Dynamics of tidewater surge-type glaciers in northwest Svalbard

2012 ◽  
Vol 58 (207) ◽  
pp. 110-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Damien Mansell ◽  
Adrian Luckman ◽  
Tavi Murray
Keyword(s):  
Active Phase ◽  
Surface Flow ◽  
Alos Palsar ◽  
Glacier Surface ◽  
Ice Dynamics ◽  
Ice Flow ◽  
Compressive Stresses ◽  
Flow Speeds ◽  
Iceberg Calving ◽  
Speed Up

AbstractThe evolution of ice dynamics through surges of four tidewater-terminating glaciers in northwest Svalbard is investigated by remote sensing. A 20 year time series of glacier surface flow speeds and frontal positions is presented covering the recent surges of Monacobreen, Comfortlessbreen, Blomstrandbreen and Fjortende Julibreen. Surface flow speeds were derived using feature tracking between pairs of ERS SAR and ALOS PALSAR images, while frontal positions were taken from the same imagery, as well as more frequent but lower-spatial-resolution Envisat Wide Swath Mode images. During all four surges, increased ice flow caused the tidewater margin to advance while the calving flux was initially reduced to near zero due to compressive stresses limiting crevasse propagation. As ice speed decreased, the terminus continued to advance, until the glacier’s speed had returned to its pre-surge flow rate. Only at this time did the terminus start to retreat and peak iceberg calving flux was established. We conclude that terminus advance closely tracks glacier speed-up, that there is little mass loss through calving during the most active phase of the surge, and that seasonal cycles of terminus positions diminish during the active surge phase.

scholarly journals Variations in the surface velocity of an alpine cirque glacier

2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (248) ◽  
pp. 969-976 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. W. SANDERS ◽  
K. M. CUFFEY ◽  
K. R. MACGREGOR ◽  
J. L. KAVANAUGH ◽  
C. F. DOW
Keyword(s):  
Water System ◽  
Heavy Rain ◽  
Temporal Variations ◽  
Surface Velocity ◽  
Channel Network ◽  
Glacier Surface ◽  
Ice Dynamics ◽  
Speed Up ◽  
Water Volumes ◽  
One Year

ABSTRACTFollowing pioneering work in Norway, cirque glaciers have widely been viewed as rigidly rotating bodies. This model is incorrect for basin-filling cirque glaciers, as we have demonstrated at West Washmawapta Glacier, a small glacier in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Here we report observations at the same glacier that assess whether complex temporal variations of flow also occur. For parts of three summers, we measured daily displacements of the glacier surface. In one year, four short-duration speed-up events were recorded. Three of the events occurred during the intervals of warmest weather, when melt was most rapid; the fourth event occurred immediately following heavy rain. We interpret the speed-up events as manifestations of enhanced water inputs to the glacier bed and associated slip lubrication by increased water volumes and pressures. No further speed-ups occurred in the final month of the melt season, despite warm temperatures and several rainstorms; the dominant subglacial water system likely transformed from one of poorly connected cavities to one with an efficient channel network. The seasonal evolution of hydrology and flow resembles behaviors documented at other, larger temperate glaciers and indicates that analyses of cirque erosion cannot rely on simple assumptions about ice dynamics.

scholarly journals A double continuum hydrological model for glacier applications

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 137-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. de Fleurian ◽  
O. Gagliardini ◽  
T. Zwinger ◽  
G. Durand ◽  
E. Le Meur ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hydrological Model ◽  
Water Pressure ◽  
Computational Cost ◽  
Ice Streams ◽  
Ice Dynamics ◽  
Ice Flow ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Hydrological System ◽  
Speed Up ◽  
Model Components

Abstract. The flow of glaciers and ice streams is strongly influenced by the presence of water at the interface between ice and bed. In this paper, a hydrological model evaluating the subglacial water pressure is developed with the final aim of estimating the sliding velocities of glaciers. The global model fully couples the subglacial hydrology and the ice dynamics through a water-dependent friction law. The hydrological part of the model follows a double continuum approach which relies on the use of porous layers to compute water heads in inefficient and efficient drainage systems. This method has the advantage of a relatively low computational cost that would allow its application to large ice bodies such as Greenland or Antarctica ice streams. The hydrological model has been implemented in the finite element code Elmer/Ice, which simultaneously computes the ice flow. Herein, we present an application to the Haut Glacier d'Arolla for which we have a large number of observations, making it well suited to the purpose of validating both the hydrology and ice flow model components. The selection of hydrological, under-determined parameters from a wide range of values is guided by comparison of the model results with available glacier observations. Once this selection has been performed, the coupling between subglacial hydrology and ice dynamics is undertaken throughout a melt season. Results indicate that this new modelling approach for subglacial hydrology is able to reproduce the broad temporal and spatial patterns of the observed subglacial hydrological system. Furthermore, the coupling with the ice dynamics shows good agreement with the observed spring speed-up.

scholarly journals Strong tidal variations in ice flow observed across the entire Ronne Ice Shelf and adjoining ice streams

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 849-860 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian H. R. Rosier ◽  
G. Hilmar Gudmundsson ◽  
Matt A. King ◽  
Keith W. Nicholls ◽  
Keith Makinson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Flow ◽  
Decay Length ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Ice Streams ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Ice Flow ◽  
Ice Stream ◽  
Flow Speeds ◽  
Tidal Variations

Abstract. We present a compilation of GPS time series, including those for previously unpublished sites, showing that flow across the entire Ronne Ice Shelf and its adjoining ice streams is strongly affected by ocean tides. Previous observations have shown strong horizontal diurnal and semidiurnal motion of the ice shelf, and surface flow speeds of Rutford Ice Stream (RIS) are known to vary with a fortnightly (Msf) periodicity. Our new data set shows that the Msf flow modulation, first observed on RIS, is also found on Evans, Talutis, Institute, and Foundation ice streams, i.e. on all ice streams for which data are available. The amplitude of the Msf signal increases downstream of grounding lines, reaching up to 20 % of mean flow speeds where ice streams feed into the main ice shelf. Upstream of ice stream grounding lines, decay length scales are relatively uniform for all ice streams but the speed at which the Msf signal propagates upstream shows more variation. Observations and modelling of tidal variations in ice flow can help constrain crucial parameters that determine the rate and extent of potential ice mass loss from Antarctica. Given that the Msf modulation in ice flow is readily observed across the entire region at distances of up to 80 km upstream of grounding lines, but is not completely reproduced in any existing numerical model, this new data set suggests a pressing need to identify the missing processes responsible for its generation and propagation. The new GPS data set is publicly available through the UK Polar Data Centre at http://doi.org/10.5285/4fe11286-0e53-4a03-854c-a79a44d1e356.

Global mapping of surface flow velocity and re-evaluation of the volume of the world's glaciers

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Romain Millan ◽  
Jérémie Mouginot ◽  
Antoine Rabatel ◽  
Mathieu Morlighem
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Flow Velocity ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Surface Flow ◽  
Glacier Surface ◽  
Ice Flow ◽  
Ice Volume ◽  
The World ◽  
Global Mapping ◽  
Flow Velocities

<p><span>The effects of climate change on water resources and sea level are largely determined by the size of the ice reservoirs around the world, which still remains largely uncertain. Ice flow defines the transfer of ice within a glacier and therefore largely governs the spatial distribution of the ice volume. Although some individual regions have been mapped, there is to date no global and complete view of glacier flow. In this study, we present a global mapping of surface ice flow velocity and use it to revise the ice thickness distribution and volume of glaciers around the world. Glacier surface flow velocities were calculated using Sentinel-2/ESA, Landsat-8/USGS, <span><span>Ven</span></span></span>μ<span>s/CNES-ISA, Pléiades/AirbusD&S and radar data from Sentinel-1/ESA. We designed an automated workflow that (i) downloads the data from institutional or commercial servers, (ii) prepares the images, (iii) launches the feature tracking algorithm, (iv) calibrate the glacier surface velocities, and (v) mosaics the results to obtain filtered and averaged velocity maps. For years 2017 and 2018, glacier surface flow velocities are quantified for every possible repeat cycles from the nominal cycle of the sensor (2-16 days) up to more than one year. This new database of glacier surface flow velocity is used to construct an updated global ice volume based on the well known Shallow Ice Approximation approach. We discuss the quality of our global glacier surface flow velocity product and of our new ice volume reconstruction with respect to existing state of the art estimates and quantify the impact of our results in terms of sea level rise and water resources. <br></span></p>

scholarly journals A subglacial hydrological model dedicated to glacier sliding

2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 3449-3496 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. de Fleurian ◽  
O. Gagliardini ◽  
T. Zwinger ◽  
G. Durand ◽  
E. Le Meur ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hydrological Model ◽  
Water Pressure ◽  
Computational Cost ◽  
Ice Streams ◽  
Ice Dynamics ◽  
Ice Flow ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Hydrological System ◽  
Speed Up ◽  
Model Components

Abstract. The flow of glaciers and ice-streams is strongly influenced by the presence of water at the interface between ice and bedrock. In this paper, a hydrological model evaluating the subglacial water pressure is developed with the final aim of estimating the sliding velocities of glaciers. The global model fully couples the subglacial hydrology and the ice dynamics through a water-dependent friction law. The hydrological part of the model follows a double continuum approach which relies on the use of porous layers to compute water heads in inefficient and efficient drainage systems. This method has the advantage of a relatively low computational cost that would allow its application to large ice bodies such as Greenland or Antarctica ice-streams. The hydrological model has been implemented in the finite element code Elmer/Ice, which simultaneously computes the ice flow. Herein, we present an application to the Haut Glacier d'Arolla for which we have a large number of observations, making it well suited to the purpose of validating both the hydrology and ice flow model components. The selection of hydrological, under-determined parameters from a wide range of values is guided by comparison of the model results with available glacier observations. Once this selection has been performed, the coupling between subglacial hydrology and ice dynamics is undertaken throughout a melt season. Results indicate that this new modelling approach for subglacial hydrology is able to reproduce the broad temporal and spatial patterns of the observed subglacial hydrological system. Furthermore, the coupling with the ice dynamics shows good agreement with the observed spring speed-up.

scholarly journals Iceberg calving rates from northern Ellesmere Island ice caps, Canadian Arctic, 1999–2003

2008 ◽  
Vol 54 (186) ◽  
pp. 391-400 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Williamson ◽  
Martin Sharp ◽  
Julian Dowdeswell ◽  
Toby Benham
Keyword(s):  
Glacier Surface ◽  
Ice Flow ◽  
Ice Caps ◽  
Ice Cap ◽  
Glacier Terminus ◽  
Devon Ice Cap ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Iceberg Calving ◽  
Flow Through ◽  
Calving Rate

AbstractOptical satellite imagery was used to estimate glacier surface velocities and iceberg calving rates from Agassiz and western Grant Ice Caps, Nunavut, Canada, between 1999 and 2003. The largest mean annual surface velocities ranged from ∼400 to 700 m a−1, but velocities in the ∼100–200 m a−1 range were common. Summer velocities were up to an order of magnitude larger than annually averaged velocities. The highest velocity (∼1530 m a−1) was measured on the floating tongue of Lake Tuborg Glacier between 19 July and 19 August 2001. Calving rates from individual glaciers varied by up to a factor of two between successive years. Summer calving rates were ∼2–8 times larger than annual average rates. The average ratio of the calving flux due to terminus-volume change to that due to ice flow through the glacier terminus was ∼0.81 for the annual rates and ∼1.71 for summer rates. The estimated mean annual calving rate from Agassiz Ice Cap in the period 1999–2002 was 0.67 ± 0.15 km3 a−1, of which ∼54% emanated from Eugenie Glacier alone. This total rate is similar to a previously estimated calving rate from Devon Ice Cap.

scholarly journals Strong tidal variations in ice flow observed across the entire Ronne Ice Shelf and adjoining ice streams

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian H. R. Rosier ◽  
G. Hilmar Gudmundsson ◽  
Matt A. King ◽  
Keith W. Nicholls ◽  
Keith Makinson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Flow ◽  
Decay Length ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Ice Streams ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Ice Flow ◽  
Ice Stream ◽  
Flow Speeds ◽  
Tidal Variations

Abstract. We present a compilation of GPS time series, including those for previously unpublished sites, showing that flow across the entire Ronne Ice Shelf and its adjoining ice streams is strongly affected by ocean tides. Previous observations have shown strong diurnal and semidiurnal motion of the ice shelf and surface flow speeds of Rutford Ice Stream (RIS) are known to vary with a fortnightly (Msf) periodicity. Our new dataset shows that the Msf flow modulation, first observed on RIS, is also found on Evans, Talutis, Institute and Foundation Ice Streams, i.e. on all ice streams for which data are available. The amplitude of the Msf signal increases downstream of grounding lines, reaching up to 20 % of mean flow speeds where ice streams feed into the main shelf. Upstream of ice stream grounding lines, decay length scales are relatively uniform for all ice streams but the speed at which the Msf signal propagates upstream shows more variation. Observations and modelling of tidal variations in ice flow can help constrain crucial parameters that determine the rate and extent of potential ice mass loss from Antarctica. Given that the Msf modulation in ice flow is readily observed across the entire region, at distances of up to 80 km upstream of grounding lines, but is not completely reproduced in any existing numerical model, this new dataset suggests a pressing need to identify the missing processes responsible for its generation and propagation. The new GPS data set is publicly available through the UKPDC at http://doi.org/10.5285/4fe11286-0e53-4a03-854c-a79a44d1e356.

scholarly journals The Causes of Debris-Covered Glacier Thinning: Evidence for the Importance of Ice Dynamics From Kennicott Glacier, Alaska

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leif S. Anderson ◽  
William H. Armstrong ◽  
Robert S. Anderson ◽  
Dirk Scherler ◽  
Eric Petersen
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Flow Direction ◽  
Surface Velocity ◽  
Glacier Surface ◽  
Ice Dynamics ◽  
Ice Flow ◽  
Thickness Change ◽  
Air Temperatures ◽  
Compressive Flow ◽  
Wide Range

The cause of debris-covered glacier thinning remains controversial. One hypothesis asserts that melt hotspots (ice cliffs, ponds, or thin debris) increase thinning, while the other posits that declining ice flow leads to dynamic thinning under thick debris. Alaska’s Kennicott Glacier is ideal for testing these hypotheses, as ice cliffs within the debris-covered tongue are abundant and surface velocities decline rapidly downglacier. To explore the cause of patterns in melt hotspots, ice flow, and thinning, we consider their evolution over several decades. We compile a wide range of ice dynamical and mass balance datasets which we cross-correlate and analyze in a step-by-step fashion. We show that an undulating bed that deepens upglacier controls ice flow in the lower 8.5 km of Kennicott Glacier. The imposed velocity pattern strongly affects debris thickness, which in turn leads to annual melt rates that decline towards the terminus. Ice cliff abundance correlates highly with the rate of surface compression, while pond occurrence is strongly negatively correlated with driving stress. A new positive feedback is identified between ice cliffs, streams and surface topography that leads to chaotic topography. As the glacier thinned between 1991 and 2015, surface melt in the study area decreased, despite generally rising air temperatures. Four additional feedbacks relating glacier thinning to melt changes are evident: the debris feedback (negative), the ice cliff feedback (negative), the pond feedback (positive), and the relief feedback (positive). The debris and ice cliff feedbacks, which are tied to the change in surface velocity in time, likely reduced melt rates in time. We show this using a new method to invert for debris thickness change and englacial debris content (∼0.017% by volume) while also revealing that declining speeds and compressive flow led to debris thickening. The expansion of debris on the glacier surface follows changes in flow direction. Ultimately, glacier thinning upvalley from the continuously debris-covered portion of Kennicott Glacier, caused by mass balance changes, led to the reduction of flow into the study area. This caused ice emergence rates to decline rapidly leading to the occurrence of maximum, glacier-wide thinning under thick, insulating debris.

scholarly journals Influence of subglacial Vostok lake on the regional ice dynamics of the Antarctic ice sheet: a model study

2004 ◽  
Vol 50 (171) ◽  
pp. 583-589 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Pattyn ◽  
Bert De Smedt ◽  
Roland Souchez
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Ice Dynamics ◽  
Ice Flow ◽  
Surface Flattening ◽  
Subglacial Lake ◽  
Model Study ◽  
Speed Up ◽  
Order Stress ◽  
The Antarctic

AbstractWe applied a newly developed three-dimensional, time-dependent, thermomechanical icesheet model including higher-order stress gradients, to simulate the ice flow across subglacial Vostok lake, East Antarctica. Simulations of both ‘lake’ and ‘no lake’ conditions (by treating the ice/lake interface as a stress-free surface, similar to an ice shelf) demonstrate the effects of the subglacial lake, such as pronounced surface flattening and ice-flow turning, on the overall ice dynamics in the vicinity, although subglacial lake dynamics are not treated explicitly. When buoyancy forces and hydrostatic equilibrium of the ice above the lake are taken into account, the along-lake surface slope is preserved and the ice-flow pattern is in accord with sparse observations. Model experiments point to a local ice speed-up in the northern part of the lake, which can be associated with the onset of an enhanced ice-flow feature, more precisely the onset of the Totten Glacier catchment.

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