Thesis (MFA)--Montana State University--Bozeman, 2009. / Typescript. Chairperson, Graduate Committee: William Neff. I'm here in Glacier... is a DVD attached to the thesis. Includes bibliographical references (leaf 27).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Montana, 2008. / Description based on contents viewed Oct. 6, 2008; title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references (p. 167-174).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 99-110).

"Professional paper presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Wildlife Biology, the University of Montana, Missoula, MT, spring 2007." / Title from PDF title page (viewed Aug. 20, 2007). Includes bibliographical references (p. 15-20).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Lehigh University, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references and vita.

Following the crash of a Norwegian Hercules aircraft on Rabots glaciär in the Kebnekaise mountain range in 2012, a field campaign was initiated in order to assess the fate of the hydrocarbon pollution in the system. It is hypothesized that soluble components of the aircraft fuel will be transported within the glacial meltwater. This thesis focuses on constraining the likely transit time and dispersion of the meltwater as a proxy for potential pollution pathways. Therefore, the hydrologic configuration of Rabots glaciär was studied during the ablation season 2013 by means of dye tracing experiments and discharge monitoring in the proglacial stream. The analyses of the dye return curves and stream monitoring suggest that Rabots glaciär exhibits a widely efficient drainage system towards the end of the ablation season, but with analyses revealing heterogeneity in the drainage system form. The seasonal evolution of efficiency was also assessed, showing an increase over time, although was hampered by early onset of melting before the field season began. There are different hydrological configurations on the north and south side of the glacier, possibly influenced by shading. The system on the north side is routing meltwater along the glacier bed over a long distance as indicated by the turbid outlet stream. Water routing on the southern side likely occurs through englacial channels. This configuration may be influenced by the thermal regime and distribution of cold surface layers. It has further been revealed that both systems are likely to be disconnected from each other. Pollution that is transported with the meltwater down from the crash site on the southern side does not reach the drainage system on the northern side. Besides revealing potential pathways for soluble hydrocarbon pollutants, this case study contributes to the previously very limited knowledge of Rabots glacial hydrology, and our general understanding of polythermal glacier hydrology.

Currently there is no extended study that explicitly focuses on themagnitude, frequency and timing of glacial calving resulting from externalforces. Past studies have identified the size and timing of calving events butthe links between them and the external factors that cause them are stillmissing. Here I present a method to identify the size, time and frequency ofcalving events on the Rink Glacier in Greenland. Using time lapse imagesspaced 30 minutes apart of the calving front, coupled with weather and tidedata, I plan on identifying the main driving force for calving. Results showthat atmospheric pressure and temperature have no positive correlation withcalving magnitude or size. Tidal influences and sea surface temperatureappear to have the strongest influence on the frequency of calving. As seasurface temperatures rapidly decrease though the study period, calvingfrequency also reduces. Strong calving correlations for the entire studyperiod were difficult to identify for tidal influences, as images could only betaken during the sunlit periods of the day. As this study was conductedduring autumn when atmospheric temperatures remained below 0°C, theavailability of melt water for crevasse creation and basal lubrication was notpresent. Therefore it is suggested that future studies on glacial stabilityshould use external forces to measure ice loss over the entire calving season.

Abstract The overall aim of this Thesis is to emphasise how Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) can be used in different glaciological studies: in mapping the inner structure, determining accumulation rates, estimating water contents, mapping drainage channels and superimposed ice. The Thesis also aims to improve current knowledge on Svalbard polythermal glaciers: their hydrothermal properties, drainage and behaviour in the changing climate. Six glaciers were studied: four tidewater glaciers, one ice-field and one valley glacier. The hydrothermal structure of Hansbreen was mapped with GPR at high lateral and vertical resolution. The hydrothermal structure of the glacier is highly variable and complex. In general the temperate ice contains 1-2% water, but water contents of about 4% are associated with englacial water channels or water-filled near surface crevasses or moulins. Hydrothermal properties determined from detailed GPR surveys of Hansbreen, Werenskioldbreen, Nordenskjöldbreen and Kongsvegen show similar structures such as foliations and superimposed ice in the firn-ice transition area, though with different emphasis on each glacier. The overall extent of superimposed ice was difficult to measure accurately because of the limited resolution and the sporadic nature of the reflections. However there is encouraging similarity between GPR and satellite imagery of superimposed ice extent. Hydraulic geometry models of the subglacial hydrology of Hansbreen and Werenskioldbreen suggest that the water pressure is generally close to ice-overburden pressure but varies greatly depending on local conditions. GPR data and data from three ice-cores were used to determine spatial and temporal variation of snow accumulation on a longitudinal profile of Nordenskjöldbreen. Spatial variations of 40-60% in snow accumulation over short distances along the profile were observed. The results indicate a 12% increase in accumulation rate during the late 1980s and 1990s. Hornbreen and Hambergbreen and several surrounding glaciers in southern Svalbard were mapped with GPR together with a DGPS (Differential Global Positioning System) in 2000. The data were compared to glacier surface height and glacier front length data from 1936 and 1901. The results show that the low-lying glaciated valley filled with Hornbreen and Hambergbreen may become a partially inundated ice-free isthmus within the next 100-150 years.

Understanding of the processes of sediment transfer within, and from, glaciated catchments is of fundamental importance in order to establish rates of sediment transfer and resultant landscape evolution. Rates of glacio-fluvial sediment transfer are strongly controlled by glacier meltwater runoff and the availability of sediments for entrainment. However, it is becoming apparent that recently deglaciated forefields can modify the patterns of suspended sediment transfer. Glacier shrinkage exposes areas of unstable glacigenic sediments that can be subject to reworking and redistribution, and, as these environments become ice-free, heightened levels of geomorphological activity (so-called 'paraglacial' activity) are also likely to have a significant impact on both sediment and water yields from deglaciating catchments. Consequently, questions are raised as to the impacts of deglaciation upon contemporary and future rates of suspended sediment transfer, and the resultant fluvial sediments loads and rates of landscape adjustment. Therefore, the aim of this research was to present an integrated study of how sediment transfer in a glaciated catchment functions during, and is responding to, deglaciation. A variety of techniques were employed to examine the hydrological functioning of an Alpine glacier, the Feegletscher Nord, Switzerland, and the resultant temporal and spatial patterns of sediment transfer in light of catchment hydrology, ablation processes and forefield geomorphology. Data was collected over two field campaigns in 2010 and 2012 to capture the inputs, throughputs and outputs of meltwater and sediment. This research found that patterns of sediment transfer were modified within the proglacial zone, reinforcing previous findings that the location of proglacial monitoring is important in determining the observed patterns of sediment transfer. These patterns of sediment transfer were attributed to variations in forefield sediment availability, which appeared to demonstrate marked spatial variability. This variability was hypothesised to be influenced by the geomorphological characteristics of the forefield, including rock fall debris that appeared to limit sediment availability, and glacigenic sediment deposits that enhanced the availability of in-channel and channel-marginal sediments. These findings suggest that the investigation of rates of sediment transfer and paraglacial sedimentation may be complicated in catchments that have experienced complex geomorphological responses to deglaciation. In addition, the investigation of sediment transfer processes and the development of a glacier runoff model enabled the exploration of future suspended sediment loads with progressive deglaciation and a changing climate. Suspended sediment loads were predicted to experience rapid declines until the end of the 21st Century due to reductions in meltwater runoff as glacier extent is reduced. However, it is suggested that uncertainties in future sediment availability limit the usefulness of such forecasts. Consequently, this research highlights how the understanding of both sedimentary and hydrological processes in glaciated catchments may be enhanced by consideration of the changes that can occur in these environments associated with glacier shrinkage and a changing climate.

There is increasing recognition that the hydrology of the Greenland Ice Sheet plays an important role in the dynamics and therefore mass balance of the ice sheet. Understanding the hydrology of the ice sheet and being able to predict its future behaviour is therefore a key aspect of glaciological research. To date, the ice sheet’s hydrology has tended to be inferred from the analysis of surface velocity measurements, or modelled in a theoretical, idealised way. This study focuses on the development of a high spatial (100 m) and temporal (1 hour) resolution, physically based, time-dependent hydrological model which is applied to the ~2,300 km2 Paakitsoq region, West Greenland, and is driven, calibrated, and evaluated using measured data. The model consists of three components. First, net runoff is calculated across the ice sheet from a distributed, surface energy- balance melt model coupled to a subsurface model, which calculates changes in temperature, density and water content in the snow, firn and upper-ice layers, and hence refreezing. The model is calibrated by adjusting key parameter values to minimize the error between modelled output and surface height and albedo measurements from the three Greenland Climate Network (GC-Net) stations, JAR 1, JAR 2 and Swiss Camp. Model performance is evaluated in two ways by comparing: i) modelled snow and ice distribution with that derived from Landsat-7 ETM+ satellite imagery using Normalised Difference Snow Index (NDSI) classification and supervised image thresholding; and ii) modelled albedo with that retrieved from the Moderate- resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor MOD10A1 product. Second, a surface routing / lake filling model takes the time-series of calculated net runoff over the ice sheet and calculates flow paths and water velocities over the snow / ice covered surface, routing the water into ‘open’ moulins or into topographic depressions which can fill to form supraglacial lakes. This model component is calibrated against field measurements of a filling lake in the study area made during June 2011. Supraglacial lakes are able to drain by a simulated hydrofracture mechanism if they reach a critical volume. Once water is at the ice / bed interface, discharge and hydraulic head within subglacial drainage pathways are modelled using the third model component. This consists of an adaptation of a component (EXTRAN) of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Storm Water Management Model (SWMM), modified to allow for enlargement and closure of ice-walled conduits. The model is used to identify how the subglacial hydrological system evolves in space and time in response to varying surface water inputs due to melt and lake drainage events, driven ultimately by climate data. A key output from the model is the spatially and temporally varying water pressures which are of interest in helping to explain patterns of surface velocity and uplift found by others, and will ultimately be of interest for driving ice dynamics models.