bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Evidence for rapid retreat and mass loss of Thwaites Glacier, West Antarctica
Authors: Rignot Eric 
Published: November 2007

AbstractThwaites Glacier, the second largest ice stream in West Antarctica, drains an area of 166 500 ± 2000 km2 which accumulates 55 ± 5 Gt a−1 (or 60 ± 6 km3 ice a−1) into the Amundsen Sea, unrestrained by an ice shelf. Using interferometric synthetic-aperture radar (InSAR) data collected by the European Remote-sensing Satellites (ERS-1 and -2) in 1996, an output flux of 71 ±7 Gt a−1 (or 77 ± 8 km3 ice a−1) is estimated at the grounding line, where ice thickness is deduced from hydrostatic equilibrium. A similar flux, 70 ± 7 Gt a−1 (or 76 ± 8 km3 ice a−1), is obtained at a gate located 20 km upstream, where ice thickness was measured in 1978 by ice-sounding radar. Total accumulation in between the two gates is 1.6 Gt a−1, or 1.8 km3 ice a−1. Ice discharge therefore exceeds mass accumulation by 30 ± 15%, and Thwaites Glacier must be thinning and retreating at present. The InSAR data show that the glacier floating ice tongue exerts no back pressure on the inland ice, calves into tabular icebergs along a significant fraction of its grounding line, and has a grounding-line thickness which exceeds a prior-calculated limit for stability. Glacier thinning is confirmed at the coast by the detection of a 1.4 ± 0.2 km retreat of its grounding line between 1992 and 1996 with InSAR, which implies 3.2 ± 0.6 m ice a−1 thinning at the glacier center and less near the sides. These results complement the decimeter-scale annual surface lowering observed with satellite radar altimetry several hundred km inland of the grounding line. The magnitude of ice thinning estimated at the coast, however, rules out temporal changes in accumulation as the explanation for surface lowering. Ice thinning must be due to changes in ice flow.
Spatial patterns of glacier motion during a high-velocity event: Haut Glacier d’Arolla, Switzerland
Authors: Mair Douglas , Nienow Peter , Willis Ian , Sharp Martin 
Published: November 2007

AbstractThe surface motion of Haut Glacier d’Arolla, Switzerland, was monitored at a high spatial and temporal resolution. Data are analyzed to calculate surface velocities, surface strain rates and the components of the glacier force budget before, during and after an early melt season speed-up or “spring event”. We investigate the extent to which variations in glacier motion can be attributed to hydrologically induced local forcing or to non-local forcing transmitted via horizontal stress gradients. Enhanced glacier motion is dependent on a change in the spatial distribution of areas of high drag across the glacier.
Numerical modeling of blowing and drifting snow in Alpine terrain
Authors: Gauer Peter 
Published: November 2007

AbstractIn mountainous regions, snow transport due to wind significantly influences snow distribution and, as a result, avalanche danger. A physically based numerical two-layer model is developed to simulate blowing and drifting snow in Alpine terrain. One layer describes the driving-wind field and the transport in suspension. The description is based on the atmospheric boundary-layer equations, using ane−∊model for the turbulent closure. The second layer describes the transport due to saltation, including erosion and deposition of snow. Here, conservation equations for mass and momentum are formulated for the mixture of snow and air. Particle trajectory calculations are used to parameterize quantities characterizing the saltation layer. Both layers are mutually coupled by boundary conditions. A two-way coupling between particles and airflow is taken into account. Comparisons between simulation results and field measurements around an Alpine crest show encouraging results.
Crevasse patterns at the onset to Ice Stream B, West Antarctica
Authors: Price S. F. , Whillans I. M. 
Published: November 2007

AbstractSequential satellite imagery and modeling are used to investigate crevasse patterns at the head of Ice Stream B tributary B1b. The crevasses, informally called the “chromosomes”, form at the upstream limit to B1b’s northern shear margin and chaotic crevasse zone. We find that the onset to crevasse formation, and by inference the onset to streaming flow, has migrated upstream over time at a mean rate of 230(16) m a−1. A possible cause for that migration is changes in net basal friction due to changes in basal water production rate and storage.
Glacier–volcano interactions deduced by SAR interferometry
Authors: Björnsson Helgi , Rott Helmut , Gudmundsson Sverrir , Fischer Andrea , Siegel Andreas , Gudmundsson Magnús T. 
Published: November 2007

AbstractGlacier-surface displacements produced by geothermal and volcanic activity beneath Vatnajökull ice cap in Iceland are described by field surveys of the surface topography combined with interferograms acquired from repeat-pass synthetic aperture radar images. A simple ice-flow model serves well to confirm the basic interpretation of the observations. The observations cover the period October 1996–January 1999 and comprise: (a) the ice-flow field during the infilling of the depressions created by the subglacial Gjálp eruption of October 1996, (b) the extent and displacement of the floating ice cover of the subglacier lakes of Grímsvötn and the Skaftá cauldrons, (c) surface displacements above the subglacier pathways of the jökulhlaups from the Gjálp eruption site and the Grímsvötn lake, (d) detection of areas of increased basal sliding due to lubrication by water, and (e) detection of spots of temporal displacement that may be related to altering subglacial volcanic activity. At the depression created by the Gjálp eruption, the maximum surface displacement rate away from the radar decreased from 27 cm d−1to 2 cm d−1over the period January 1997–January 1999. The observed vertical displacement of the ice cover of Grímsvötn changed from an uplift rate of 50 cm d−1to sinking of 48 cm d−1, and for Skaftá cauldrons from 2 cm d to 25 cm d−1.
Meteorological conditions over Antarctic blue-ice areas and their influence on the local surface mass balance
Authors: Bintanja Richard , Reijmer Carleen H. 
Published: November 2007

AbstractThis paper addresses the causes of the prevailing meteorological conditions observed over an Antarctic blue-ice area and their effect on the surface mass balance. Over blue-ice areas, net accumulation is zero and ablation occurs mainly through sublimation. Sublimation rates are much higher than over adjacent snowfields. The meteorological conditions favourable for high sublimation rates (warm, dry and gusty) are due to the specific orographic setting of this blue-ice area, with usually a steep upwind mountainous slope causing strong adiabatic heating. Diabatic warming due to radiation, and entrainment of warm air from aloft into the boundary layer augment the warming. The prevailing warm, dry conditions explain roughly 50% of the difference in sublimation, and the different characteristics of blue ice (mainly its lower albedo) the other 50%. Most of the annual sublimation (∼70%) takes place during the short summer (mainly in daytime), with winter ablation being restricted to occasional warm, dry föhn-like events. The additional moisture is effectively removed by entrainment and horizontal advection, which are maximum over the blue-ice area. Low-frequency turbulent motions induced by the upwind mountains enhance the vertical turbulent transports. Strong gusts and high peak wind speeds over blue-ice areas cause high potential snowdrift transports, which can easily remove the total precipitation, thereby maintaining zero accumulation.
The isotopic record at an alpine glacier and its implications for local climatic changes and isotopic homogenization processes
Authors: Yuanqing He , Theakstone Wilfred H. , Tandong Yao , Yafeng Shi 
Published: November 2007

AbstractStratigraphic variations of oxygen isotopes in the snow which accumulates during the winter at the Norwegian glacier Austre Okstindbreen are not entirely eliminated after 1–2 months of ablation in the following summer. The relationship between regional temperature changes and δ18O values in the snowpack is affected by many natural factors, but 1989/90 winter air temperatures were reflected in the snow which remained on Austre Okstindbreen at 1350 m a.s.l. in July 1990. There were many variations of δ18O values in the 4.1m of snow above the 1989 summer surface, but variations in the underlying firn were relatively small. Meltwater percolation modifies the initial variations of δ18O values in the snowpack. At a site below the mean equilibrium-line altitude on Austre Okstindbreen, increased isotopic homogenization within a 10 day period in July accompanied an increase of the mean δ18O value. Although the isotopic record at a temperate glacier is likely to be influenced by more factors than is that at polar glaciers, it can provide an estimate of the approximate trend of local temperature variations.
The localization of strain and c-axis evolution in anisotropic ice
Authors: Wilson Christopher J. L. , Sim Hadi M. 
Published: November 2007

AbstractUsing a series of combined compression–simple-shear experiments, it has been possible to investigate strain distributions and crystal-orientation fabrics related to varying layer orientation in ice. A variety of flattening strains accompanied by layer buckling, simple shear and the development of a lenticular layering are produced in anisotropic ice masses. In samples where the creep curve has only just reached a minimum strain rate, the c-axis preferred orientation is similar to that in the starting material, with specific c-axis concentrations affected by the extent of preserved host grains. At shear strains where γ ≤ 1, it was found that the c-axis preferred orientations were highly variable depending on the magnitude of strain, strain distribution and upon the modification and degree of rotation of initial c-axis preferred orientation. However, once recrystallization dominates in high-strain zones (γ ≥ 1), there is a rapid development of an asymmetric two-maxima fabric with little evidence of any contributions from inherited fabric elements. The final c-axis pattern is asymmetric with respect to the direction of shortening, with a strong maximum at ∼80° to the shear zone, with a sense of asymmetry in the direction of the shear, and a secondary maximum lying at ∼50° to the plane of shearing.
History of lower Pine Island Glacier, West Antarctica, from Landsat imagery
Authors: Bindschadler Robert A. 
Published: November 2007

AbstractA 28 year record of lower Pine Island Glacier, West Antarctica, constructed from 15 Landsat images, shows changes at the terminus, grounding zone and both margins. The north margin has expanded 5 km into the adjacent ice shelf in a sustained event that was underway in 1973 and may have begun in 1957. Between 1991 and 1997, this expansion ceased and a new region of rifting was created associated with an ice rise on the glacier’s floating tongue. Changes in the topography of a nearby ice rise are used to deduce an upper-bound estimate of a 134 m thinning of the adjacent ice shelf. On the south margin, widening was limited to 1 km over the observation period and is seen propagating downstream in an intermediate-dated image. New areas of crevassing are also evident in the grounding zone of the glacier. Ice loss by the calving of large tabular bergs vastly exceeds mass loss by calving of many small bergs. These observations are consistent with reported changes of the 1990s and indicate that changes in the flow of Pine Island Glacier have occurred over the full period of satellite observations.
The retreat of a tidewater glacier: observations and model calculations on Hansbreen, Spitsbergen
Authors: Vieli Andreas , Jania Jacek , Kolondra Lezek 
Published: November 2007

AbstractBased on observations and model calculations, the retreat over the last two decades of Hansbreen, a tidewater glacier in southern Spitsbergen, Svalbard, is investigated. The observations of the calving-front position between 1982 and 1998 show an abrupt retreat in 1990, which is suggested to be related to a depression in the glacier bed. The observed seasonal variations of the front position are mainly due to variations of the calving rate. The observations of Hansbreen further indicate that during periods of slow front-position changes, melting at the water-line may play an important role in triggering the process of calving. The evolution of Hansbreen between 1982 and 1998 is simulated with a numerical model for the dynamics of tidewater glaciers. Using a flotation criterion for calving in which for each time-step the part of the glacier terminus which is below a critical height above buoyancy is removed, we are able to reproduce the observed rapid retreat of Hansbreen through the depression in the glacier bed. From the observations and model calculations, we conclude that the rapid retreat is mainly an effect of basal topography in the terminus region and not a direct response to a change in mass balance.
Temperature gradient and initial snow density as controlling factors in the formation and structure of hard depth hoar
Authors: Pfeffer W. Tad , Mrugala Randy 
Published: November 2007

AbstractWe investigate how temperature gradient and initial density influence depth-hoar growth in snow and seek to better define the range of conditions under which cohesive, or hard, depth hoar forms. Samples of 400 kg m−3sieved snow were exposed to temperature gradients of 20–80°C m−1, and samples of four different densities were exposed to a 40°C m temperature gradient. Following exposure to temperature gradients, penetrometer tests were made on samples to determine the presence of solid and/or hard depth hoar. Grain bond orientation was analyzed in section planes by two-dimensional stereological techniques where hard depth hoar developed. Results indicate that hard cohesive depth hoar forms from rounded-grain snow having a density of 400 kg m−3or greater, following exposure to a temperature gradient of 20°C m−1or greater. Hard depth hoar appears to consist of solid-type depth-hoar grains connected by necks, with vertically preferred directions of grain elongation and organization of grain-to-grain chains. This work corroborates Atikaya’s (1974) results, but extends his observation of formation of hard depth hoar to weaker temperature gradients for high-density snow. Our results also indicate that hard depth hoar is composed of faceted solid-type (anhedral) grains.
The effect of temporal variations in the surface mass balance and temperature-inversion strength on the interpretation of ice-core signals
Authors: Van Lipzig Nicole P. M. , Meijgaard Erik Van , Oerlemans Johannes 
Published: November 2007

AbstractThe proxy for temperature (δ signal) in ice cores is stored in the snow/ice during precipitation events and hence reflects the temperature at which precipitation is formed (here approximated by the inversion temperature Ti) weighted with the accumulation. Results from a 14 year integration (1980–93) with a regional atmospheric model (RACMO, ΔX = 55 km) show that the annual mean accumulation-weighted inversion temperature (Ti,w) and the annual mean Ti are not covariant in time at four out of the five deep-drilling sites considered, mainly due to year-to-year variations in the seasonality of precipitation. As a consequence, the surface temperature (Ts,core) derived from RACMO output, using a method analogous to the retrieval of the surface temperature from ice-core δ signals, deviates from the directly modelled surface temperature Ts on interannual time-scales. Results from a 5 year sensitivity integration, forced with a 2 K temperature increase, show an 18% overestimation of the increase in Ts,core relative to the increase in Ts due to a change in the relationship between the inversion strength and the surface temperature in a different climate regime. Similar errors may occur in deriving the temperature difference between Last Glacial Maximum and present-day climate from δ signals in ice cores.
Idealized study of a 2-D coupled sea-ice/atmosphere model during warm-air advection
Authors: Cheng Bin , Vihma Timo 
Published: November 2007

AbstractWe present a two-dimensional, coupled, mesoscale atmosphere–sea-ice model, and apply it to simulate the air–ice interaction during warm-air advection. The model was run into a steady state under various conditions with respect to the season, cloud cover and wind speed. The spatial and temporal evolution of the thermodynamics of the ice, snow and the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) were investigated. The development of the stably stratified ABL downwind of the ice edge depended above all on the wind speed and cloud cover. If the turbulent heat flux from air to snow was large enough to compensate the radiative cooling of the surface, a downward conductive heat flux was generated in the upper ice and snow layers. The stronger was the surface heating (strong wind, overcast skies) and the shorter its duration (on a scale down to a few hours), the wider was the region where this downward flux occurred. From the point of view of ABL modelling, the interactive coupling between air and ice was most important when the wind was strong, while from the point of view of ice thermodynamic modelling the coupling was most important when the wind was weak.
Ice-shelf changes in Pine Island Bay, Antarctica, 1947-2000
Authors: Rignot Eric 
Published: November 2007

AbstractAerial photographs from 1947 and 1966, satellite optical imagery from 1973 and 1980, and interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) data from 1992, 1996 and 2000 are employed to detect ice-shelf changes in Pine Island Bay, Antarctica. The front position of the fast-flowing central ice shelf did not migrate discernibly over the past 50 years. New cracks and rifts appeared in the 1990s, however, that reveal a major weakening of the ice shelf. At the grounding-line center, the ice shelf thinned 21 m in 8 years. The northern, slow-moving ice shelf also shows signs of decay: (1) its calving front is retreating at an accelerating rate; and (2) the ice shelf is slowly unpinning from its bedrock anchors. These changes are taking place in a region well beyond the temperature-dependent limit of viability of ice shelves, and hence differ from those observed along the Antarctica Peninsula. They are likely due to a change in oceanic forcing, not to a change in air temperature. One possibility is that the documented intrusion of warm circumpolar deep water on the continental shelf has increased basal melting compared to that required to maintain the ice shelf in a state of mass balance, and that this has triggered a general retreat of ice in this sector.
Isotopic study on Dokriani Bamak glacier, central Himalaya: implications for climatic changes and ice dynamics
Authors: Nijampurkar Vasant , Rao Kameswara , Sarin Manmohan , Gergan Joseph 
Published: November 2007

AbstractMeasurements of natural and artificial radioisotopes (32Si, 210Pb and 137Cs) and oxygen isotopes (δ18O) have been carried out on surface snow and ice, shallow snow pits and an ice core collected from Dokriani Bamak glacier, central Himalaya, to study the dynamics of glacier ice and short-term climatic changes. Based on the 32Si and 210Pb activities in the meltwaters, the age of the snout ice is 400 years and the flow rate of ice along the glacier length is ∼14 m a−1. The specific activity of 137Cs, corresponding to 1963 fallout, in the surface ice at the equilibrium line yields a flow rate of 32 m a−1, a factor of two higher than that derived for the snout ice. The depth variation of 137Cs concentration in a shallow ice core yields a mean accumulation rate of 0.43 m a−1 for the glacier ice over the past decade. The δ18O of snout ice (−13.4‰) is significantly depleted compared to the average value of −9.2‰ in the shallow ice core, indicating that cooler climatic conditions prevailed around AD 1600. Based on the oxygen isotopic ratios in the shallow pits, an “altitude effect” of 0.9‰ per 100 m in δ18O variation is documented for this glacier.
Velocities, strain rates, stresses, crevassing and faulting on Glacier de Saint-Sorlin, French Alps, 1957–76
Authors: Lliboutry Louis 
Published: November 2007

AbstractStake surveys on Glacier de Saint-Sorlin, French Alps, during the period 1957–76 show that annual surface velocities fit a linear vectorial model, with a term depending on the site, another on the year, and an important random component. Strain rates, viscosities and stresses at shallow depth are computed using strain triangles of hectometric (102 m) size. Between 1961/62 and 1972/73 the isotropic point, where streamlines cease to converge, moved downstream about 200 m. This trend may explain increasing velocities. Crevasses appear where annual strain is > 1.2%. Faults limit the effective shear stress at the surface to about 0.38 bar. Ten modes of flow are distinguished, instead of only two for the two-dimensional model (compressive and extensive). The gradients of shallow stresses, which ensure extra driving forces, are computed with another mosaic of triangles of similar size (stress triangles). There are also important extra driving forces at the bottom, which force the flow to deviate from the direction of the steepest surface slope. Two criteria allow elimination of stress triangles where these unknown basal extra driving forces are important. Even so, no sliding law in terms of mean annual values can be obtained. This study shows that the classical perturbation theory, which explains advances and retreats by the arrival of kinematic waves, is unsuitable for glaciers of kilometric size.
Buckling rate and overhang development at a calving face
Authors: Hanson Brian , Hooke Roger Le B. 
Published: November 2007

AbstractUsing the finite-element we have modeled the stress field near the calving face of an idealized tidewater glacier under a variety of assumptions about submarine calving-face height, subaerial calving-face height, and ice rheology. These simulations all suggest that a speed maximum should be present at the calving face near the waterline. In experiments without crevassing, the decrease in horizontal velocity above this maximum culminates in a zone of longitudinal compression at the surface somewhat up-glacier from the face. This zone of compression appears to be a consequence of the non-linear rheology of ice. It disappears when a linear rheology is assumed. Explorations of the near-surface stress field indicate that when pervasive crevassing of the surface ice is accounted for in the simulations (by rheological softening), the zone of compressive strain rates does not develop. Variations in the pattern of horizontal velocity with glacier thickness support the contention that calving rates should increase with water depth at the calving face. In addition, the height of the subaerial calving face may have an importance that is not visible in current field data owing to the lack of variation in height of such faces in nature. Glaciers with lower calving faces may not have sufficient tensile stress to calve actively, while tensile stresses in simulated higher faces are sufficiently high that such faces will be unlikely to build in nature.