In the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Victoria Land, East Antarctica, melting of glacial ice is the primary source of water to streams, lakes, and associated ecosystems. To better understand meltwater production, three hypotheses are tested: 1) that small changes in the surface energy balance on these glaciers will result in large changes in melt, 2) that subsurface melt does not contribute significantly to runoff, and 3) that melt from 25-m high terminal cliffs is the dominant source of baseflow during cold periods. These hypotheses were investigated using a surface energy balance model applied to the glaciers of Taylor Valley using 14 years of meteorological data and calibrated to ablation measurements. Inclusion of transmission of solar radiation into the ice through a source term in a one-dimensional heat transfer equation was necessary to accurately model summer ablation and ice temperatures. Results showed good correspondence between calculated and measured ablation and ice temperatures over the 14 years using both daily and hourly time steps, but an hourly time step allowed resolution of short duration melt events and melt within the upper 15 cm of the ice. Resolution of short duration melt events was not important for properly resolving seasonal ablation totals. Across the smooth surfaces of the glaciers, ablation was dominated by sublimation and melting was rare. Above freezing air temperatures did not necessarily result in melt, and low wind speed was important for melt initiation. According to the model, subsurface melt between 5 and 15 cm depth was extensive and lasted for up to six weeks in some summers. The model was better able to predict ablation if some subsurface melt was assumed to drain, lowering ice density, consistent with observations of a low density weathering crust that forms over the course of the summer on Dry Valley glaciers. In extreme summers, drainage of subsurface melt may have contributed up to half of the observed surface lowering through reduction of ice density and possibly through collapse of highly weathered ice. When applied spatially, the model successfully predicted proglacial streamflow at seasonal and daily time scales. This was despite omitting a routing scheme, and instead assuming that all melt generated exits the glacier on the same day, suggesting refreezing is not substantial. Including subsurface melt as runoff improved predictions of runoff volume and timing, particularly for the recession of large flood peaks. Because overland flow was rarely observed over much of these glaciers, these model results suggest that runoff may be predominantly transported beneath the surface in a partially melted permeable layer of weathered ice. According to the model, topographic basins, particularly the low albedo basin floors, played a prominent role in runoff production. Smooth glacier surfaces exhibited low melt rates, but were important during high melt conditions due to their large surface area. Estimated runoff contributions from cliffs and cryoconite holes was somewhat smaller than suggested in previous studies. Spatial and temporal variability in albedo due to snow and debris played a dominant role in flow variations between streams and seasons. In general, the model supported the existing assumption that snowmelt is insignificant, but in extreme melt years snowmelt in the accumulation area may contribute significantly to runoff in some locations.

The unique landscape controls and meltwater contributions associated with glacial landcover along the coast of southeast Alaska were examined to better understand in-stream processing of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and nutrients during downstream transport. Specifically, this study paired glacial streams with nearby non-glacial streams and compared differences in landscape controls to: 1) evaluate the impact of glacial landcover and meltwater contributions on in-stream metabolism and uptake potential of proglacial streams; 2) quantify changes in DOM composition and concentration in glacial runoff during precipitation-driven flushing of a glaciated landscape; and 3) characterize the impact of glacial landcover and meltwater contributions on longitudinal trends in the physical and chemical signature of streamwater through changing watershed landscapes. Stream metabolism estimates suggested glacial streams receive little DOM from landscape sources and have the potential to function as net autotrophic systems under low flow regimes with unobstructed sunlight. Unlike most watersheds, shallow organic soils and low in-stream respiration rates associated with glacial systems resulted in near equilibrium dissolved CO₂ concentrations, with little flux to the atmosphere. Longitudinal stream analyses concluded low-elevation landscape discharge contributions had little influence on glacial streams compared to non-glacial streams. High specific discharge from glacial landscapes controlled streamwater chemistry throughout proglacial watersheds suggesting meltwater was delivered from the terminus of coastal glaciers downstream to the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) with little dilution or in-stream processing. Uniform concentrations of DOM and nutrients were found during increased discharge driven by precipitation on the glaciated watershed. This was in contrast to the non-glacial watershed, where streamwater DOM concentrations were largely controlled by connections to DOM-rich landscape sources during storm flows. Results from this study enhance the understanding of in-stream processes and landscape controls in watersheds that deliver freshwater to an ecologically productive marine zone and valuable commercial fishery. Furthermore, this study provides information about watersheds undergoing glacial recession to GOA basin-wide estimates of DOM export and future research initiatives focusing on in-stream DOM processing. / Ph. D.

No description available.

Submitted by Biblioteca de Pós-Graduação em Geoquímica BGQ (bgq@ndc.uff.br) on 2017-08-31T16:40:28Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Diss_BGQ_FINAL1.pdf: 1793352 bytes, checksum: 1825039fa0b0538f3783c411abd7f271 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-08-31T16:40:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Diss_BGQ_FINAL1.pdf: 1793352 bytes, checksum: 1825039fa0b0538f3783c411abd7f271 (MD5) / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / Universidade Federal Fluminense. Instituto de Química. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Geoquímica, Niterói, RJ / O Oceano Atlântico Sul é um importante contribuinte para a captura de carbono atmosférico. Contudo, diversos estudos sugerem uma tendência decrescente no sumidouro de CO2 do oceano do sul. Nos últimos anos a dinâmica do CO2 nas regiões costeiras e nas plataformas continentais tem recebido maior atenção devido às variações espaciais e temporais em águas superficiais com grandes gradientes de CO2 ar-mar. Nesse sentido ressalta-se a importância de quantificar as concentrações e caracterizar os múltiplos processos reguladores do CO2 em regiões costeiras e de plataforma. Na redação da presente dissertação o capítulo 1 discute a variabilidade da pressão parcial do CO2 (pCO2), avaliada através de medições contínuas realizadas em áreas costeiras da Antártica Marítima (Baía do Almirantado e Estreito de Bransfield) em conjunto com dados geofísicos com intuito de investigar os efeitos sinérgicos entre águas de degelo, temperatura e a pCO2. O estudo foi conduzido em novembro de 2013 com monitoramento contínuo da pCO2, temperatura e salinidade. Além de dados de batimetria adquirida durante todo o cruzeiro. A região da Baía do Almirantado apresentou uma intensa variabilidade espacial da pCO2. Áreas rasas com influência das águas de degelo se mostraram fonte de CO2 com um fluxo médio de (1,49 mmol m-2 d-1), assim como águas mais profundas com fluxo médio de (0,72 mmol m-2 d-1). Áreas rasas e sem influência de águas de degelo se mostrou um sumidouro de C com um fluxo médio de (- 0,7 mmol m-2 d-1). / The South Atlantic Ocean is an important contributor to atmospheric carbon capture. However, several studies suggest a downward trend in the Southern Ocean CO2 sink. In recent years, the dynamics of CO2 in coastal regions and continental shelves have received more attention due to spatial and temporal variations in surface waters with large gradients of air-sea CO2. In this sense, it is important to quantify the concentrations and characterize the multiple regulatory processes of CO2 in coastal and platform regions. In the writing of this dissertation, chapter 1 discusses the variability of the CO2 partial pressure (pCO2), evaluated by continuous measurements in coastal areas of the Admiralty Bay and Bransfield Strait, together with geophysical data in order to investigate The synergistic effects between meltwater, temperature and pCO2. The study was conducted in November 2013 with continuous monitoring of pCO2, temperature and salinity. In addition to bathymetry data acquired throughout the cruise. The Bay of Admiralty region presented an intense spatial variability of pCO2. Shallow areas with influence of the melting waters showed a source of CO2 with an average flow of (1.49 mmol m-2 d-1), as well as deeper waters with a mean flow of (0.72 mmol m-2 d-1). Shallow areas and without influence of melting waters showed a sink of C with an average flow of (- 0.7 mmol m-2 d-1)

Understanding the cause of abrupt climate change in the geologic past can help assess the potential magnitude and variability of future changes in regional and global climate. The research presented here focuses on some of the first records of hydrologic variability in the central North American continent during an interval of Marine Isotope Stage 3 (24-57 thousand years before present (ka)). Sediment core MD02-2551 from the Orca Basin, northern Gulf of Mexico, is used to document the first detailed melting history of the southern margin of the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) during MIS 3, and to record terrestrial inputs from the Mississippi River related to changes in evaporation-precipitation over the mid-continent, from 28-45 ka.Paired measurements of oxygen isotopes and Mg/Ca-SST on the planktonic foraminifera Globigerinoides ruber (pink) are used to calculate the oxygen isotopic composition of seawater and test one of the key hypotheses for abrupt climate change. Five rvals of freshwater input from 28-45 ka do not match the abrupt Dansgaard-Oeschger temperature oscillations recorded in Greenland ice. Rather, summer melting of the LIS may have occurred during Antarctic warming and likely contributed to sea-level variability during MIS 3. A detailed assessment over one of the meltwater events, using the oxygen and carbon isotopic composition of G. ruber and the deeper dwelling Neogloboquadrina dutertrei, demonstrate that meltwater was confined to the surface layers and likely had an impact on the biological pump in the Gulf of Mexico. A similar oxygen isotopic composition of seawater record determined from the year-round white G. ruber suggests that melting was not limited to the warmest summer months. The timing of LIS meltwater input is decoupled from an interval of enhanced wet conditions over the North American continent and increased Mississippi River discharge, as shown by a suite of organic and sedimentologic proxies. Increasing summer insolation on the orbital scale may have led to a northward migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone and an intensification and westward shift in the conical position of the Bermuda High, which shuttles moisture to the North American continent and contributes to flooding in the Mississippi River drainage basin.

A glacier contains of many different layers of different properties. Each layer is formed during a calendar year similar to tree rings and their layers. A glacier has two different zones, the first one referred to as accumulation zone, where the addition of snow exceeds the loss of snow. The second, the ablation zone, is the zone where the loss of snow exceeds the addition of snow. These two zones are divided by the equilibrium line, where the addition of snow equals the loss of snow. Lenses of ice, caused by the summer melt, usually divide the horizontal layers within the glacier from one another. During the winter, snow will accumulate on top of the glacier and during the upcoming summer, the same snow will partly melt due to solar radiation. Some of this meltwater will penetrate the ice lenses and the layers of snow beneath, while some of it will refreeze as the winter once again returns. As the seasons change, freshly fallen snow will be compacted and somewhat water saturated. Compaction will lead to air passages being sealed off into separate air bubbles, which also leads to a change in density; a fixed volume gets heavier due to ongoing compaction. Snow that gets compacted turns into firn which has a larger mass per volume than snow does. Further compaction leads to glacier ice. The purpose of this study is to determine what effect the ice lenses has on the permeating meltwater and whether differences in snow density have similar effects. To achieve this purpose, a glacier was simulated inside a freezing room, with the help of a box that was packed with a few layers of snow. The amount of layers represented the same amount of years for a natural glacier. The experiment was performed twice, once without ice lenses but with varying densities and once with ice lenses but with similar densities. The very top layer was dyed red to track the descending meltwater accurately. To cause the melting, five infrared lamps were used to simulate solar radiation on the very top. / En glaciär består av många olika lager med olika egenskaper. Var lager uppstår under ett kalenderår likt trädringar och de lager de består av. En glaciär har två olika zoner. Den första benämns som ackumulationszonen, där tillförseln av snö överskrider förlusten av snö. Den andra, ablationszonen, är den zon där förlusten av snö överstiger tillförseln av snö. Dessa två zoner skiljs åt av jämviktslinjen, där tillförseln av snö är lika med förlusten av snö. Islinser, som skapas av sommarens smältvatten, skiljer oftast de horisontella lagrena inom glaciären åt. Under vinterhalvåret ansamlas snö på glaciärytan och smälter delvis under sommaren av värme från solen. En del av detta smältvatten penetrerar islinserna och den underliggande snön, medan en del av det åter smälter under vintern. När säsongerna ändras kompakteras snön och blir delvis vattenmättad. Kompaktion leder till att passager inom isen separeras till enskilda luftbubblor, vilket också ökar densiteten; en specifik volym får högre massa på grund av ett ökat tryck. Snö som kompakteras övergår till firn, vilket har högre massa i förhållande till volymen än vad snö har. Fortsatt kompaktion leder till att firnen övergår till en glaciäris. Syftet med denna studie är att bestämma vilken effekt islinser har på perkolerande smältvatten och om skillnader i densitet hos snö har liknande påverkan. För att uppnå detta syfte simulerades en glaciär i ett frysrum, med hjälp av en låda som packades med några lager snö. Mängden lager representerade samma antal år i en naturlig glaciär. Experimentet utfördes två gånger, en gång utan islinser men med varierande densitet och en gång med islinser men med liknande densitet. Det översta lagret färgades rött för att kunna undersöka det sjunkande smältvattnet exakt. För att ge upphov till smältan användes fem infraröda lampor för att representera solens strålar längs ytan.

Thesis: Ph. D., Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2017. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references. / Seasonal fluxes of meltwater control ice-flow processes across the Greenland Ice Sheet ablation zone and subglacial discharge at marine-terminating outlet glaciers. With the increase in annual ice sheet meltwater production observed over recent decades and predicted into future decades, understanding mechanisms driving the hourly to decadal impact of meltwater on ice flow is critical for predicting Greenland Ice Sheet dynamic mass loss. This thesis investigates a wide range of meltwater-driven processes using empirical and theoretical methods for a region of the western margin of the Greenland Ice Sheet. I begin with an examination of the seasonal and annual ice flow record for the region using in situ observations of ice flow from a network of Global Positioning System (GPS) stations. Annual velocities decrease over the seven-year time-series at a rate consistent with the negative trend in annual velocities observed in neighboring regions. Using observations from the same GPS network, I next determine the trigger mechanism for rapid drainage of a supraglacial lake. In three consecutive years, I find precursory basal slip and uplift in the lake basin generates tensile stresses that promote hydrofracture beneath the lake. As these precursors are likely associated with the introduction of meltwater to the bed through neighboring moulin systems, our results imply that lakes may be less able to drain in the less crevassed, interior regions of the ice sheet. Expanding spatial scales to the full ablation zone, I then use a numerical model of subglacial hydrology to test whether model-derived effective pressures exhibit the theorized inverse relationship with melt-season ice sheet surface velocities. Finally, I pair near-ice fjord hydrographic observations with modeled and observed subglacial discharge for the Saqqardliup sermia-Sarqardleq Fjord system. I find evidence of two types of glacially modified waters whose distinct properties and locations in the fjord align with subglacial discharge from two prominent subcatchments beneath Saqqardliup sermia. Continued observational and theoretical work reaching across discipline boundaries is required to further narrow our gap in understanding the forcing mechanisms and magnitude of Greenland Ice Sheet dynamic mass loss. / by Laura A. Stevens. / Ph. D.

The Greenland ice sheet is the largest Northern Hemisphere store of fresh water, and it is responding rapidly to the warming climate. In situ observations document the changing ice sheet properties in the lower accumulation area, Southwest Greenland. Firn densities from 1840 meters above sea level retrieved in May 2012 revealed the existence of a 5.5-meter-thick, near-surface ice layer in response to the recent increased melt and refreezing in firn. As a consequence, vertical meltwater percolation in the extreme summer 2012 was inefficient, resulting in surface runoff. Meltwater percolated and refroze at six meters depth only after the end of the melt season. This prolonged autumn refreezing under the newly accumulated snowpack resulted in unprecedented firn warming with temperature at ten meters depth increased by more than four degrees Celsius. Simulations confirm that meltwater reached nine meters depth at most. The refrozen meltwater was estimated at 0.23 meters water equivalent, amounting to 25 % of the total 2012 ablation. A surface energy balance model was used to evaluate the seasonal and interannual variability of all surface energy fluxes at that elevation in the years 2009 to 2013. Due to the meltwater presence at the surface in 2012, the summer-averaged albedo was significantly reduced (0.71 in 2012; typically 0.78). A sensitivity analysis revealed that 71 % of the subsequent additional solar radiation in 2012 was used for melt, corresponding to 36 % of the total 2012 surface lowering. This interplay between melt and firn properties highlights that the lower accumulation area of the Greenland ice sheet will be responding rapidly in a warming climate. / Stability and Variations of Arctic Land Ice (SVALI) / Programme for Monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet (PROMICE) / Greenland Analogue Project (GAP)

No description available.

Les vallées tunnels sont les structures de drainage d'eau de fonte les plus imposantes de l'environnement sous-glaciaire. L'inaccessibilité des milieux sous-glaciaires actuels limitent nos connaissances des mécanismes impliqués dans leurs formations, des paramètres contrôlant leur morphologie et de leurs influences sur la dynamique glaciaire. Ce travail présente une nouvelle approche expérimentale visant à mieux contraindre la formation et le fonctionnement des systèmes de vallées tunnels. Cette approche repose sur le développement d'un nouveau dispositif expérimental simulant la circulation d'eau pressurisée au sein d'un substrat poreux et perméable sous une couverture visqueuse. Les résultats des expériences menées avec ce dispositif ont permis de déterminer des relations étroites entre les paramètres du substrat et les modalités de l'écoulement d'eau sur la formation et la morphologie des vallées tunnels. Les résultats issus des expériences démontrent que ce dispositif permet de recréer des systèmes de vallées tunnels. L'étude de ces vallées expérimentales suggèrent que la topographie du substrat et la production d'eau de fonte joue un rôle primordial sur la genèse des vallées tunnels et sur leurs morphologies. Deux morphotypes de vallées tunnels ont pu être identifiés avec des morphologies et des mécanismes de formation indépendants. L'analyse de la dynamique de la calotte sus-jacente a permis de mettre en évidence un lien étroit entre le développement des vallées tunnels et la dynamique des "ice streams". L'évolution de la capacité de drainage des vallées tunnels semble contrôler la dynamique glaciaire en régulant le flux de glace transitant dans les "ice streams". / Tunnel valleys are major components of the subglacial meltwater drainage system. The inaccessibility of modern subglacial environments reduces our knowledge on the mechanisms involved in tunnel valleys formation, the parameters controlling their morphology and their influence on ice-sheet dynamics. This work presents a new experimental approach aiming to better assess the processes of tunnel valleys development. This approach relies on the development of a new experimental device simulating a pressurized water flow within a porous and permeable substratum underneath a viscous layer simulating the ice-sheet. The main results of the experiments conducted with this device have demonstrated the influence of both substratum properties and meltwater drainage on tunnel valleys formation and morphology. Using the device, we first manage to reproduce tunnel valley systems experimentally. Analyses conducted on these valleys experimental valleys suggest that the substratum topography and meltwater production play a key role on tunnel valleys genesis and morphology. Two tunnel valleys morphotypes have been identified, each one being charaterized by a unique morphology and mechanism of formation. Monitoring of the experimental ice sheet during tunnel valley formation shows close relationship between tunnel valleys development and "ice streams" dynamics. The evolution of tunnel valley drainage capacity seems to have a strong influence on ice sheet stability by regulating ice flux within "ice stream corridors".