bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ice Avalanche Activity and Mass Balance of a High-Altitude Hanging Glacier in the Swiss Alps
Authors: Alean Jürg
Published: February 2017

An estimation of average mass balance of a high hanging glacier in the Swiss Alps was made by measuring volumes of ice avalanches originating from this glacier. Ice avalanches are this glacier’s predominant form of ablation. Since the volume of the glacier has not noticeably changed over the past few years, the annual ice loss due to ice avalanches can be taken as an indication of average total net acumulation above the ice cliff where the avalanches originate. The mass balance value, as determined by recording ice avalanches, compares well with values obtained by independent methods (measurements of firn stratigraphy in the cliff, direct accumulation measurements in the vicinity). No seasonal variation in the frequency of ice avalanche occurence was detected.
Measurement of Settlement Forces on Horizontal Beams Buried in Snow Cover
Authors: Nakamura Hideomi , Abe Osamu
Published: February 2017

Settlement force of a snow cover acting on horizontal beams O.8 m high on the ground has been measured using electric force gauges since winter 1974/75, to understand mechanisms of settlement force generation. Shapes of cross-sections of the beams were rectangular, square, equilateral triangle and triangular with a 37_ vertical angle. From the measurements, it was found that the magnitude of the settlement force acting on a beam did not depend upon the shape of cross-section when snow depth was smaller than 1.3 m, but in deeper snow it was smaller on the triangular than on the rectangular beam. When the surface of the snow cover turned into a crust, the settlement force increased from about 0.3 kN m-1to 1.1 kN m-1. Physical properties of snow cover are important for quantitative estimation of the settlement force on a beam.
Melting characteristics of ice blocks immersed in quiescent saline water
Authors: Fukusako Shoichiro , Yamada Masahiko , Watanabe Chikara
Published: February 2017

An experimental and analytical study has been carried out to investigate the melting characteristics of ice blocks immersed in quiescent saline water. A horizontal ice cylinder and both downward- and upward-facing inclined ice plates were used as the testing blocks. The experiments were carried out in 3.5% (by weight) saline water at ambient temperatures ranging from 1.8° to 25.0°C for all kinds of ice blocks. Ice plates were tested at inclination angles from 0° to 75°. For downward-facing ice plates, melting rates were determined analytically using the profile method.
Depth-hoar crystal growth in the surface layer under high temperature gradient
Authors: Fukuzawa Takuya , Akitaya Eizi
Published: February 2017

The quick growth of depth-hoar crystals was observed at night-time just below the snow surface on a south-facing slope. This growth was due to a high temperature gradient (> 100 K m−1) near the snow surface under clear skies after a thin deposition of new snow on older and denser snow. The temperature gradient was greater when internal melting had taken place during daytime, keeping the sub-surface snow temperature at 0°C even after sunset until all liquid water had frozen. To understand the relationship between the crystal growth rate and the temperature gradient, a series of experiments was carried out in the laboratory. The snow sample was set under a constant temperature gradient between 100 and 300 K m− and sustained for about 50 h. The average crystal size increased linearly with time and the crystal growth rate increased as the given temperature gradient increased. The growth rates were in the order of 10−9 m s−1, which gave a good agreement with the results of the field observation.
Temporal changes in chemical stratigraphy of snow cover
Authors: Goto-azuma Kumiko , Nakawo Masayoshi , Shimizu Masujiro , Azuma Nobuhiko , Nakayama Michio , Yokoyama Kotaro
Published: February 2017

Chemical stratigraphy in association with the texture of snow cover was studied during the period from the severe winter to the early snowmelt season. The vertical concentration profiles of N03
−, SO4
2−, Cl− and Na+ were generally preserved until the initial stage of the snowmelt season, while there were appreciable variations in ionic concentrations. At the initial stage of the snowmelt season, redistribution of chemical constituents in the snow cover occurred in a complicated way, dependent on both the structure of internal layers and the chemical species. Major peaks, however, still remained in the profiles.
Thinning and retreat of Glaciar Upsala, and an estimate of annual ablation changes in southern Patagonia
Authors: Naruse Renji , Skvarca Pedro , Takeuchi Yukari
Published: February 2017

Glaciar Upsala, a freshwater calving glacier in southern Patagonia, has been retreating since 1978, and after a drastic recession of about 700 m a−1 in 1994 the retreat seems to have stopped in 1995. A large ice-thinning rate of 11 m a−1 was obtained between 1990 and 1993, by surveying surface elevations near the terminus of Glaciar Upsala. In 1993–94, the thinning was estimated at about 20 m a−1 near the lateral margin. Some possible causes of the thinning behavior are considered.

In the ablation area of Glaciar Perito Moreno, 50 km south of Glaciar Upsala, ablation rates were measured during 110 d in summer 1993–94, and air temperature was continuously recorded throughout 1994. Using a degree-day method with temperature data at the nearest meteorological station, Calafate, annual ablation during the last 30 years was estimated to fluctuate from about 12 ± 2 to 16 ± 2 m a−1 in ice thickness, with a mean of 14 ± 2 m a−1. Thus, the temperature anomaly alone cannot elucidate the thinning of 11 m a−1 at Glaciar Upsala. As a possible mechanism of the ice-thinning, it is suggested that the considerable retreat due to calving may have resulted in reduction of longitudinal compressive stress exerted from bedrock rises and islands near the glacier front, causing a considerable decrease in the emergence flow. Thus, the ice may have thinned at a rate close to the annual ablation rate.
The 20th-century advance of Glaciar Pio XI, Chilean Patagonia
Authors: Rivera AndrÉs , Lange Heiner , Carlos Aravena Juan , Casassa Gino
Published: February 2017

Glaciar Pio XI, the largest glacier in South America, has experienced an advance during the 20th century, unlike virtually all other glaciers in Patagonia, which are retreating rapidly. Climatological records of the last 80 years are analyzed together with ice-velocity and meteorological measurements collected during November 1995 near the tidewater front of Glaciar Pio XI. Ice speeds of up to 50 m d−1 were measured, the maximum occurring during a period when air temperatures were high.
A century-long recession record of Glaciar O’Higgins, Chilean Patagonia
Authors: Casassa Gino , Brecher Henry , Rivera Andrés , Aniya Masamu
Published: February 2017

Most glaciers in Patagonia are retreating rapidly. Glaciar O’Higgins, a freshwater calving glacier, has experienced the largest retreat rate of all, as measured from 1945 to 1986 (Aniya and others, 1992). Based on historical maps, early exploration reports and recent aerial photography, the front-position record of Glaciar O’Higgins is extended to cover the period 1896–1995). Climatic warming, in combination with the detaching of the glacier front from an island, is believed to be the cause of the rapid retreat.
Modelling of Last Glacial Maximum ice sheets using different accumulation parameterizations
Authors: Fabre Adeline , Ritz Catherine , Ramstein Gilles
Published: February 2017

We use a three-dimensional thermomechanical ice-sheet model, previously tested on the Greenland ice sheet, to reconstruct Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) ice sheets. We compare the effects on the results of the ice-sheet model of three different accumulation parameterization schemes. In the first and second schemes, LGM precipitation is computed from the present precipitation, taking and not taking into account moisture transport. In the third scheme, LGM precipitation and surface temperatures are computed using outputs of an atmospheric global circulation model (AGCM), treated in anomaly mode.

Results are compared to the last reconstruction of the Northern Hemisphere ice sheets (Peltier, 1994), computed using global rebound rates in a visco-elastic model of the Earth’s crust. The first two accumulation parameterizations do not give satisfactory reconstructions of the LGM ice sheets, since they are unable to compute realistic LGM climatic conditions. The third method gives very satisfactory results, which leads us to conclude that the best way to obtain realistic LGM climatic conditions is to use AGCM outputs.
Numerical modelling of the historic front variation and the future behaviour of the Pasterze glacier, Austria
Authors: Zuo Z. , Oerlemans J.
Published: February 2017

An ice-flow model is used to simulate the front variations of the Pasterze glacier, Austria. The model deals explicitly with the ice flux from sub-streams and tributaries to the main ice stream. The dynamic calibration method adopted successfully calibrates the ice-flow model under a non-steady-state condition. Despite the complexity of the glacier geometry, the ice dynamics of the Pasterze are adequately simulated.

Results of the sensitivity experiments suggest that the Pasterze glacier has been in a non-steady state most of the time and has a response time of 34–50 years.

Projections of the behaviour of the Pasterze in the next 100 years are made under various climate scenarios. Results suggest that the Pasterze will undergo a substantial retreat if there is future warming. The glacier is likely to retreat 2–5 km by the year 2100. The ice volume could be reduced by 24–63% by the end of the 21st century.
Visible and near-infrared digital images for determination of ice velocities and surface elevation during a surge on Osbornebreen, a tidewater glacier in Svalbard
Authors: Rolstad Cecilie , Amlien Jostein , Hagen Jon-Ove , Lundén Bengt
Published: February 2017

A field of vectors showing the average velocity of the surging glacier Osbornebreen, Svalbard, was determined by comparing sequential SPOT (Système pour l’Observation de la Terre) and Landsat thematic mapper images. Crevasses which developed during the initial phase of the surge in the winter of 1986–87 were tracked using a fast Fourier chip cross-correlation technique. A digital elevation model (DEM) was developed using digital photogrammetry on aerial photographs from 1990. This new DEM was compared with a map drawn in 1966. The velocity field could be almost entirely determined with 1 month separation of the images, but only partly determined with images 1 year apart, due to changes of the crevasse pattern. The velocity field is similar to that found for Kronebreen, a continuously fast-moving tidewater glacier. No distinct zones of compressive flow were present and the data gave no evidence of a compression zone/surge front traveling downstream. The velocity field, the rapid advance of the terminus and the development of transverse crevasses in the upper accumulation area within a 6 month period may indicate that the surge developed as a zone of extension starting near the terminus and propagating quickly upstream. The crevasse pattern in the images is therefore interpreted to be the result of the extension zone traveling upstream, and, as the whole glacier starts to slide, the crevasse pattern alters according to the bedrock topography.
Volumetric variations of Glacier de Sarennes, French Alps, during the last two centuries
Authors: Valla François , Piedallu Christian
Published: February 2017

Glacier de Sarennes, located in the heart of the French Alps, has been observed closely since 1906 and regularly measured (snow accumulation, ablation and mass balance) since 1948. Several publications have stemmed from this research, such as the 1906 and 1958 glaciological maps and the 1981 and 1991 photogrammetric analyses. In 1992, a field radar campaign determined the ice thickness and allowed the drawing of the bedrock map with reasonable accuracy. The Little Ice Age stage was reconstructed with the bedrock tracks, in 1995.

The above-mentioned documents were digitized, and the computer program Arc-Info permitted the calculation of the successive volume stages occupied by the glacier from 1850 to 1991. Cross-sections and slope profiles illustrate the evolution of the thickness of Glacier de Sarennes during the last 150 years. All of these results, consistent with the variation of the mass balance observed or estimated, show the main conclusion: compared with today, the glacier was about four times more voluminous 90 years ago (i.e. it has lost three-quarters of its ice volume) and five times bigger one and a half centuries ago.
Helicopter-borne radio-echo sounding of Svartisen, Norway
Authors: Kennett Michael , Laumann Tron , Lund Cecilie
Published: February 2017

A helicopter-mounted low frequency ice-radar has been developed for the depth sounding of temperate glaciers. The radar consists of standard transmitter and digital receiver equipment. The long antennae are supported on a special aluminium and fibreglass construction which hangs 20 m below the helicopter. The radar has been used on Engabreen, an outlet glacier of the Svartisen Ice Cap in northern Norway, where ice thicknesses of up to 350 m were obtained. The results have been used to construct a map of bed topography of the lower part of Engabreen. This map is largely consistent with ice thickness data obtained by drilling.
Glaciological study in Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica, inferred from remote sensing analysis
Authors: Frezzotti Massimo
Published: February 2017

Analysis of satellite images (Landsat 1 MSS, 4 TM and SPOT 1 XS), of U.S. Navy aerial photographs (TMA) and of U.S.G.S. maps has made it possible to assess a number of parameters relating to the surface dynamics (between 1956 and 1990) of eight ice tongues and of two ice shelves in the Terra Nova Bay area. The study shows that between 1960–63 and 1972–73 there was a decided decrease in the areas of some of the tongues and shelves: −53 km2 for the Aviator Glacier Tongue and −124 km2 for the Nansen Ice Sheet. On the other hand, the areas generally increased in the period 1972–73 to 1988. An exception to this situation is the small Hells Gate ice shelf whose area diminished by 1.15 km2 between 1956–57 and 1988. The calculated surface velocity of the ice tongues shows that they increase from the grounding line to their outer limit. Values of longitudinal strain rate generally increase from the grounding line to just after the start of the ice tongue, after which they diminsh proceeding towards its outer limit. Integration of the areal values with radio-echo sounding data has enabled the ice discharges of the southern flow of the David Glacier (12km3a−1) and of the Aviator Glacier Tongue (0.62 km3 a−1) to be calculated. Furthermore, on the basis of the data available, basal melting values of between 25 cm a−1 and 100 cm a−1 are deduced for these two ice tongues, and bottom freezing values of 20 cm a−1 for the Drygalski Ice Tongue. Different spectral responses of the glacial areas have made it possible to discriminate ablation areas from those of accumulation and to differentiate various typologies of ice (glacier ice, melt lake ice, and sea ice formed at the ice shelf-ocean interface).
Passive microwave measurements of tundra and taiga snow covers in Alaska, U.S.A.
Authors: Sturm Matthew , Grenfell Thomas C. , Perovich Donald K.
Published: February 2017

The microwave emissivity of two snow covers was measured in Alaska in March, 1990. Observations were made on taiga snow near Fairbanks that was 0.83 m thick with a 0.55 m thick basal layer of depth hoar. Other measurements were made on the tundra snow cover at Imnaviat Creek north of the Brooks Range which was 0.27 to 0.64 m thick and consisted of two or more wind slabs overlying a depth hoar layer 0.14 to 0.26 m thick. Density, crystal structure, and grain size were similar in tundra and taiga depth hoar layers.

Emissivity was measured at 18.7 and 37 GHz using radiometers mounted on a 1.5 m tall bipod. Measurements were made on undisturbed snow, and then several snow layers were removed and additional measurements were made. This sequence was repeated until all snow had been removed. Effective emissivity values for the full snow depth ranged from 0.6 (37 GHz, H-pol) to 0.95 (18.7 GHz, V-pol) and were similar for both taiga and tundra snow covers. For both snow covers, there was a marked reduction in the effective emissivity (eeff) from that of the underlying ground with a maximum reduction of about 30%. All of the reduction was found to occur within the depth hoar layer. Maximum reduction in eeffcould be caused by a depth hoar layer 0.3 m thick. Overlying wind slab or new snow were nearly “invisible”, increasing the effective emissivity only by a small amount due to self-emittance. Thus, it was difficult to distinguish the two different snow covers on the basis of their emissivity, since both contained 0.3 m of depth hoar or more.
Comparison of SMMR and SSM/I passive microwave data collected over Antarctica
Authors: Jezek Kenneth C. , Merry Carolyn J. , Cavalieri Don J.
Published: February 2017

Spaceborne data are becoming sufficiently extensive spatially and sufficiently lengthy over time to provide important gauges of global change. There is a potentially long record of microwave brightness temperature from NASA's Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR), followed by the Navy's Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I). Thus it is natural to combine data from successive satellite programs into a single, long record. To do this, we compare brightness temperature data collected during the brief overlap period (7 July-20 August 1987) of SMMR and SSM/I. Only data collected over the Antarctic ice sheet are used to limit spatial and temporal complications associated with the open ocean and sea ice. Linear regressions are computed from scatter plots of complementary pairs of channels from each sensor revealing highly correlated data sets, supporting the argument that there are important relative calibration differences between the two instruments. The calibration scheme was applied to a set of average monthly brightness temperatures for a sector of East Antarctica.
Multi-temporal microwave satellite observation of snowpacks
Authors: Wankiewicz Anthony
Published: February 2017

Microwave brightness temperatures from snowpacks are simulated with a multiple-scattering model using observed hydrometeorological variables at three target areas on the Canadian plains. Comparison of model microwave emissions with those observed from the Nimbus 7 satellite allows the derivation of the snowpack properties of grain-size and microwave absorption. A simulated time series of microwave brightness temperature is produced for the winter season of 1884—85, for assessing the utility of multi-temporal satellite observations for snowpack monitoring.
Photogrammetric analysis of 1984–89 surface altitude change of the partially debris-covered Eliot Glacier, Mount Hood, Oregon, U.S.A.
Authors: Lundstrom S.C. , McCafferty A.E. , Coe J.A.
Published: February 2017

Photogrammetric analysis of Eliot Glacier, Mount Hood, Oregon indicates an average thinning of the ablation area of 4.2 m during 1984–89. Thinning is generally more marked near the equilibrium line, where debris cover is absent, than on the lowest part of the glacier, where superglacial debris thickness is greater than 1.0 m. The pattern of glacier thickness change is partly related to the reduction of ablation with increasing debris thickness, though flow kinematics must also be important to charge in ice thickness.
Passive microwave-derived spatial and temporal variations of summer melt on the Greenland ice sheet
Authors: Mote Thomas L. , Anderson Mark R. , Kuivinen Karl C. , Rowe Clinton M.
Published: February 2017

Passive microwave-brightness temperatures over the Greenland ice sheet are examined during the melt season in order to develop a technique for determining surface-melt occurrences. Time series of Special Sensor Microwave/ Imager (SSM/I) data are examined for three locations on the ice sheet, two of which are known to experience melt. These two sites demonstrate a rapid increase in brightness temperatures in late spring to early summer, a prolonged period of elevated brightness temperatures during the summer, and a rapid decrease in brightness temperatures during late summer. This increase in brightness temperatures is associated with surface snow melting. An objective technique is developed to extract melt occurrences from the brightness-temperature time series. Of the two sites with summer melt, the site at the lower elevation had a longer period between the initial and final melt days and had more total days classified as melt during 1988 and 1989. The technique is then applied to the entire Greenland ice sheet for the first major surface-melt event of 1989. The melt-zone signal is mapped from late May to early June to demonstrate the advance and subsequent retreat of one “melt wave”. The use of such a technique to determine melt duration and extent for multiple years may provide an indication of climate change.
Modeling heat, mass, and species transport in polar firn
Authors: Albert Mary R.
Published: February 2017

A finite-element model for simulating multi-dimensional air flow with heat, mass and chemical species transport through firn is discussed. The model is applied to an investigation of near-surface layering effects on ventilation rates. Field measurements of permeability at Summit, Greenland, are presented that show that permeability varies by at least a factor of 10 over the top 3 m, with the surface windpack having much lower permeability, in general, than the underlying firn. The effect of a lower-permeability surface layer is to decrease the air flow in the underlying firn, yet there is still sufficient air flow in the top meters of the firn so that ventilation must be considered for species transport. Channeling, or increased air flow in a layer overlain by a less-permeable layer, can occur even if the microstructure of each layer is isotropic. Conventional estimates of chemical transport due to diffusion alone are likely to underestimate transport, while estimates of ventilation that consider the firn as a homogeneous half-space may overestimate ventilation effects at the near-surface. Effects of firn layering are important for ventilation and must be considered for accurate assessment of firn–air transport mechanisms.
Determination of a melt-onset date for Arctic sea-ice regions using passive-microwave data
Authors: Anderson Mark R.
Published: February 2017

Although the formation and melt of sea ice are primarily functions of the annual radiation cycle, atmospheric sensible-heat forcing does serve to delay or advance the timing of such events. Additionally, if atmospheric conditions in the Arctic were to vary due to climate change it may have significant influence on ice conditions. Therefore, this paper investigates a methodology to determine melt-onset dale distribution, both spatially and temporally, in the Arctic Ocean and surrounding sea-ice covered regions.

Melt determination is made by a threshold technique using the spectral signatures of the horizontal brightness temperatures (19 GHz horizontal channel minus the 37 GHz horizontal channel) obtained from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) passive-microwave sensor. Passive-microwave observations are used to identify melt because of the large increase in emissivity that occurs when liquid water is present. Emissivity variations are observed in the brightness temperatures due to the different scattering, absorption and penetration depths of the snowpack from the available satellite channels during melt. Monitoring the variations in the brightness temperatures allows the determination of melt-onset dates.

Analysis of daily brightness temperature data allows spatial variations in the date of the snow inch onset for sea ice to be detected. Since the data are gridded on a daily basis, a climatology of daily melt-onset dates can be produced for the Arctic region. From this climatology, progression of melt can be obtained and compared inter-annually.
Simulation of blowing snow over the antarctic ice sheet
Authors: Gallée Hubert
Published: February 2017

A preliminary simulation of blowing snow over the Antarctic continent made with a mesoscale atmospheric model is presented. Sensitivity experiments show that the increase of surface friction arising in conjunction with blowing snow has a relatively more important impact on the dynamics of strong katabatic winds than previously supposed. Sublimation in blowing snow over the Antarctic continent also contributes to the global sea-level budget. It is found that this contribution is of the same order of magnitude as the estimated present sea-level rise.
Empirical model for snowdrift distribution in avalanche-starting zones
Authors: Mases M. , Buisson L. , Frey W. , Martí G.
Published: February 2017

Field data from Stillberg (Switzerland), provided by SFISAR, have been analysed in order to understand the spatial distribution of snow transported by wind in avalanche-starting zones. The results have been used to develop a new empirical model for snowdrift distribution. This model constitutes the “snow-wind module” of the knowledge-based computer system called ELSA.

The model is based on an empirical parameter called the wind or “aeolien” coefficient. It represents the relation between two snow heights at a given place: the snow accumulated at the end of a wind period (or wind episode) and the snow available for transport at the beginning of the wind period. The wind coefficient has been established using field data from the Stillberg site.
Physical and numerical analysis of the front of a gravity current on a horizontal bottom
Authors: Naaim Mohamed , Pellarin Thierry
Published: February 2017

In this paper, numerical and experimental approaches are applied to analyse the dynamics of the front of a gravity current. This study focused on two parameters: internal density and velocity fields. The salt concentration was determined by a potentiometric process. The internal velocities were determined using an optical device and an image-processing system. The structure of the head of the gravity current was analysed. Its density was measured and two stages of evolution were observed. This analysis allows us to coufirm the existence of two important stages. Forxfxs, we show that the density of the front decreases and evolves towards the Hallworth and others (1993) law. From a comparison between the experiments and the numerical model, we show that the numerical model, which is based on Navier–Stokes equations and on thek−Lturbulence model (whereLis the height of the gravity current), can predict well flow in the slump regime and in the inertia–buoyancy regime with smoothed results in the transition from the head to the body of the gravity current.
Preliminary results of tritium analyses in basal ice, Matanuska Glacier, Alaska, U.S.A.: evidence for subglacial ice accretion
Authors: Strasser Jeffrey C. , Lawson Daniel E. , Larson Grahame J. , Evenson Edward B. , Alley Richard B.
Published: February 2017

The stratified-facies ice of the basal zone of Matanuska Glacier, Alaska. U.S.A., contains significant concentrations of anthropogenic tritium, whereas unaltered englacial-zone ice is devoid of tritium. Supercooled water flowing through subglacial conduits during the melt season likewise contains tritium, as does frazil and other platy ice that nucleates and grows within this subglacially flowing water. These initial results demonstrate net accretion of more than 1.4 m of stratified basal-zone ice since initiation of above-ground, thermonuclear bomb testing in 1952. Furthermore, these results support a theory of basal ice formation by ice accretion and debris entrainment from supercooled water within a distributed subglacial drainage system.
Water and sediment discharge from a large surging glacier: Bering Glacier, Alaska, U.S.A., summer 1994
Authors: Merrand Yann , Hallet Bernard
Published: February 2017

The water and sediment output from Vitus Lake, in Front of Bering Glacier, was monitored starting in July 1994, Instrumentation was placed in the lake outlet to record stage, turbidity, conductivity and temperature and velocity of flow of river water. Two outburst floods punctuated the termination of the 1993–94 Bering Glacier surge in August 1994. The better-documented flood lasted about 10 d, during which the flood discharge averaged 1100 m3s−1, in excess of normal discharge (1550 m3s−1) during this part of the ablation season, and about 9.5 × 108m3of water drained from Bering Glacier. The excess water volume discharged during this flood corresponds to a 0.4 m thick layer of water extending over the 2500 km2of Bering Glacier that was surging in early summer. The suspended-sediment flux from Vitus Lake during the summer of 1994 was two orders of magnitude less than rates of sediment production by other fast-moving glaciers in southern Alaska. This implies that most of the sediment produced is being stored in Vitus Lake, under the glacier, or in both locations.
Climate, the Antarctic ice sheet and ground heat flux
Authors: Paltridge Garth W. , Zweck Christopher M.
Published: February 2017

A simple steady-state energy and mass-balance model of the Antarctic ice sheet is developed. Basically it is a set of two equations with two unknowns of steady-state heighthand potential basal temperatureTb.Tbdetermines whether, and to what extent, there is liquid water at the base of the ice which in turn affects the values ofhandTb. Simultaneous changes of sea-level temperature and precipitation (changes related to each other as might be expected from global climate models) indicate a maximum in the field of possible steady-state ice volumes which may not be far from the presently observed conditions. The possibility of cyclical variation in ground heat flux associated with convection of water and heat in the continental crust is discussed. The mechanism might be capable of generating cycles of ice-sheet volume with relatively short periods similar to those of Milankovitch forcing.
Recent elevation increase on Lambert Glacier, Antarctica, from orbit cross-over analysis of satellite-radar altimetry
Authors: Lingle Craig S. , Lee Li-her , Jay zwally H. , Selss Tim C.
Published: February 2017

The mean rate-of-change of the surface elevation on lower Lambert Glacier is measured with satellite-radar altimetry from the Geosat Exact Repeat Mission (ERM) (1987 89) and Seasat (1978), using orbit cross-over analysis. The measurement region extends 190km in the along-flow direction from 72.1° to 70.4° S, an area that includes the grounding zone of Lambert Glacier. The Geosat ERM and Seasat altimetry are referenced to GEM T2 orbits. The random-noise levels in the data are reduced by low-pass filtering. The orbit bias between the two satellites is estimated from cross-over differences over sea ice seaward of the calving front of the Amery Ice Shelf. The results show a mean rate of increase of the surface height on lower Lambert Glacier of 31±10 mm year-1during the decade from 1978 to 1987–89. The computation is also carried out independently using data not low-pass filtered but with orbit bias minimized by adjusting the Seasat and Geosat ERM orbits into a common ocean surface. The latter analysis shows a mean rate of increase of the surface height of 83 ± 9 mm year-1during the same time period. Cross-over analyses carried out using altimetry not low-pass filtered and with orbits not adjusted into a common ocean surface yield intermediate results. Taken together, the cross-over analyses show that the surface height on lower Lambert Glacier increased at a mean rate within the range 20–90 mm year-1during the decade 1978 to 1987–89.
Depositional environment of the snow cover on West Antarctic pack-ice floes
Authors: Jeffries M.O. , Veazey A.L. , Morris K. , Krouse H.R.
Published: February 2017

The depth, density, load and isotopic (δ18O) composition of the snow cover on pack-ice floes were measured in late austral summer 1992 in the eastern Ross, Amundsen and western Bellingshausen Seas. Snow-density values commonly exceeded 350 kg m-3and some were as high as 500 kg m-3. The densification of the snow occurs quickly and is attributed to a windy environment. The high density and sometimes considerable depth of the snow on the floes accounts for loads of as much as 700 kg m-2and resultant sea-water flooding of the underlying sea ice. Lower mean δ18O values in the Ross/Amundsen Seas snow cover suggest that the region might have a cooler climate than the Bellingshausen Sea region. Snow depths on floes in the Bellingshausen Sea region were lower than those in the Ross/Amundsen Seas region, because the Bellingshausen Sea floes were first-year ice. Possible annual units in the isotope profiles of snow, as much as 2m deep, indicate that floes in the Ross/Amundsen Seas region were 2-3 years old.
Causes and nature of ice-sheet radio-echo internal reflections estimated from the dielectric properties of ice
Authors: Fujita Shuji , Mae Shinji
Published: February 2017

The causes and nature of ice-sheet radio-echo internal reflections at deep layers in polar ice sheets are discussed, based on the dielectric properties of ice that have been measured at microwave frequency and radio frequency. The reflection coefficients of electromagnetic waves in ice sheets due to two causes the change in permittivity induced by changes in crystal-orientation fabrics with depth, and changes in conductivity induced by changes in acidity with depth - were derived respectively as a function of the frequency used in radar sounding and the temperature of ice, and both were compared quantitatively. It is shown that at single-plane boundaries the reflection coefficients due to the former cause are independent of frequency and temperature and that they are large enough to produce dominant internal reflections. In contrast, reflection coefficients due to the latter cause strongly depend on frequency and temperature. Since they are inversely proportional to the frequency, the latter cause can be dominant only when frequencies below about 60 MHz are used. Examination of previous observational data has suggested that not only changes in acidity but also changes in crystal-orientation fabrics exist at depths corresponding to the dates of earlier volcanic eruptions.
Electrical conductivity method (ECM) stratigraphic dating of the Byrd Station ice core, Antarctica
Authors: Hammer C.U. , clausen H.B. , Langway C.C.
Published: February 2017

A continuous ECM profile (strong acid concentration) has been measured along the 2191 m of ice core recovered at Byrd Station, Antarctica, in 1968. The ECM profile reveals continuous and systematic seasonal changes which are used for dating the ice core back to 50 000 bp. Hammer and others: ECM stratigraphic dating of Byrd Station ice core, Antarctica
Snow-accumulation rates and isotopic content (2H,3H) of near-surface firn from the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf, Antarctica
Authors: Graf W. , Moser H. , Reinwarth O. , Kipfstuhl J. , Oerter H. , Minikin A. , Wagenbach D.
Published: February 2017

The accumulation and distribution of the2H content of near-surface layers in the eastern part of the Ronne Ice Shelf were determined from 16 firn cores drilled to about 10 m depth during the Filchner IIIa and IV campaigns in 1990 and 1992, respectively. The cores were dated stratigraphically by seasonal δ2H variations in the firn. In addition,3H and high-resolution chemical profiles were used to assist in dating. Both the accumulation rate and the stable-isotope content decrease with increasing distance from the ice edge: the δ2H values range from about 195‰ at the ice edge to -25‰ at BAS sites 5 and 6, south of Henry Ice Rise, and the accumulation rates from about 210 to 90 kgm-2a-1. The δ2H values of the near-surface firn and the 10 m firn temperatures (Θ) at individual sites are very well correlated: dδ2H/dΘ = (10.3 ± 0.6)‰K-1; r = 0.97.

The δ2H profiles of the two ice cores BI3 and BI5 drilled in 1990 and 1992 to 215 and 320 m depth, respectively, reflect the gradual depletion in2H in the firn upstream of the drill sites. Comparison with the surface data indicates that the ice above 142 m in core BIS and above 137 m in core BI3 was deposited on the ice shelf, whereas the deeper ice, down to 152.8 m depth, most probably originated from the margin of the Antarctic ice sheet.
High-resolution radar on Ice Stream B2, Antarctica: measurements of electromagnetic wave speed in firn and strain history from buried crevasses
Authors: Clarke T. S. , Bentley C. R.
Published: February 2017

Two types of experiments were performed near Upstream B Camp on Ice Stream B2 using a high-resolution ground-penetrating radar system. In the first type of experiment, tracking a metal drill tip through the upper 85 m of the ice column indicated an approximately linear decrease of wave speed with depth down to 50 m, with a constant speed of 170 ± 4 m µs−1 below. We believe the (unexpected) linearity may have been caused by one or more buried crevasses. In the second experiment, a survey of a 250 km2 grid showed a population of buried crevasses at about 30 m depth that have an estimated burial age of 210 ± 25 years, which is taken to indicate that this ice has been exhibiting streaming behavior for at least that length of time. One 3 km segment along the edge of the survey area nearest the center of the stream showed virtually flat, undisrupted stratigraphy down to the maximum depth of our measurements. The fact that this ice was accelerated from near-zero speed to its present 440 m a−1 without cracking or folding suggests that this ice may have been incorporated into the ice stream as a solid block.
Seasonal changes of sea-ice characteristics off East Antarctica
Authors: Allison Ian , Worby Anthony
Published: February 2017

Data on Antarctic sea‐ice characteristics, and their spatial and temporal variability, are presented from cruises between 1986 and 1993 for the region spanning 60°−150° E between October and May. In spring, the sea‐ice zone is a variable mixture of different thicknesses of ice plus open water and in some regions only 30−40% of the area is covered with ice >0.3 m thick. The thin‐ice and open‐water areas are important for air‐sea heat exchange. Crystallographic analyses of ice cores, supported by salinity and stable‐isotope measurements, show that approximately 50% of the ice mass is composed of small frazil crystals. These are formed by rapid ice growth in leads and polynyas and indicate the presence of open water throughout the growth season. The area‐averaged thickness of undeformed ice west of 120° E is typically less than 0.3 m and tends to‐increase with distance south of the ice edge. Ice growth by congelation freezing rarely exceeds 0.4 m, with increases in ice thickness beyond this mostly attributable to rafting and ridging. While most of the total area is thin ice or open water, in the central pack much of the total ice mass is contained in ridges. Taking account of the extent of ridging, the total area‐averaged ice thickness is estimated to be about 1m for the region 60°−90° E and 2 m for the region 120°−150° E. By December, new ice formation has ceased in all areas of the pack and only floes >0.3 m remain. In most regions these melt completely over the summer and the new season's ice formation starts in late February. By March, the thin ice has reached a thickness of 0.15 0.30 m, with nilas formation being an important mechanism for ice growth within the ice edge
Accumulation variation in eastern Kemp Land, Antarctica
Authors: Goodwin Ian D. , Higham Martin , Allison Ian , Jaiwen Ren
Published: February 2017

The spatial pattern of accumulation rate for eastern Kemp Land in the elevation range 1850-2700 m is presented together with observations of the physical parameters of snow temperature, average microwave emissivity (19 GHz, H polarization), distribution of depth hoar and firn-crystal diameter. The broad accumulation pattern in the region was found to be significantly low when compared to other coastal areas of East Antarctica such as Wilkes Land. The low accumulation regime is attributed to low atmospheric moisture transport and low penetration of synoptic cyclonic systems on to the coastal slopes. In the absence of high coastal precipitation, the accumulation rate is determined predominantly by surface snow redistribution processes. Attempts to determine accumulation-rate time series using visible layer, δ18O isotope and electrical conductivity stratigraphies were unsuccessful due to the relatively low coastal accumulation rates (less than 280 kg m-2a-1) and the complex modification of precipitation by redistribution processes.δ18O variations of seemingly cyclic nature observed throughout the cores were interpreted as a product of the snow-dune building and erosion processes, together with general redistribution of snows by the surface wind field, under the influence of mesoscale topographic roughness
Vostok (Antarctica) climate record time-scale deduced from the analysis of a borehole-temperature profile
Authors: Salamatin A.N. , Lipenkov V.YA. , Blinov K.V.
Published: February 2017

Several sets of temperature measurements were carried out in 1972- 88 in the Vostok boreholes. They have provided the ice-sheet temperature profile down to a depth of 2000 m. The accuracy of the profile is sufficient to analyze perturbations induced by the surface-temperature variations over the last climatic cycle. The mathematical model developed for the ice-temperature computation is applied to solve an inverse problem. The amplitudes and phase lags of the main harmonic components in the surface-temperature variations are reconstructed on the basis of fitting the calculated ice-temperature profile to the experimental one with the assumption that Milankovich's cycles (100, 41, 23 and 19 kyear) are dominant in the climate oscillations. The paleotemperature record simulated with the inverse procedure is revealed to be insensitive to the model parameters varied within the range of their uncertainty. Minimal standard deviation between calculated and measured temperature profiles is found of the same order as the reproducibility of the temperature measurements (0.005-0.01°C). Although the simulated temperature-time curve obtained in this study does not contain short-term variations, all the main climate events predicted from the ice-core isotope analysis can be recognized. Thus, the age of the events can be verified independently of the ice-sheet dynamics dating. The resultant time-scale for the Vostok record appears to be in good agreement with the dating of climate events recorded in deep-sea sediments.
Post-drilling recrystallization of the Byrd Station deep ice core and its relevance to current and future deep-core drilling on polar ice sheets
Authors: Gow A.J.
Published: February 2017

Cores of highly strained ice recovered from depths of 1200–1800 m at Byrd Station in 1967–68 have been found to have recrystallized while in storage in the United States. Such recrystallization, inferred to have occurred when temperatures in the storage facility rose above about – 14°C, would not have been discovered if thin sections of the cores had not been prepared and photographed at the drill site within hours of pulling the cores to the surface. It was only after new sections of the long stored cores were compared with the original sections that the full extent of recrystallization was revealed. The recrystallized structure emulates in both texture and fabric those observed in naturally annealed ice in the bottom 350 m at Byrd Station. It is concluded that polar ice cores should be stored at temperatures of –20°C or colder in order to inhibit or minimize post-drilling recrystallization.
Surface mass balance in east Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica, observed by Japanese Antarctic Research Expeditions
Authors: Takahashi Shuhei , Ageta Yutaka , Fujii Yoshtyuki , Watanabe Okitsugu
Published: February 2017

The surface mass balance in east Dronning Maud Land has been observed mainlvbv means of the snow-stake method. The surface mass balance generallv decreased with distance from the coast; from more than 250 mm a−1in the coastal region to less than 50 mm a−1in the inland region higher than 3500 m in altitude. At Mizuho Station (2230 m a.s.l.). the sublimation was about 50 mm a−1. precipitation was between 140 and 260 mm a−1, and the loss from the surface by theredistribution was estimated to be about 100 mm a−1, which agrees with the surface mass balance estimated as 70 mm a−1from the grain-growth rate. Around the mountainous area, the balance was small or in some cases negative, where a bare-ice field has developed. In the inland area, 3000– 3200 m a.s.l..the surface mass balance was less than 50 mm a−1, i.e. lower than in the surrounding areas. This low mass-balance area can be explained bv redistribution by the drifting snow. The whole mass input in five drainage basins with a total area of 620 × 103km2is 61.2Gton a−1and the mean surface mass balance is 99 mm a−1.
A method for determining ice-thickness change at remote locations using GPS
Authors: Hulbe Christina L. , Whillans Ian M.
Published: February 2017

Ice-thickness changes at remote locations on ice sheets can be determined by means of precise Global Positioning System (GPS) surveys with interferometric solutions. Remote sites are precisely surveyed relative to GPS receivers on rock. Repeat observations of the position of a remote site provide its vertical velocity. The difference between this velocity and accumulation rate is an indicator of change in ice-sheet thickness. Allowance must be made for the movement of survey markers due to firn compaction and down-slope ice motion, To allow for firn compaction, very long- poles arc placed to a sufficient depth in the firn that the densification rate can be considered steady. This assumption may be tested by measurements with poles set to different depths. An analysis of errors in pilot studies indicates that the limit to precision is the determination of accumulation rate.
Spatial and seasonal variations of the snow chemistry at the central Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf, Antarctica
Authors: Minikin Andreas , Wagenbach Dietmar , Graf Wolfgang , Kipfstuhl Josef
Published: February 2017

The chemical stratigraphy of the surface firn of the central Filchner- Ronne Ice Shelf was determined in conjunction with stable isotopes from shallow firn cores and snow-pit samples collected at 1.1 widely distributed sites, and covering a time period of at least 20 years. The chemical analysis included ECM profiling and the determination of chloride, non-sea-salt (nss) sulphate, methanesulphonate (MSA), nitrate and, partly, sodium and bromide. Throughout the investigated area, winter time nss sulphate levels are found to be substantially negative, indicating that the sulphate to sodium ratio in airborne sea-salt particles is depleted by a factor of 5, approximately, in relation to the bulk sea-water ratio. While winter firn layers appear to be marked by episodic events of large sea-salt inputs, pronounced annual cycles with maxima in summer firn layers are commonly observed for the ECM signal and for nss sulphate, nitrate and MSA at all sites. For MSA, however, this phase relation is almost reversed for depths greater than 3-4m.

The mean impurity levels consistently are strongly depleted with increasing distance from the ice edge by about 30% / 100 km for sea salt, 25% / 100 km for MSA and only 10%/ 100 km for nss sulphate. However, no substantial trend is observed for nitrate. It is concluded, therefore, that the sea-salt and the biogenic sulphur compounds deposited on the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf mainly originate from the adjacent Weddell Sea.

Further important implications of the continental effects are: (a) an atmospheric residence time of nss sulphate apparently exceeding that of MSA probably due to the supplementary sulphate production on the ice shelf from biogenic SO2, and (b) a substantial limitation of the potential of deep ice cores already drilled on the Filchner- Ronne Ice Shelf in extracting reliable net temporal changes of sea-salt and biogenic sulphur species.