome C core and Vostok, and that the Dome C core analyzed so far (to 358 m) probably includes the very end of the Glacial-Holocene transition.
Spatial variability at shallow snow-layer depths in central Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica
Authors: Richardson Cecilia , Holmlund Per
Published: November 2007

The spatial variability in snow accumulation varies between different regions in Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica. This pattern cannot easily be explained by the single action of parameters such as distance to open sea, surface elevation or slope. In 1996-97 we mapped snow-layer depths within the top 11 m of the snowpack with a ground-based radar along a 500 km traverse on the polar plateau in central Dronning Maud Land. The results showed that the general accumulation pattern could be described by three major characteristic sections: a pronounced trend of decreasing net accumulation with increasing altitude from 2400 to 2840 m a.s.l.; relatively high erosion rates and occurrence of areas with net erosion at 2840-3140 m a.s.l.; and a slight trend of decreasing net accumulation with increasing altitude from 3140 to 3450 m a.s.l. The spatial variability in snow-layer depths showed a marked change around 3080 m a.s.l., with high variability at lower elevations and low variability at higher elevations. We also determined the spatial representativeness of 11 firn cores drilled along the traverse. In general, the representativeness of the cores was high. However, the core with the lowest representativeness underestimated the mean accumulation rate around the coring site by 22%. This shows that snow-radar data on spatial snow distribution are important for the interpretation of accumulation rates obtained from firn and ice cores.
Modelling of anisotropic ice flow in Law Dome, East Antarctica
Authors: L.Wang W. , Warner Roland C.
Published: November 2007

A model for ice flow in a polar ice sheet is presented. It is based on laboratory measurements of ice rheology, and includes the effect of anisotropic-flow enhancement in tertiary creep as the ice progresses through a range of stress regimes as it passes through the ice sheet. This flow model is applied to the transect from the summit of Law Dome, East Antarctica, to Gape Folger. In the upper layers of the ice sheet good agreement is found between the shear strain-rate profiles from the model and borehole-inclination measurements. Modifications of the simple model predictions for high shear strain rates in the lower layers of the ice cap are required in order to match the observed surface velocities. In these lower regions reductions in both the enhancement of shear flow and shear stress appear to be required, and this suggests that more attention needs to be given to the dynaimcs deep within ice sheets.
The Weddell Sea region: an important precipitation channel to the interior of the Antarctic ice sheet as revealed by glaciochemical investigation of surface snow along the longest trans-Antarctic route
Authors: Dahe Qin , Mayewski Paul A. , Jiawen Ren , Cunde Xiao , Junying Sun
Published: November 2007

Glaciochemical analysis of surface snow samples, collected along a profile crossing the Antarctic ice sheet from the Larsen Ice Shelf, Antarctic Peninsula, via the Antarctic Plateau through South Pole, Vostok and Komsomolskaya to Mirny station (at the east margin of East Antarctica), shows that the Weddell Sea region is an important channel for air masses to the high plateau of the Antarctic ice sheet (>2000 m a.s.l.). This opinion is supported by the following. (1) The fluxes of sea-salt ions such as Na+, Mg2 + and CF display a decreasing trend from the west to the east of interior Antarctica. In |eneral, as sea-salt aerosols are injected into the atmosphere over the Antarctic ice sheet from the Weddell Sea, large aerosols tend to decrease. For the inland plateau, few large particles of sea-salt aerosol reach the area, and the sea-salt concentration levels are low (2) The high altitude of the East Antarctic plateau, as well as the polar cold high-pressure system, obstruct the intrusive air masses mainly from the South Indian Ocean sector. (3) For the coastal regions of the East Antarctic ice sheet, the elevation rises to 2000 m over a distance from several to several tens of km. High concentrations of sea salt exist in snow in East Antarctica but are limited to a narrow coastal zone. (4) Fluxes of calcium and non-sea-salt sulfate in snow from the interior plateau do not display an eastward-decreasing trend. Since calcium is mainly derived from crustal sources, and nssSO42- is a secondary aerosol, this again confirms that the eastward-declining tendency of sea-salt ions indicates the transfer direction of precipitation vapor.
Different post-depositional processes of NO3– in snow layers in East Antarctica and on the northern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Shugui Hou , Dahe Qin , Jiawen Ren
Published: November 2007

Through comparison of snow-pit NO3– profiles from central East Antarctica and the northern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP), we conclude that NO3– peaks in the uppermost surface snow layers in central East Antarctica are not related to an atmospheric signal and that they need to be accounted for by post-depositional effects. Such effects, however, are not found in the snow-pit NO3– profiles from the northern QTP. NO3– can be deposited as a gas (HNO3–) or as a neutral salt, particularly by reaction with ammonia to form NH4NO3, or fixed by sea salt or terrestrial dust (Mulvaney and others, 1998). Thus, a difference in speciation between NO3– in snow layers in East Antarctica and at the northern QTP is suggested as the reason for the different post-depositional processes of NO3– in the two areas.
The variability of the Antarctic ice-sheet response to the climatic signal
Authors: Pattyn Frank
Published: November 2007

High-resolution numerical model experiments were carried out along two flowlines in Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica, one flowline passing through the central part of a coastal mountain range and the other along a major continental ice stream (Shirase Glacier). Results showed that ice-sheet behaviour in response to the climatic signal differs locally. Response patterns are different for the inland ice sheet, for the coastal ice sheet and around marginal (subglacial) mountains. Modelled response time series were analyzed by lag-correlation, range and fractal analysis. Local differentiation in ice-sheet response is primarily related to the sensitive interplay between surface accumulation patterns, thermomechanical properties of the ice sheet and bedrock roughness.
Velocity difference between the surface and base of Ice Stream B2, West Antarctica, from radar fading-pattern experiment
Authors: Liu C. , Bentley C. R. , Lord N. E.
Published: November 2007

As an ice-sounding radar receiver and transmitter are moved together across the snow surface, the returning echoes change rapidly, forming the "spatial fading pattern". Because the fading pattern is determinedly the details of the ice-bed interface" and remains fixed in position relative to that interface while the ice moves, repeated measurements of the fading pattern can reveal the relative displacement between the snow surface and targets near the bed of the ice and/or in the ice. Six high-density grids, comprising flag lines approximately along and normal to the direction of ice flow on Ice Stream B2, West Antarctica, were repeatedly profiled with a digital 50 MHz radar system by triggering a burst of 128 pulses from the radar transmitter every 0.7 m. A highly directional microwave motion sensor and a manual event button provided registration marks along the lines. The original recorded amplitudes were resampled at a constant spatial interval by interpolation between adjacent traces to make possible an analytical comparison of fading patterns. Fading patterns recorded on different days were compared by cross-correlation analysis to estimate the horizontal displacement. Then near-surface crevasses, which locally blocked the transmitted energy, were used to correct for flag-positiomng errors. The results from the three largest grids are significantly different: differential motions between the surface and the bed range from 1 to -0.5 ma−1. We suspect that the differences are related to the complex systems of strains within the ice stream reported by Hulbe and Whillans (1997).
Apparatus for routine measurements of the thermal conductivity of ice cores
Authors: Festa Crescenzo , Rossi Aristide
Published: November 2007

An apparatus is described for measuring the thermal conductivity of ice by the transient hot-wire method. Thermal conductivity A, is determined by tracking the thermal pulse induced in the sample by a heating source consisting of a platinum resistor. A central segment of the same platinum heating resistor acts also as a thermal sensor. A heat pulse transferred to the ice for a period of 40s gives a maximum temperature increment of about 7-14°C. In good experimental conditions, the expected reproducibility of the measurements is within ±3%. The accuracy of the method depends on whether the instrument has been calibrated by reliable standard samples, certified by absolute methods.
Characteristics of air bubbles and hydrates in the Dome Fuji ice core, Antarctica
Authors: Narita Hideki , Azuma Nobuhiko , Hondoh Takeo , Fujii Michiko , Kawaguchi Mituo , Mae Shinji , Shoji Hitoshi , Kameda Takao , Watanabe Okitusgu
Published: November 2007

Air bubbles trapped near the surface of an ice sheet are transformed into air hydrates below a certain depth Their volume and number varies partly with environment and climate. Air bubbles and hydrates at 120-2200 m depth in the Dome Fuji (Dome F) ice core were examined with a microscope. This depth range covers the Holocene/Last Glacial/Last Interglacial/Previous Glacial periods. No air bubbles were seen below about 1100 m depth, and air hydrates began to appear from about 600 m. The observed number of air bubbles and hydrates was similar to that found in the Vostok ice core. For the ice covering the Last Glacial Maximum period, however the hydrate concentration in the Dome F core is about half that of the Vostok core. Reference to snow metamorphism and packing does not explain this finding.
The Pinatubo eruption in South Pole snow and its potential value to ice-core paleovolcanic records
Authors: Cole-Dai Jihong , Mosley-Thompson Ellen
Published: November 2007

Snow samples collected in the 1996 austral summer at South Pole show that sulfate concentrations in snow and, by inference, sulfur aerosol concentrations in the Antarctic atmosphere were elevated from the end of 1991 to mid-1994 over a stable, non-volcanic background. The new data support earlier findings that the June 1991 Pinatubo eruption and the Hudson eruption in the same year deposited volcanic sulfate and tephra in South Pole snow, and provide strong evidence of the global distribution of volcanic materials from the Pinatubo eruption. In this study, snow samples were taken in six snow pits spatially distributed around the South Pole station in order to evaluate the local spatial variability of volcanic signals due to glaciological variables such as snow-accumulation rates and snow redistribution by wind after initial deposition. The results indicate that Pinatubo sulfate flux varies by as much as 20% throughout a 400 km2 area centered around the South Pole station. This glaciological variability probably represents the likely range of volcanic signals due to variations in snow deposition and post-depositional changes.

The Pinatubo eruption provides an unprecedented opportunity to estimate aerosol mass loadings by explosive volcanic eruptions found in Antarctic ice cores via a quantitative relationship between aerosol mass loadings and sulfate flux in Antarctic snow. Here the satellite-estimated Pinatubo SO2 emission and the measured volcanic sulfate flux in snow, with an assumed linearly quantitative relationship, are used to calculate SO2 loadings for several well-known volcanic eruptions in the past 300 years covered by a shallow (42 m) South Pole firn core drilled in 1996. The errors for the calculated mass loadings are estimated by means of the glaciological variability associated with Pinatubo volcanic flux.
New maps of the ice thickness and subglacial topography in Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica, determined by means of airborne radio-echo sounding
Authors: Steinhage D. , Nixdorf U. , Meyer U. , Miller H.
Published: November 2007

Since the austral summer of 1994-95 the Alfred Wegener Institute has carried out airborne radio-echo sounding (RES) measurements in Antarctica with its newly designed RES system. Since 1995-96 an ongoing pre-site survey for an ice-coring drill site in Dronning Maud Land has been carried out as part of the European Project for Ice Goring in Antarctica. The survey covers an area of 948 000 km2, with >49 500 km of airborne RES obtained from >200 hours of flight operation flown during the period 1994-97. In this paper, first results of the airborne RES survey are graphically summarized as newly derived maps of the ice thickness and subglacial topography, as well as a three-dimensional view of surface and subglacial bed and outcrop topography, revealing a total ice volume of 1.48 x 106 km3.
Accumulation and proxy-temperature variability in Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica, determined from shallow firn cores
Authors: Isaksson Elisabeth , van den Broeke Michiel R. , Winther Jan-Gunnar , Karlöf Lars , Francis Pinglot Jean , Gundestrup Niels
Published: November 2007

During 1996-97 a European Project for Ice Goring in Antarctica (EPIGA) pre-site surveying traverse worked in the area between 70° S, 5° E and 75° S, 15° E in Dronning Maud Land. We present data obtained from 10 and 20 m deep firn cores drilled between the coast and 600 km inland (to 3450 m a.s.l.). The cores were analyzed for electrical conductivity measurements and total β activity to obtain accumulation data between known time horizons. In addition, some of the cores were analyzed for oxygen isotopes. Annual accumulation varies from 271 mm we. at Fimbulisen to 24 mm we at 2840 m a.s.l. Accumulation at core sites 2400-3000 m a.s.l. has increased by 16-48% since 1965 compared to the 1955-65 period. However, the core sites above 3250 m a.s.l. and one core location on the ice shelf show a decrease during the same period. Furthermore, no change can be detected at the most inland site for the period 1815-1996. In all the cores the last few years seem to have been some of the warmest in these records.
A model of the glacial retreat of upper Rennick Glacier, Victoria Land, Antarctica
Authors: Meneghel M. , Bondesan A. , Salvatore M. C. , Orombelli G.
Published: November 2007

The morphology of the Lichen Hills in the upper section of Rennick Glacier, Victoria Land, Antarctica, is summarised as follows: (a) a top surface on the volcanic rocks with scattered erratic blocks; (b) an exhumed Kukri Peneplain, sculptured with roches moutonnees with striae and crescentic gouges on which lie moraines and patches of drift of mainly volcanic rocks; (c) a granitic bedrock eroded by glaciers into sharp peaks and cirques on top of which there is a glacial drift attributable to ancient blue-ice areas higher than those observed at present and which may be correlated with the Terra Nova drift (Late Wisconsin); (d) various Holocene ice-cored moraines that are pushed to the lee side of the nunataks arid are often banded in strips of different lithology. The bands of the Holocene moraines are related to the rock complexes that became exposed from the ice during the lowering of the surface of the glacier Analysis of the lithology and pattern of the supraglacial debris, as well as of the blue-ice areas, allows us to construct a depositional model for the moraines, and to relate the glacial drift to blue-ice areas existing since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM).The proposed model shows the different stages of recession of upper Rennick Glacier that are also valid for similar situations observed in northern Victoria Land. A surface lowering of upper Rennick Glacier of several hundred metres shows that significant changes have occurred at the Pacific edge of the East Antarctic ice sheet since the LGM.
Geoscience Laser Altimeter System waveform simulation and its applications
Authors: Donghui Yi , Bentley Charles R.
Published: November 2007

To study the relationship between surface topography and satellite laser altimetry waveform, a numerical model that simulates an ideal satellite laser altimeter has been developed. It has a Gaussian beam pattern and a Gaussian pulse shape. Different three-dimensional surface topographies have been used in the simulation to generate waveforms. Using a non-linear least-squares method, the generated waveforms were fitted to theoretical models to calculate surface roughness and surface slope. The outputs from the models were then compared with the values calculated from the given assumed surfaces. There is no way to distinguish between a horizontal, randomly rough surface and a smoothly sloping surface from waveform fitting alone. However, if either the surface roughness or the surface slope can be acquired independently, the other one can be determined through waveform fitting.
Geomorphological criteria for identifying Pleistocene ice streams
Authors: Stokes Chris R. , Clark Chris D.
Published: November 2007

Ice streams are critical regulatory mechanisms in contemporary ice sheets. It has been inferred that they also had a significant effect on the dynamics of former ice sheets. Subsequently, many people have invoked their widespread occurrence from a variety of formerly glaciated areas. Hypothesised locations, however, have often outweighed meaningful evidence. This paper addresses the problem, using the characteristics of contemporary ice streams as a basis for their identification from former ice-sheet beds. A convergence of knowledge gained from contemporary ice-stream research, coupled with theories of glacial geomorphology, allows several geomorphological criteria to be identified as suggestive signatures of ice-stream activity. It is envisaged that the geomorphological criteria developed here will introduce a more objective approach to the study of former ice streams. The criteria are used to construct conceptual land-system models of the beds of former ice streams, and it is hoped such models can provide an observational template upon which hypotheses of former ice streams can be better based.
Was the cirque glaciation of Wales time-transgressive, or not?
Authors: Evans Ian S.
Published: November 2007

The lowest glacial cirques in Wales are in the South Wales Coalfield and in western mid-Wales: the highest are in the northeast and on the highest mountains. Floor altitudes show great local variability, but in general rise to the northeast in most of Wales and northward in southern Wales, as does the former glaciation level (from 470–710 m a.s.l.). The pattern is similar for reconstructed Younger Dryas glaciers, which occupied the higher and even some of the lower cirques. If cirque development had spread to lower areas as the ice sheet built up, cirques would be expected in peripheral areas such as the northeast and southwest, away from the main ice-sheet sources. This is not seen and there is no clear evidence of time-transgressive cirque glaciation. Cirques relate to phases of glaciation with an ELA a little below that in the Younger Dryas.
Katabatic wind influence on meltwater supply to fuel glacier–substrate interactions at the grounding line, Terra Nova Bay, East Antarctica
Authors: Bouzette A. , Souchez R.
Published: November 2007

The co-isotopic composition, both in δDand in δ18O, of interbedded debris-rich and clear ice layers, thought to have been formed at the grounding line of Hells Gate Ice Shelf, indicates freezing by a double-diffusion effect between continental meltwater and sea water within a subglacial sediment. A source of meltwater is required to sustain the process, since the temperature of the bed is below the freshwater melting point. The most likely source is a surficially frozen meltwater lake.

Rock outcrops, kept mostly snow-free by the action of katabatic winds, absorb solar radiation so local production of liquid water becomes possible in an area with year-round subfreezing air-temperature conditions. The meltwater accumulated in a marginal lake can eventually reach the subglacial substratum near a pinning point where the ice is relatively thin and fractured.
Seasonal variability in hydrologic-system response to intense rain events, Matanuska Glacier, Alaska, U.S.A.
Authors: Denner Jon C. , Lawson Daniel E. , Larson Grahame J. , Evenson Edward B. , Alley Richard B. , Strasser Jeffrey C. , Kopczynski Sarah
Published: November 2007

Two rain events at Matanuska Glacier illustrate how subglacial drainage system development and snowpack conditions affect hydrologic response at the terminus. On 21 and 22 September 1995, over 56 mm of rain fell in the basin during a period usually characterized by much drier conditions. This event caused an 8-fold increase in discharge and a 47-fold increase in suspended-sediment concentration. Peak suspended-sediment concentration exceeded 20 kg m —3, suggesting rapid evacuation of stored sediment. While water discharge returned to its pre-storm level nine days after the rain ceased, suspended- sediment concentrations took about 20 days to return to pre-storm levels. These observations suggest that the storm influx late in the melt season probably forced subglacial water into a more distributed system. In addition, subglacially transported sediments were supplemented to an unknown degree by the influx of storm-eroded sediments off hillslopes and from tributary drainage basins.

A storm on 6 and 7 June 1997, dropped 28 mm of rain on the basin demonstrating the effects of meltwater retention in the snowpack and englacial and subglacial storage early in the melt season. Streamflow before the storm event was increasing gradually owing to warming temperatures; however, discharge during the storm and the following week increased only slightly. Suspended-sediment concentrations increased only a small amount, suggesting the drainage system was not yet well developed, and much of the run off occurred across the relatively clean surface of the glacier or through englacial channels.