scholarly journals Decline in Surface Melt Duration on Larsen C Ice Shelf Revealed by The Advanced Scatterometer (ASCAT)

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (10) ◽  
pp. 578-591 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne Louise Bevan ◽  
Adrian John Luckman ◽  
Peter Kuipers Munneke ◽  
Bryn Hubbard ◽  
Bernd Kulessa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Surface Melt ◽  
Melt Duration

scholarly journals Extending the Record of Surface Melt on the Larsen C Ice Shelf

Eos ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terri Cook
Keyword(s):  
21St Century ◽  
Radar Data ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Surface Melt ◽  
Melt Duration

The first use of Advanced Scatterometer radar data to determine melt duration on an Antarctic ice shelf shows the season has decreased by up to 2 days per year during the extended 21st century record.

scholarly journals Surface melt and ponding on Larsen C Ice Shelf and the impact of föhn winds

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 625-635 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian Luckman ◽  
Andrew Elvidge ◽  
Daniela Jansen ◽  
Bernd Kulessa ◽  
Peter Kuipers Munneke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Ice Shelves ◽  
Melt Ponds ◽  
Common Precursor ◽  
Meteorological Modelling ◽  
Alternative Approaches ◽  
Surface Melt ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Melt Duration

AbstractA common precursor to ice shelf disintegration, most notably that of Larsen B Ice Shelf, is unusually intense or prolonged surface melt and the presence of surface standing water. However, there has been little research into detailed patterns of melt on ice shelves or the nature of summer melt ponds. We investigated surface melt on Larsen C Ice Shelf at high resolution using Envisat advanced synthetic aperture radar (ASAR) data and explored melt ponds in a range of satellite images. The improved spatial resolution of SAR over alternative approaches revealed anomalously long melt duration in western inlets. Meteorological modelling explained this pattern by föhn winds which were common in this region. Melt ponds are difficult to detect using optical imagery because cloud-free conditions are rare in this region and ponds quickly freeze over, but can be monitored using SAR in all weather conditions. Melt ponds up to tens of kilometres in length were common in Cabinet Inlet, where melt duration was most prolonged. The pattern of melt explains the previously observed distribution of ice shelf densification, which in parts had reached levels that preceded the collapse of Larsen B Ice Shelf, suggesting a potential role for föhn winds in promoting unstable conditions on ice shelves.

scholarly journals Surface melt magnitude retrieval over Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica using coupled MODIS near-IR and thermal satellite measurements

2009 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 1069-1107 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. Lampkin ◽  
C. C. Karmosky
Keyword(s):  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Temporal Variations ◽  
Katabatic Wind ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Water Fraction ◽  
Ross Ice Shelf ◽  
Near Ir ◽  
Coarse Spatial Resolution ◽  
Surface Melt ◽  
The Antarctic

Abstract. Surface melt has been increasing over recent years, especially over the Antarctic Peninsula, contributing to disintegration of shelves such as Larsen. Unfortunately, we are not realistically able to quantify surface snowmelt from ground-based methods because there is sparse coverage of automatic weather stations. Satellite based assessments of melt from passive microwave systems are limited in that they only provide an indication of melt occurrence and have coarse spatial resolution. An algorithm was developed to retrieve surface melt magnitude using coupled near-IR/thermal surface measurements from MODIS were calibrated by estimates of liquid water fraction (LWF) in the upper 1 cm of the firn derived from a one-dimensional physical snowmelt model (SNTHERM89). For the modeling phase of this study, SNTHERM89 was forced by hourly meteorological data from automatic weather station data at reference sites spanning a range of melt conditions across the Ross Ice Shelf during a relatively intense melt season (2002). Effective melt magnitude or LWF<eff> were derived for satellite composite periods covering the Antarctic summer months at a 4 km resolution over the entire Ross Ice Shelf, ranging from 0–0.5% LWF<eff> in early December to areas along the coast with as much as 1% LWF<eff> during the time of peak surface melt. Spatial and temporal variations in the magnitude of surface melt are related to both katabatic wind strength and advection during onshore flow.

Solidification of highly undercooled liquid silicon produced by pulsed laser melting of ion-implanted amorphous silicon: Time-resolved and microstructural studies

1987 ◽  
Vol 2 (5) ◽  
pp. 648-680 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. H. Lowndes ◽  
S. J. Pennycook ◽  
G. E. Jellison ◽  
S. P. Withrow ◽  
D. N. Mashburn
Keyword(s):  
Pulsed Laser ◽  
Optical Measurements ◽  
Undercooled Liquid ◽  
Laser Melting ◽  
Time Resolved ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Explosive Crystallization ◽  
Epitaxial Regrowth ◽  
Surface Melt ◽  
Melt Duration

Nanosecond resolution time-resolved visible (632.8 nm) and infrared (1152 nm) reflectivity measurements, together with structural and Z-contrast transmission electron microscope (TEM) imaging, have been used to study pulsed laser melting and subsequent solidification of thick (190–410 nm) amorphous (a) Si layers produced by ion implantation. Melting was initiated using a KrF (248 nm) excimer laser of relatively long [45 ns full width half maximum (FWHM)] pulse duration; the microstructural and time-resolved measurements cover the entire energy density (E1) range from the onset of melting (at ∼ 0.12J/cm2) up to the onset of epitaxial regrowth (at ∼ 1.1 J/cm2). At low E1 the infrared reflectivity measurements were used to determine the time of formation, the velocity, and the final depth of “explosively” propagating buried liquid layers in 410 nm thick a-Si specimens that had been uniformly implanted with Si, Ge, or Cu over their upper ∼ 300 nm. Measured velocities lie in the 8–14 m/s range, with generally higher velocities obtained for the Ge- and Cu-implanted “a-Si alloys.” The velocity measurements result in an upper limit of 17 (± 3) K on the undercooling versus velocity relationship for an undercooled solidfying liquid-crystalline Si interface. The Z-contrast scanning TEM measurements of the final buried layer depth were in excellent agreement with the optical measurements. The TEM study also shows that the “fine-grained polycrystalline Si” region produced by explosive crystallization of a-Si actually contains large numbers of disk-shaped Si flakes that can be seen only in plan view. These Si flakes have highly amorphous centers and laterally increasing crystallinity; they apparently grow primarily in the lateral direction. Flakes having this structure were found both at the surface, at low laser E1, and also deep beneath the surface, throughout the “fine-grained poly-Si” region formed by explosive crystallization, at higher E1. Our conclusion that this region is partially amorphous (the centers of flakes) differs from earlier results. The combined structural and optical measurements suggest that Si flakes nucleate at the undercooled liquid-amorphous interface and are the crystallization events that initiate explosive crystallization. Time-resolved reflectivity measurements reveal that the surface melt duration of the 410 nm thick a-Si specimens increases rapidly for 0.3E1 <0.6 J/cm2, but then remains nearly constant for E1 up to ∼ 1.0 J/cm2. For 0.3 < E1 < 0.6 J/cm2 the reflectivity exhibits a slowly decaying behavior as the near-surface pool of liquid Si fills up with growing large grains of Si. For higher E1, a flat-topped reflectivity signal is obtained and the microstructural and optical studies together show that the principal process occurring is increasingly deep melting followed by more uniform regrowth of large grains back to the surface. However, cross-section TEM shows that a thin layer of fine-grained poly-Si still is formed deep beneath the surface for E1<0.9 J/cm2, implying that explosive crystallization occurs (probably early in the laser pulse) even at these high E1 values. The onset of epitaxial regrowth at E1 = 1.1 J/cm2 is marked by a slight decrease in surface melt duration.

Simulations of Föhn in Antarctica with WRF for the Antarctic Mesoscale Prediction System AMPS

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amélie Kirchgaessner ◽  
John King ◽  
Alan Gadian ◽  
Phil Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Weather Research And Forecasting ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
Prediction System ◽  
Atmospheric Conditions ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Cloud Properties ◽  
Surface Melt ◽  
Mixed Phase Clouds ◽  
The Antarctic

&lt;p&gt;We examine the representation of F&amp;#246;hn events across the Antarctic Peninsula Mountains during 2011 as they were observed in measurements by an Automatic Weather Station, and in simulations with the Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF) as run for the Antarctic Mesoscale Prediction System (AMPS). On the Larsen Ice Shelf (LIS) in the lee of this mountain range F&amp;#246;hn winds are thought to provide the atmospheric conditions for significant warming over the ice shelf thus leading to the initial firn densification and subsequently providing the melt water for hydrofracturing. This process has led to the dramatic collapse of huge parts of the LIS in 1995 and 2002 respectively.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Measurements obtained at a crest AWS on the Avery Plateau (AV), and the analysis of conditions upstream using the Froude number help to put observations at CP into a wider context. We find that, while the model generally simulates meteorological parameters very well, and shows good skills in capturing the occurrence, frequency and duration of F&amp;#246;hn events realistically, it underestimates the temperature increase and the humidity decrease during the F&amp;#246;hn significantly, and may thus underestimate the contribution of F&amp;#246;hn to driving surface melt on the LIS.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Our results indicate that the misrepresentation of cloud properties and particularly the absence of mixed phase clouds in AMPS, affects the quality of weather simulation under normal conditions to some extent, and to a larger extent the model&amp;#8217;s capability to simulate the strength of F&amp;#246;hn conditions - and thus their contribution to driving surface melt on the LIS - adequately. Most importantly our data show that F&amp;#246;hn conditions can raise the air temperature to above freezing, and thus trigger melt/sublimation even in winter.&lt;/p&gt;

Estimating Surface Melt on the Larsen Ice Shelf Using a Deep Neural Network: Opportunities and Challenges

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhongyang Hu ◽  
Peter Kuipers Munneke ◽  
Stef Lhermitte ◽  
Maaike Izeboud ◽  
Michiel van den Broeke
Keyword(s):  
Neural Network ◽  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Deep Neural Network ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Climate Modeling ◽  
Coefficient Of Determination ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Heterogeneous Terrain ◽  
Surface Melt ◽  
Larsen Ice Shelf

&lt;p&gt;Presently, surface melt over Antarctica is estimated using climate modeling or remote sensing. However, accurately estimating surface melt remains challenging. Both climate modeling and remote sensing have limitations, particularly in the most crucial areas with intense surface melt.&amp;#160; The motivation of our study is to investigate the opportunities and challenges in improving the accuracy of surface melt estimation using a deep neural network. The trained deep neural network uses meteorological observations from automatic weather stations (AWS) and surface albedo observations from satellite imagery to improve surface melt simulations from the regional atmospheric climate model version 2.3p2 (RACMO2). Based on observations from three AWS at the Larsen B and C Ice Shelves, cross-validation shows a high accuracy (root mean square error = 0.898 mm.w.e.d&lt;sup&gt;&amp;#8722;1&lt;/sup&gt;, mean absolute error = 0.429 mm.w.e.d&lt;sup&gt;&amp;#8722;1&lt;/sup&gt;, and coefficient of determination = 0.958). The deep neural network also outperforms conventional machine learning models (e.g., random forest regression, XGBoost) and a shallow neural network. To compute surface melt for the entire Larsen Ice Shelf, the deep neural network is applied to RACMO2 simulations. The resulting, corrected surface melt shows a better correlation with the AWS observations in AWS 14 and 17, but not in AWS 18. Also, the spatial pattern of the surface melt is improved compared to the original RACMO2 simulation. A possible explanation for the mismatch at AWS 18 is its complex geophysical setting. Even though our study shows an opportunity to improve surface melt simulations using a deep neural network, further study is needed to refine the method, especially for complicated, heterogeneous terrain.&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals Sub-Surface Melt Pools in the McMurdo Ice Shelf, Antarctica

1968 ◽  
Vol 7 (51) ◽  
pp. 511-516 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Paige
Keyword(s):  
Solar Radiation ◽  
Greenhouse Effect ◽  
Protective Layer ◽  
Surface Melting ◽  
Heat Absorption ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Visual Examination ◽  
Glacier Ice ◽  
Surface Melt ◽  
Intense Solar Radiation

AbstractSub-surface melt pools were discovered during construction of an airfield located on glacier ice in the western part of the McMurdo Ice Shelf, Antarctica. The melt pools occur beneath areas of blue glacier ice and they are impossible to detect by visual examination. They vary in size and shape but are usually 1.0 to 1.5 m deep and span circular areas 10 to 15 m in diameter. Sub-surface melting starts in mid-December at depths of 40 cm or more and it progresses until late January when refreezing begins. The ice cover over melt pools may thin to as little as 7 cm and this creates a serious hazard to aircraft operations.The melt pools are caused by the greenhouse effect of intense solar radiation, low albedo of the blue glacier ice and heat absorption by rock particles and dust. The high-albedo layer of chipped ice and powdered ice that was produced during runway construction was completely successful in preventing sub-surface melting. The thickness of this protective layer appeared to be of little importance, providing it exceeded 3 cm.

scholarly journals The influence of föhn winds on annual and seasonal surface melt on the Larsen C Ice Shelf, Antarctica

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 4165-4180
Author(s):  
Jenny V. Turton ◽  
Amélie Kirchgaessner ◽  
Andrew N. Ross ◽  
John C. King ◽  
Peter Kuipers Munneke
Keyword(s):  
Energy Balance ◽  
Surface Energy ◽  
Surface Energy Balance ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Ice Shelves ◽  
Model Driven ◽  
Area Of Interest ◽  
Surface Melt ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Warm, dry föhn winds are observed over the Larsen C Ice Shelf year-round and are thought to contribute to the continuing weakening and collapse of ice shelves on the eastern Antarctic Peninsula (AP). We use a surface energy balance (SEB) model, driven by observations from two locations on the Larsen C Ice Shelf and one on the remnants of Larsen B, in combination with output from the Antarctic Mesoscale Prediction System (AMPS), to investigate the year-round impact of föhn winds on the SEB and melt from 2009 to 2012. Föhn winds have an impact on the individual components of the surface energy balance in all seasons and lead to an increase in surface melt in spring, summer and autumn up to 100 km away from the foot of the AP. When föhn winds occur in spring they increase surface melt, extend the melt season and increase the number of melt days within a year. Whilst AMPS is able to simulate the percentage of melt days associated with föhn with high skill, it overestimates the total amount of melting during föhn events and non-föhn events. This study extends previous attempts to quantify the impact of föhn on the Larsen C Ice Shelf by including a 4-year study period and a wider area of interest and provides evidence for föhn-related melting on both the Larsen C and Larsen B ice shelves.

scholarly journals Antarctic Atmospheric River Climatology and Impacts

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Wille ◽  
Vincent Favier ◽  
Irina V. Gorodetskaya ◽  
Cécile Agosta ◽  
Jai Chowdhry Beeman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Surface Mass Balance ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Surface Mass ◽  
Atmospheric Rivers ◽  
Atmospheric River ◽  
Dronning Maud Land ◽  
Antarctic Continent ◽  
Surface Melt ◽  
The Antarctic

&lt;p&gt;Atmospheric rivers, broadly defined as narrow yet long bands of strong horizontal vapor transport typically imbedded in a low level jet ahead of a cold front of an extratropical cyclone, provide a sub-tropical connection to the Antarctic continent and are observed to significantly impact the affected region&amp;#8217;s surface mass balance over short, extreme events. When an atmospheric river makes landfall on the Antarctic continent, their signature is clearly observed in increased downward longwave radiation, cloud liquid water content, surface temperature, snowfall, surface melt, and moisture transport.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Using an atmospheric river detection algorithm designed for Antarctica and regional climate simulations from MAR, we created a climatology of atmospheric river occurrence and their associated impacts on surface melt and snowfall. Despite their rarity of occurrence over Antarctica (maximum frequency of ~1.5% over a given point), they have produced significant impacts on melting and snowfall processes. From 1979-2017, atmospheric rivers landfalls and their associated radiative flux anomalies and foehn winds accounted for around 40% of the total summer surface melt on the Ross Ice Shelf (approaching 100% at higher elevations in Marie Byrd Land) and 40-80% of total winter surface melt on the ice shelves along the Antarctic Peninsula. On the other side of the continent in East Antarctica, atmospheric rivers have a greater influence on annual snowfall variability. There atmospheric rivers are responsible for 20-40% of annual snowfall with localized higher percentages across Dronning Maud Land, Amery Ice Shelf, and Wilkes Land.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Atmospheric river landfalls occur within a highly amplified polar jet pattern and often are found in the entrance region of a blocking ridge. Therefore, atmospheric river variability is connected with atmospheric blocking variability over the Southern Ocean. There has been a significant increase in atmospheric river activity over the Amundsen-Bellingshausen sea and coastline and into Dronning Maud Land region from 1980-2018. Meanwhile, there is a significant decreasing trend in the region surrounding Law Dome. Our results suggest that atmospheric rivers play a significant role in the Antarctic surface mass balance, and that any future changes in atmospheric blocking or tropical-polar teleconnections may have significant impacts on future surface mass balance projections.&lt;/p&gt;

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