bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Distribution and fall-out of137Cs and other radionuclides over Antarctica
Authors: Pourchet M. , Bartarya S. K. , Maignan M. , Jouzel J. , Pinglot J. F. , Aristarain A.J. , Furdada G. , Kotlyakov V. M. , Mosley-Thompson E. , Preiss N. , Young N.W. 
Published: September 2017

AbstractThis article aims to give a comprehensive view of the distribution patterns for natural and artifical radionuclides over Antarctica. We focus this study on137Cs,210Pb and tritium. Applying various statistical methods, we show that the deposition of radionuclides reveals a structured distribution, although local drift redistribution and the snow-surface roughness disturb the representativeness of samples and produce a “noise” effect. The deposition of137Cs over Antarctica (885 TBq) represents 0.09% of the total deposition of this radionuclide in the world and the correlation between137Cs fluxes and accumulation shows two sub-populations. For the stations with a mean annual temperature above −21° C, a strong correlation is found, whereas the correlation is lower for locations with temperatures below −21° C. The flux of210Pb varies from 0.9 to 8.2 Bq m−1a−1 with values strongly correlated with the accumulation and a well-defined spatial structure. The same mechanism governs the deposition of artificial and natural tritium but it clearly differs from that of other radionuclides associated with particulate material. The “dry fall-out” accounts for between 60 and 80% of the total fall-out for the artificial radionuclides and around 40% for210Pb. This difference is likely related to a tropospheric fraction for210Pb. Despite its isolated location, the radioactive fall-out of artificial long-lived radionuclides over Antarctica has been ten times greater than for natural radionuclides.
Clast collision frequency as an indicator of glacier sliding rate
Authors: Fischer Urs Η. , Clarke Garry K. C. 
Published: September 2017

AbstractThe mechanical interaction between a glacier and subglacial sediment can be observed using an instrumented rod that we refer to as the UBC ploughmeter. For clast-rich sediments, the rate of collision between clasts and a rod dragged through these sediments should be related to the glacier sliding rate. By assuming that proglacial measurements of sediment granulometry represent the subglacial granulometry of Trapridge Glacier, Yukon Territory, Canada, we have used ploughmeter results to obtain an estimated sliding rate of ∼45 mm d−1, in good agreement with known rates. In addition, for a subglacial material treated as a solid-liquid dispersion having a linear viscous rheology, the force of collision experienced by the rod should be proportional to the effective sediment viscosity. Our estimate of ∼2.0 × 1010Pa s agrees well with previously, derived values.
Seasonal climatic forcing of alpine glaciers revealed with orbital synthetic aperture radar
Authors: Smith Laurence C. , Forster Richard R. , Isacks Bryan L. , Hall Dorothy K. 
Published: September 2017

AbstractThe evolution of four dynamic radar glacier zones at the surface of an alpine icefield in British Columbia is monitored using a time series of 35 First European Remote Sensing Satellite (ERS-1) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images acquired from 1992 to 1994. These zones result from changing wetness and textural properties, and appear to represent: (1) cold snow with no liquid water present; (2) an initial melt front with an upper boundary near the elevation of the 0° isotherm; (3) metamorphosed, rapidly melting first-year snow with a rough or pitted surface; and (4) bare ice. This interpretation is aided by temperature and runoff data, air photographs and field measurements of snowpack properties acquired with two ERS-1 SAR scenes, ice-surface elevations derived from 1:50 000 topographic maps and simulations of radar backscatter from a geometric optics model of surface scattering. Meltwater production is affected by the development of zones (2), (3) and (4), which form, migrate up-elevation and disappear each year between April and September.
Response of sediment to ice-sheet loading in northwestern Germany: effective stresses and glacier-bed stability
Authors: Piotrowski Jan A. , Kraus Anna M. 
Published: September 2017

AbstractLaboratory tests on sediment over-ridden by the last ice sheet in north-western Germany reveal very low ice-induced pre-consolidation and high palaeo-pore-water pressures. Sediment consolidation at the base of the glacier was largely controlled by hydraulic properties of the substratum. Generally low permeabilities of the bed caused sustained high pore-water pressure in over-ridden sediments close to the flotation point. This implies a serious possibility of hydraulic lifting of the ice sheet. It is believed that the reduced basal coupling limited the transformation of glacier shear stress on to the bed sediments, which is indicated by a lack of sedimentological evidence for widespread pervasive bed deformation. Ice motion was probably focused at the glacier sole by some combination of sliding and ploughing. However, isolated spots with deformation occur, so that the subglacial system in the study area can be characterized as a stable/deforming mosaic.
Ice deformation at the confluence of two glaciers investigated with conceptual map-plane and flowline models
Authors: Gudmundsson G. Hilmar 
Published: September 2017

AbstractUsing analytical and numerical techniques, a two-dimensional (2-D) map-plane model and a 2-D flowline model are utilized to elucidate the horizontal and vertical ice deformation at the confluence of two glaciers. For a perfectly symmetrical confluence, the junction point of the two tributaries can be modeled as a no-slip/free-slip transition. A strongly localized surface depression develops around the junction point, accompanied by two broadly elevated zones positioned close to the margins of the tributaries facing the junction point. The confluence center line is subjected to horizontal longitudinal extension and a transverse compression. The compression generally exceeds the concomitant longitudinal extension in magnitude. Depth-integrated vertical strain rates along the center line are positive (extension), but the strain-rate variation with depth depends critically on the type of basal boundary conditions at the glacier bed. For a no-slip boundary condition, vertical strain rates change from positive at the surface to negative close to the base, whereas for a free-slip boundary condition (perfect sliding) vertical strain rates are positive throughout the depth. These theoretical results are compared with field measurements from Unteraargletscher, Bernese Alps, Switzerland.
Evaluating the impact of climate on snow- and ice-melt dynamics in the Taillon basin, French Pyrénées
Authors: Hannah David M. , McGregor Glenn R. 
Published: September 2017

AbstractThis pilot study adopts a computer-assisted synoptic typing methodology to evaluate the totality of climatic influences on snow- and ice-melt dynamics within a small cirque basin in the French Pyrénées. The synoptic categories identified possess contrasting large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns and surface energy budgets which generate differential ablation responses. Continental air masses yield consistently high melt. Advection of moist maritime air also produces elevated but more variable ablation due to air-mass transitions. The two observed local valley circulation types show melt to be higher under nocturnal katabatic drainage than for anabatic wind flows associated with development of daytime ridge-top cumulus.
In situ thermal profiles and laboratory impact experiments on iceberg ice
Authors: Gagnon R. E. , Gammon P. H. 
Published: September 2017

AbstractA series of 40 impact tests was conducted an large right-circular cylinders (68.5 cm diameter and 25.7 cm thickness) of iceberg ice collected from an iceberg in Labrador. Temperature profiles were also obtained for the iceberg and the profiles exhibited differences associated with the probe location. Temperatures as low as –15°C were measured at penetration depths of about 8 m. The impact specimens were confined at the perimeter and base by a rigid metallic ring and plate. A spherically terminated impactor, with center-mounted pressure transducer, was dropped on to the flat top surface of specimens from various heights and with various added masses. Impact velocity varied from 1.8 to 3.9 m s−1; impactor mass varied from 155 to 510 kg and the ice-specimen temperature varied from –0.5° to –14.5°C. Peak center pressures averaged from about 25 MPa at the highest temperature to about 41 MPa at the lowest temperature, with the highest recorded pressure being 50 M Pa. Crater volume increased with increasing impact energy, as expected; however, the specific energy of the ejected material was found to decrease as the energy of impact and crater volume increased. A mechanism for this observed behaviour is proposed.
A comparison between active and passive microwave measurements of the Antarctic ice sheet and their association with the surface katabatic winds
Authors: Remy F. , Minster J. F. 
Published: September 2017

AbstractThe intensity of the Seasat altimeter return power over Antarctica varies in strong correlation with the intensity of model katabatic winds. It is also strongly correlated with the polarization of the passive microwave signal at 37 GHz of the Nimbus-7 SMMR data. It is shown that this is most likely the result of the wind-induced micro-roughness of the ice surface.
Potential effects of subglacial water-pressure fluctuations on quarrying
Authors: Iverson Neal R. 
Published: September 2017

AbstractWater-pressure fluctuations beneath glaciers may accelerate rock fracture by redistributing stresses on subglacial bedrock and changing the pressure of water in bedrock cracks. To study the potential influence of water-pressure fluctuations on the fracture of subglacial bedrock, ice flow over a small bedrock step with a water-filled cavity in its lee is numerically modeled, and stresses on the bedrock surface are calculated as a function of transient water pressures in the cavity. Stresses on the bed are then used to calculate principal stress differences within the step. Rapid reductions in cavity water pressure increase principal stress differences in the bed, increasing the likelihood of crack growth in the step and the formation of predominantly vertical fractures. Relatively impermeable bedrock may be most susceptible to fracturing during water-pressure reductions because high water pressure in cracks within the rock can be maintained, as water pressure decreases in cavities. These results, when considered in conjunction with the strong likelihood that increases in water pressure accelerate the removal of rock fragments loosened from the bed, suggest that in zones of ice-bed separation where water-pressure fluctuations typically are large, rates of quarrying may be higher than along other parts of glacier beds.
Freezing of water drops on a cold surface
Authors: Walford M. E. R. , Hargreaves D. M. , Stuart-Smith S. , Lowson M. 
Published: September 2017

AbstractA drop of water falling gently on to a cold copper surface freezes to it, forming a curious minaret-shaped pellet of ice. The shear tractive force necessary then to remove the ice pellet depends on the initial temperature of the metal: it is a maximum at −22°C and falls to zero at −62°C. At impact velocities greater than approximately 0.8 ms−1, depending on the metal temperature, the droplets of water freeze to form irregular pancakes or discs of ice which adhere to the metal weakly if at all.
Deforming-bed origin for southern Laurentide till sheets?
Authors: Alley Richard B. 
Published: September 2017

AbstractThe widespread, uniform till sheets of the southern margin of the Laurentide ice sheet were deposited by fast-moving, wet-bedded ice over relatively short periods of time. Characteristics of these till sheets are entirely consistent with deposition from deforming subglacial sediment layers; it is difficult (although not impossible) to explain their origin through debris transport in basal ice. Careful estimation of debris budgets and studies of sorted sediments contained in the till sheets may clarify their origin further.
Surface profiles and basal shear stresses of outlet glaciers from a Late-glacial mountain ice field in western Scotland
Authors: Thorp Peter W. 
Published: September 2017

AbstractSurface and basal long profiles are reconstructed for 13 outlet glaciers that drained ice from a large ice field (80 km by 120 km) that formed in the western Grampians of Scotland during part of the Late-glacial period (c, 14000–10000years BP). Basal shear stresses are calculated at 5 km intervals along the central flowlines of the reconstructed outlet glaciers. Individual basal shear stresses for the outlet glaciers range from 10 to 204 kPa. Variations in calculated basal shear stresses within and between the glaciers are mainly explained by differences in bedrock topography, extending and compressional flow, and by differences in basal boundary conditions. Low basal shear stresses (<53kPa) calculated for the terminal zones of Creran, Menteith and Lomond glaciers are partly explained by the overriding of glaciomarine clays with inferred high pore-water pressures and a low yield strength that may have led to rapid basal sliding and thinning of the ice lobes.
A three-dimensional theory of wind pumping
Authors: Clarke Garry K. C. , Waddington Edwin D. 
Published: September 2017

AbstractQuantitative understanding of the processes that couple the lower atmosphere to the upper surface of ice sheets is necessary for interpreting ice-core records. Of special interest are those processes that involve the exchange of energy or atmospheric constituents. One such process, wind pumping, entails both possibilities and provides a possible mechanism for converting atmospheric kinetic energy into a near-surface heat source within the firn layer. The essential idea is that temporal and spatial variations in surface air pressure, resulting from air motion, can diffuse into permeable firn by conventional Darcy flow. Viscous friction between moving air and the solid firn matrix leads to energy dissipation in the firn that is equivalent to a volumetric heat source.Initial theoretical work on wind pumping was aimed at explaining anomalous near-surface temperatures measured at sites on Agassiz Ice Cap, Arctic Canada. A conclusion of this preliminary work was that, under highly favourable conditions, anomalous warming of as much as 2°C was possible. Subsequent efforts to confirm wind-pumping predictions suggest that our initial estimates of the penetration depth for pressure fluctuations were optimistic. These observations point to a deficiency of the initial theoretical formulation — the surface-pressure forcing was assumed to vary temporally, but not spatially. Thus, within the firn there was only a surface-normal component of air flow. The purpose of the present contribution is to advance a three-dimensional theory of wind pumping in which air flow is driven by both spatial and temporal fluctuations in surface pressure. Conclusions of the three-dimensional analysis are that the penetration of pressure fluctuations, and hence the thickness of the zone of frictional interaction between air and permeable firn, is related to both the frequency of the pressure fluctuations and to the spatial coherence length of turbulence cells near the firn surface.
Large-scale statistical study of Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR) data over Antarctica
Authors: Fily Michel , Benoist Jean-Pierre 
Published: September 2017

AbstractSMMR data over Antarctica have been statistically analysed for four different periods of 1 year (1981) and compared to geophysical data such as surface temperature, snow-accumulation rate and topography. The spatial variations of the microwave signature are stable with time. Although the ten channels are highly correlated, principal-component analysis reveals the importance of polarization and frequency. The difference between brightness temperatures at the two polarizations is found to be dependent on the atmospheric water-vapour fluxes over the ice sheet, which modify the temperature-accumulation ratio and therefore the snow stratification. The brightness-temperature gradient with frequency is related to the topography of the central plateau area. A more important subsidence over diverging areas could explain the different structure of the accumulated snow.
Steady-state characteristics of the Greenland ice sheet under different climates
Authors: Letréguilly Anne , Huybrechts Philippe , Reeh Niels 
Published: September 2017

AbstractThe Greenland ice sheet is modelled to simulate its extent and volume in warmer climates, and to find out whether the ice sheet would re-form on the ice-free bedrock under present climatic conditions. The ice-sheet model is a three-dimensional thermo-mechanical model with a fine-resolution grid. The bedrock surface beneath the ice sheet was mapped using radio-echo-sounding measurements by the Electromagnetic Institute, Copenhagen. The model experiments show that increased temperature will result in ice-margin retreat, but the ice sheet is relatively stable; it takes a temperature rise of at least 6 deg for the ice sheet to disappear completely, which indicates that the ice sheet probably survived the last interglacial. Furthermore, it appears that the Greenland ice sheet is not a mere relict ice mass from a previously colder climate but that the ice sheet will still re-form on the bare bedrock under the present, or even slightly warmer, climatic conditions.
On the Determination of Horizontal Forces a Floating Ice Plate Exerts on a Structure
Authors: Kerr Arnold D. 
Published: September 2017

AbstractAt first, the general approach for calculating the horizontal forces an ice cover exerts on structures is discussed. Ice-force determination consists of two parts: (1) the analysis of the in-plane forces, assuming that the ice cover remains intact, and (2) the use of a failure criterion; because an ice force cannot be larger than the force capable of breaking up the ice cover. For an estimate of the largest ice force, an elastic plate analysis and a failure criterion are often sufficient. A review of the literature revealed that in the majority of the analyses, it is assumed that the failure load is directly related to a "crushing strength" of the ice cover. Observations in the field and tests in the laboratory show, however, that in some instances the ice cover failed by buckling. Subsequently the ice-force analyses based on the buckling failure mechanism are reviewed and their shortcomings are pointed out. A new method of analysis, which is based on the buckling of a floating ice wedge, is then presented.
Atmospheric Processes and the Chemistry of Snow on the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica
Authors: Warburton J. A. 
Published: September 2017

AbstractCorrelations between chemical profiles (Na, K and Mg) in three 2 m deep pits, separated by hundreds of kilometers on the Ross Ice Shelf, suggest that the passage of major storm systems is often recorded as peaks in cationic concentration in the snow-pack on the Ice Shelf. The magnitude of the peaks appears to be a function of both storm intensity and the extent of sea ice adjoining the Ross Ice Shelf. Samples were collected from a network of 21 shallow pits on the Ice Shelf. Although concentration of impurities in the snow varies as a function of distance from the sea on northern portions of the Ross Ice Shelf, a more complex relationship exists in the interior of the Shelf. A distinct chemical zone south of Roosevelt Island may reflect the presence of a "cyclone graveyard". Non-marine cationic ratios in the southern portion of the Ice Shelf suggest the significant influence of a fractionated marine aerosol and the presence of a second, continental aerosol source. Ionic ratios in rime deposited on the Ross Ice Shelf during periods of fog are interpreted as reflecting the production of fog droplets from the chemically-enriched surface microlayer of the ocean. Diffusionally grown snow crystals also have non-marine ratios. In contrast, snowfall associated with peaks in chemical concentration in particular, and the snow-pack on northern portions of the Ross Ice Shelf in general, yield near-marine ionic ratios. This indicates that the chemistry of snow which is near the coast and snow from major storms is dominated by large droplet riming and the associated presence of a high proportion of sea-salt particles.
On Modeling the Weddell Sea Pack Ice
Authors: Hibler W.D. , Ackley S.F. 
Published: September 2017

Some results from a dynamic-thermodynamic simulation of the seasonal cycle of the Weddell Sea pack ice are described. The model used for the study is similar to that developed by Hibler (1979) for a numerical investigation of the Arctic ice cover. It employs a plastic ice rheology coupled to a two-level ice-thickness distribution. The thickness characteristics evolve in response to ice dynamics, and to ice growth and decay rates dictated by surface heat-budget calculations and by heat storage in a fixed depth oceanic boundary layer. Observed time-varying wind, temperature, and humidity fields based on the 1979 Australian analysis are used together with empirical radiation fields and fixed ocean currents to drive the model. Employing these fields, the model is integrated over two seasonal cycles. The second-year results are compared to observed ice-drift data obtained by Ackley (1981[b]) and to ice-edge characteristics determined from satellite imagery. In analyzing the results, particular attention is paid to ascertaining the relative roles of ice dynamics and thermodynamics in determining the ice-edge characteristics. A sensitivity analysis of the effect of a different parameterization of the atmospheric temperature and humidity fields is also carried out.Overall, the results suggest that (1) ice dynamics are essential in describing the seasonal cycle, and (2) a feedback between the atmospheric temperature and the presence of ice may be a major cause of the rapid decay of the Antarctic ice cover during the spring-summer period.
Antarctic Ice Elevation Maps From Balloon Altimetry
Authors: Levanon Nadav 
Published: September 2017

Antarctic ice-elevation maps are presented, based on 4 000 measurement points, analysed from traverses made by constant-density balloons. These balloons were launched during the Tropical Wind, Energy Conversion and Reference Level Experiment (TWERLE). The TWERLE data yielded daily maps of the elevation of the 150 mbar pressure surface in the southern hemisphere. These maps serve as a reference level from which the altimeter readings are subtracted to yield the ice elevation.The accuracy of the ice-elevation data is estimated at better than 60 m. The accuracy of the contouring depends on the density of measurements in the particular area. Two contouring techniques were used. One is based on generating elevation data at fixed grid-points from arbitrarily distributed measurements, using Cressman's method. The second is a surface spline interpolation technique by Duchon.The elevation data are of special value on the inland plateau areas. There, the typical distance between balloon measurements is sufficiently small, relative to the typical distance between contour lines at 100 m intervals. Furthermore, the inland areas are the least accessible to other mapping techniques.