scholarly journals Snow grain size retrieval over the polar ice sheets with the Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) observations

Author(s):  
Yuekui Yang ◽  
Alexander Marshak ◽  
Mei Han ◽  
Stephen P. Palm ◽  
David J. Harding
2015 ◽  
Vol 127 (1) ◽  
pp. 99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher J.L. Wilson ◽  
Vladimir Luzin ◽  
Sandra Piazolo ◽  
Mark Peternell ◽  
Daniel Hammes

Major polar ice sheets and ice caps experience cycles of variable flow during different glacial periods and as a response to past warming. The rate and localisation of deformation inside an ice body controls the evolution of ice microstructure and crystallographic fabric. This is critical for interpreting proxy signals for climate change, with deformation overprinting and disrupting stratigraphy deep under ice caps due to the nature of the flow. The final crystallographic fabric in polar ice sheets provides a record of deformation history, which in turn controls the flow properties of ice during further deformation and affects geophysical sensing of ice sheets. For example, identification of layering in ice sheets, using seismic or ice radar techniques, is attributed to grain size changes and fabric variations. Such information has been used to provide information on climate state and its changes over time, and as the Fourth Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report (Solomon et al. 2007) points out there is currently still a lack of understanding of internal ice-sheet dynamics. To answer this we have recently conducted experiments at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) to collect fully quantitative microstructural data from polycrystalline heavy water (D2O) ice deformed in a dynamic regime. The ice and temperature (–7°C) chosen for this study is used as a direct analogue for deforming natural-water ice as it offers a unique opportunity to link grain size and texture evolution in natural ice at –10°C. Results show a dynamic system where steady-state rheology is not necessarily coupled to microstructural and crystallographic fabric stability. This link needs to be taken into account to improve ice-mass-deformation modelling critical for climate change predictions.


Author(s):  
Bo Zhao ◽  
Yueyi Zhang ◽  
Shinan Lang ◽  
Yan Liu ◽  
Feng Zhang ◽  
...  

2015 ◽  
Vol 61 (227) ◽  
pp. 537-550 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph H. Kennedy ◽  
Erin C. Pettit

AbstractThe observable microstructures in ice are the result of many dynamic and competing processes. These processes are influenced by climate variables in the firn. Layers deposited in different climate regimes may show variations in fabric which can persist deep into the ice sheet; fabric may ‘remember’ these past climate regimes. We model the evolution of fabric variations below the firn–ice transition and show that the addition of shear to compressive-stress regimes preserves the modeled fabric variations longer than compression-only regimes, because shear drives a positive feedback between crystal rotation and deformation. Even without shear, the modeled ice retains memory of the fabric variation for 200 ka in typical polar ice-sheet conditions. Our model shows that temperature affects how long the fabric variation is preserved, but only affects the strain-integrated fabric evolution profile when comparing results straddling the thermal-activation-energy threshold (∼−10°C). Even at high temperatures, migration recrystallization does not eliminate the modeled fabric’s memory under most conditions. High levels of nearest-neighbor interactions will, however, eliminate the modeled fabric’s memory more quickly than low levels of nearest-neighbor interactions. Ultimately, our model predicts that fabrics will retain memory of past climatic variations when subject to a wide variety of conditions found in polar ice sheets.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhitong Yu ◽  
Luojia Hu ◽  
Yan Huang ◽  
Rong Ma ◽  
Peng Xiao ◽  
...  

<p>Quantifying changes in Earth’s ice sheets and identifying the climate drivers are central to improving sea level projections. But it is a pity that the future sea level is difficult to predicted. Space observation can provide global multiscale long-term continuous monitoring data. And it is very important for understanding intrinsic mechanisms, improve models and projections and analyze the impacts on human civilization.</p><p>Several satellites are applied for Global Cryosphere Watch, including sea ice extent and concentration, ice sheet elevation, glacier area and velocity. Although there are many variable can be measured by satellite sensors. But several variables need to improve the observing capability and developing new methods. Such as snow depth on ice, ice sheets thickness, and permafrost parameters. China has established high-resolution earth observation system to realize stereopsis and dynamic monitoring of the lands, the oceans and the atmosphere.</p><p>Currently, Qian Xuesen Laboratory working together with Sun Yat-sen University, is trying to design a new space observation system to support Three Poles Environment and Climate Changes project. We are conceptualizing two series satellites including FluxSats and BingSats for carbon/water cycle and cryosphere observations, respectively. To clarify the mechanism of the cryosphere carbon release and carbon sink effects of the oceans and ecosystems. We are developing a new lidar system for detecting the concentration and wind speed, and then atmospheric boundary layer flux exchange can be estimated. To understand the rapid change of the sea ice, such as drift, fragmentation and freeze. We need a short revisit and wide swath system capabilities. InSAR technology gives the digitial elevation of the ice surface. And temporal difference InSAR (DInSAR) shows the changes of elevation. BingSAT-Tomographic Observation of Polar Ice Sheets (TOPIS) achieves the tomographic observation of polar ice sheets with a wide swath and short revisit time. Over the polar regions, the CubeSats form a large cross-track baseline with the master satellite to realize the high two-dimensional spatial resolution with the along-track synthetic aperture. The MirrorSAR technology is utilized in BingSat-TOPIS to achieve time and phase synchronization more economically than the traditional bistatic radar. Sparse array and digital beamforming are also considered to significantly reduce the number of microsatellites, and achieve tomographic images of polar ice sheets.</p>


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luke Jackson ◽  
Katarina Juselius ◽  
Andrew Martinez ◽  
Felix Pretis

1975 ◽  
Vol 15 (73) ◽  
pp. 95-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gudmandsen Preben

AbstractA multitude of extensive layers have been observed by radio-echo soundings in Greenland. By comparison with the stable isotope profile from Camp Century it is found that layering in the lop of the ice has been formed in the period since the last glaciation. Radio-echo layers observed at greater depths in central Greenland may have been created in the period of the interstadials and further down possibly in the period prior to the last glaciation. Further investigations are needed to prove this.


1975 ◽  
Vol 15 (73) ◽  
pp. 95-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gudmandsen Preben

AbstractA multitude of extensive layers have been observed by radio-echo soundings in Greenland. By comparison with the stable isotope profile from Camp Century it is found that layering in the lop of the ice has been formed in the period since the last glaciation. Radio-echo layers observed at greater depths in central Greenland may have been created in the period of the interstadials and further down possibly in the period prior to the last glaciation. Further investigations are needed to prove this.


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