Development of a Vertically Stabilized Thermal Probe for Studies in and Below Ice Sheets

1970 ◽  
Vol 92 (2) ◽  
pp. 263-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. W. C. Aamot

The pendulum probe is described. It is an instrumented device that penetrates polar ice sheets for remote measurements of geophysical parameters. It can only move downward by melt penetration; its instrumentation is permanently installed, sealed in the ice. The power requirements and operating costs are derived from the heat transfer analysis. The pendulum steering principle, which assures a vertical probe attitude and course, also explains its performance flexibility. The results from the first trials verify the probe’s feasibility and supply additional design information. The probe offers a unique opportunity for access to, and study of, the Antarctic Ocean waters under the Ross and Filchner ice shelves.

2010 ◽  
Vol 56 (196) ◽  
pp. 200-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaime Otero ◽  
Francisco J. Navarro ◽  
Carlos Martin ◽  
Maria L. Cuadrado ◽  
Maria I. Corcuera

AbstractCalving from tidewater glaciers and ice shelves accounts for around half the mass loss from both polar ice sheets, yet the process is not well represented in prognostic models of ice dynamics. Benn and others proposed a calving criterion appropriate for both grounded and floating glacier tongues or ice shelves, based on the penetration depth of transverse crevasses near the calving front, computed using Nye’s formula. The criterion is readily incorporated into glacier and ice-sheet models, but has not been fully validated with observations. We apply a three-dimensional extension of Benn and others’ criterion, incorporated into a full-Stokes model of glacier dynamics, to estimate the current position of the calving front of Johnsons Glacier, Antarctica. We find that two improvements to the original model are necessary to accurately reproduce the observed calving front: (1) computation of the tensile deviatoric stress opening the crevasse using the full-stress solution and (2) consideration of such a tensile stress as a function of depth. Our modelling results also suggest that Johnsons Glacier has a polythermal structure, rather than the temperate structure suggested by earlier studies.


Eos ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurence Padman ◽  
Matthew Siegfried

A recent paper in Reviews of Geophysics discusses how ocean tides affect the motion of, and loss of ice from, the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets.


Polar Record ◽  
1972 ◽  
Vol 16 (100) ◽  
pp. 5-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. de Q. Robin

At the present time, only Antarctica and Greenland carry ice sheets comparable with the ice sheets that covered vast areas of the Northern Hemisphere as recently as 20 000 years ago. At the time of maximum glaciation, some 300 000 years ago, the volume of ice on earth was three times what it is today, and it covered the northern parts of continents all around the Arctic Ocean. In North America, ice stretched south as far as Kansas; in Europe, it extended down ot the River Thames and the Sudety mountains and covered much of Siberia. Even now, the Antarctic ice sheet covers an area of 12 million km2 and in places reaches depths of more than 4 km. The smaller Greenland ice sheet has an area of 1.8 million km2 and exceeds 3 km in depth.


1968 ◽  
Vol 7 (50) ◽  
pp. 321-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haldor W. C. Aamot

Thermal probes can carry instrumentation packages into polar ice sheets for geophysical investigations and long-term observations by remote measurement methods. They are self-contained surface-controlled devices. The development work at U.S. Army CRREL solved problems of materials, fabrication and heat-transfer analysis. The Philberth probe, named after its inventor, has demonstrated its performance capability in Greenland. The pendulum probe is a further development with increased performance and versatility. The probes are a tool to widen Man’s knowledge in glaciology and geophysics, and to increase his capability in seismics and possibly communications.


1968 ◽  
Vol 7 (50) ◽  
pp. 321-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haldor W. C. Aamot

Thermal probes can carry instrumentation packages into polar ice sheets for geophysical investigations and long-term observations by remote measurement methods. They are self-contained surface-controlled devices. The development work at U.S. Army CRREL solved problems of materials, fabrication and heat-transfer analysis. The Philberth probe, named after its inventor, has demonstrated its performance capability in Greenland. The pendulum probe is a further development with increased performance and versatility. The probes are a tool to widen Man’s knowledge in glaciology and geophysics, and to increase his capability in seismics and possibly communications.


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>


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