Antarctic sub-shelf melt rates via SIMPEL

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reese, Ronja; Albrecht, Torsten; Winkelmann, Ricarda

2017-04-01

Ocean-induced melting below ice-shelves is currently suspected to be the dominant cause of mass loss from the Antarctic Ice Sheet (e.g. Depoorter et al. 2013). Although thinning of ice shelves does not directly contribute to sea-level rise, it may have a significant indirect impact through the potential of ice shelves to buttress their adjacent ice sheet. Hence, an appropriate representation of sub-shelf melt rates is essential for modelling the evolution of ice sheets with marine terminating outlet glaciers. Due to computational limits of fully-coupled ice and ocean models, sub-shelf melt rates are often parametrized in large-scale or long-term simulations (e.g. Matin et al. 2011, Pollard & DeConto 2012). These parametrizations usually depend on the depth of the ice shelf base or its local slope but do not include the physical processes in ice shelf cavities. Here, we present the Sub Ice shelf Melt Potsdam modEL (SIMPEL) which mimics the first-order large-scale circulation in ice shelf cavities based on an ocean box model (Olbers & Hellmer, 2010), implemented in the Parallel Ice Sheet Model (Bueler & Brown 2009, Winkelmann et al. 2011, www.pism-docs.org). In SIMPEL, ocean water is transported at depth towards the grounding line where sub-shelf melt rates are highest, and then rises along the shelf base towards the calving front where refreezing can occur. Melt rates are computed by a description of ice-ocean interaction commonly used in high-resolution models (McPhee 1992, Holland & Jenkins 1999). This enables the model to capture a wide-range of melt rates, comparable to the observed range for Antarctic ice shelves (Rignot et al. 2013).

Understanding Ice Shelf Basal Melting Using Convergent ICEPOD Data Sets: ROSETTA-Ice Study of Ross Ice Shelf

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bell, R. E.; Frearson, N.; Tinto, K. J.; Das, I.; Fricker, H. A.; Siddoway, C. S.; Padman, L.

2017-12-01

The future stability of the ice shelves surrounding Antarctica will be susceptible to increases in both surface and basal melt as the atmosphere and ocean warm. The ROSETTA-Ice program is targeted at using the ICEPOD airborne technology to produce new constraints on Ross Ice Shelf, the underlying ocean, bathymetry, and geologic setting, using radar sounding, gravimetry and laser altimetry. This convergent approach to studying the ice-shelf and basal processes enables us to develop an understanding of the fundamental controls on ice-shelf evolution. This work leverages the stratigraphy of the ice shelf, which is detected as individual reflectors by the shallow-ice radar and is often associated with surface scour, form close to the grounding line or pinning points on the ice shelf. Surface accumulation on the ice shelf buries these reflectors as the ice flows towards the calving front. This distinctive stratigraphy can be traced across the ice shelf for the major East Antarctic outlet glaciers and West Antarctic ice streams. Changes in the ice thickness below these reflectors are a result of strain and basal melting and freezing. Correcting the estimated thickness changes for strain using RIGGS strain measurements, we can develop decadal-resolution flowline distributions of basal melt. Close to East Antarctica elevated melt-rates (>1 m/yr) are found 60-100 km from the calving front. On the West Antarctic side high melt rates primarily develop within 10 km of the calving front. The East Antarctic side of Ross Ice Shelf is dominated by melt driven by saline water masses that develop in Ross Sea polynyas, while the melting on the West Antarctic side next to Hayes Bank is associated with modified Continental Deep Water transported along the continental shelf. The two sides of Ross Ice Shelf experience differing basal melt in part due to the duality in the underlying geologic structure: the East Antarctic side consists of relatively dense crust, with low amplitude

How ice shelf morphology controls basal melting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Little, Christopher M.; Gnanadesikan, Anand; Oppenheimer, Michael

2009-12-01

The response of ice shelf basal melting to climate is a function of ocean temperature, circulation, and mixing in the open ocean and the coupling of this external forcing to the sub-ice shelf circulation. Because slope strongly influences the properties of buoyancy-driven flow near the ice shelf base, ice shelf morphology plays a critical role in linking external, subsurface heat sources to the ice. In this paper, the slope-driven dynamic control of local and area-integrated melting rates is examined under a wide range of ocean temperatures and ice shelf shapes, with an emphasis on smaller, steeper ice shelves. A 3-D numerical ocean model is used to simulate the circulation underneath five idealized ice shelves, forced with subsurface ocean temperatures ranging from -2.0°C to 1.5°C. In the sub-ice shelf mixed layer, three spatially distinct dynamic regimes are present. Entrainment of heat occurs predominately under deeper sections of the ice shelf; local and area-integrated melting rates are most sensitive to changes in slope in this "initiation" region. Some entrained heat is advected upslope and used to melt ice in the "maintenance" region; however, flow convergence in the "outflow" region limits heat loss in flatter portions of the ice shelf. Heat flux to the ice exhibits (1) a spatially nonuniform, superlinear dependence on slope and (2) a shape- and temperature-dependent, internally controlled efficiency. Because the efficiency of heat flux through the mixed layer decreases with increasing ocean temperature, numerical simulations diverge from a simple quadratic scaling law.

Antarctic ice-sheet loss driven by basal melting of ice shelves.

PubMed

Pritchard, H D; Ligtenberg, S R M; Fricker, H A; Vaughan, D G; van den Broeke, M R; Padman, L

2012-04-25

Accurate prediction of global sea-level rise requires that we understand the cause of recent, widespread and intensifying glacier acceleration along Antarctic ice-sheet coastal margins. Atmospheric and oceanic forcing have the potential to reduce the thickness and extent of floating ice shelves, potentially limiting their ability to buttress the flow of grounded tributary glaciers. Indeed, recent ice-shelf collapse led to retreat and acceleration of several glaciers on the Antarctic Peninsula. But the extent and magnitude of ice-shelf thickness change, the underlying causes of such change, and its link to glacier flow rate are so poorly understood that its future impact on the ice sheets cannot yet be predicted. Here we use satellite laser altimetry and modelling of the surface firn layer to reveal the circum-Antarctic pattern of ice-shelf thinning through increased basal melt. We deduce that this increased melt is the primary control of Antarctic ice-sheet loss, through a reduction in buttressing of the adjacent ice sheet leading to accelerated glacier flow. The highest thinning rates occur where warm water at depth can access thick ice shelves via submarine troughs crossing the continental shelf. Wind forcing could explain the dominant patterns of both basal melting and the surface melting and collapse of Antarctic ice shelves, through ocean upwelling in the Amundsen and Bellingshausen seas, and atmospheric warming on the Antarctic Peninsula. This implies that climate forcing through changing winds influences Antarctic ice-sheet mass balance, and hence global sea level, on annual to decadal timescales.

Formation of melt channels on ice shelves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sergienko, Olga

2013-04-01

Melt channels have been observed on ice shelves experiencing strong melting in both Greenland (Petermann Glacier) and Antarctica (Pine Island Glacier). Using a fully-couple ice-shelf/sub-ice-shelf-ocean flow model, it is demonstrated that these channels can form spontaneously in laterally confined ice shelves. These channels have transverse extent of a few kilometers and a vertical relief of about a few hundred meters. Meltrates and sea-water transport in the channels are significantly higher than in between the channels on the smooth flat ice bottom. In circumstances where an ice shelf has no-slip conditions at its lateral boundaries, the ice-shelf/sub-ice-shelf-cavity system exhibits equilibrium periodic states, where the same configurations repetitively appear with a periodicity of about 30-35 years. This peculiar dynamics of the system has strong implications on the interpretation of the remote and in-situ observations and inferences of the system parameters (e.g., melt rates) based on these observations. For instance, the persistent temporal changes in the ice-shelf thickness are caused by internal dynamics of the melt channels, and, in contrast to traditional interpretation, can be independent of the oceanic forcings.

Under-ice melt ponds and the oceanic mixed layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flocco, D.; Smith, N.; Feltham, D. L.

2017-12-01

Under-ice melt ponds are pools of freshwater beneath the Arctic sea ice that form when melt from the surface of the sea ice percolates down through the porous sea ice. Through double diffusion, a sheet of ice can form at the interface between the ocean and the under-ice melt pond, completely isolating the pond from the mixed layer below and forming a false bottom to the sea ice. As such, they insulate the sea ice from the ocean below. It has been estimated that these ponds could cover between 5 and 40 % of the base of the Arctic sea ice, and so could have a notable impact on the mass balance of the sea ice. We have developed a one-dimensional model to calculate the thickness and thermodynamic properties of a slab of sea ice, an under-ice melt pond, and a false bottom, as these layers evolve. Through carrying out sensitivity studies, we have identified a number of interesting ways that under-ice melt ponds affect the ice above them and the rate of basal ablation. We found that they result in thicker sea ice above them, due to their insulation of the ice, and have found a possible positive feedback cycle in which less ice will be gained due to under-ice melt ponds as the Arctic becomes warmer. More recently, we have coupled this model to a simple Kraus-Turner type model of the oceanic mixed layer to investigate how these ponds affect the ocean water beneath them. Through altering basal ablation rates and ice thickness, they change the fresh water and salt fluxes into the mixed layer, as well as incoming radiation. Multi-year simulations have, in particular, shown how these effects work on longer time-scales.

Effects of locust bean gum and mono- and diglyceride concentrations on particle size and melting rates of ice cream.

PubMed

Cropper, S L; Kocaoglu-Vurma, N A; Tharp, B W; Harper, W J

2013-06-01

The objective of this study was to determine how varying concentrations of the stabilizer, locust bean gum (LBG), and different levels of the emulsifier, mono- and diglycerides (MDGs), influenced fat aggregation and melting characteristics of ice cream. Ice creams were made containing MDGs and LBG singly and in combination at concentrations ranging between 0.0% to 0.14% and 0.0% to 0.23%, respectively. Particle size analysis, conducted on both the mixes and ice cream, and melting rate testing on the ice cream were used to determine fat aggregation. No significant differences (P < 0.05) were found between particle size values for experimental ice cream mixes. However, higher concentrations of both LBG and MDG in the ice creams resulted in values that were larger than the control. This study also found an increase in the particle size values when MDG levels were held constant and LBG amounts were increased in the ice cream. Ice creams with higher concentrations of MDG and LBG together had the greatest difference in the rate of melting than the control. The melting rate decreased with increasing LBG concentrations at constant MDG levels. These results illustrated that fat aggregation may not only be affected by emulsifiers, but that stabilizers may play a role in contributing to the destabilization of fat globules. © 2013 Institute of Food Technologists®

In-situ GPS records of surface mass balance, firn compaction rates, and ice-shelf basal melt rates for Pine Island Glacier, Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shean, D. E.; Christianson, K.; Larson, K. M.; Ligtenberg, S.; Joughin, I. R.; Smith, B.; Stevens, C.

2016-12-01

In recent decades, Pine Island Glacier (PIG) has experienced marked retreat, speedup and thinning due to ice-shelf basal melt, internal ice-stream instability and feedbacks between these processes. In an effort to constrain recent ice-stream dynamics and evaluate potential causes of retreat, we analyzed 2008-2010 and 2012-2014 GPS records for PIG. We computed time series of horizontal velocity, strain rate, multipath-based antenna height, surface elevation, and Lagrangian elevation change (Dh/Dt). These data provide validation for complementary high-resolution WorldView stereo digital elevation model (DEM) records, with sampled DEM vertical error of 0.7 m. The GPS antenna height time series document a relative surface elevation increase of 0.7-1.0 m/yr, which is consistent with estimated surface mass balance (SMB) of 0.7-0.9 m.w.e./yr from RACMO2.3 and firn compaction rates from the IMAU-FDM dynamic firn model. An abrupt 0.2-0.3 m surface elevation decrease due to surface melt and/or greater near-surface firn compaction is observed during a period of warm atmospheric temperatures from December 2012 to January 2013. Observed surface Dh/Dt for all PIG shelf sites is highly linear with trends of -1 to -4 m/yr and <0.4 m residuals. Similar Dh/Dt estimates with reduced variability are obtained after removing expected downward GPS pole base velocity from observed GPS antenna Dh/Dt. Estimated Dh/Dt basal melt rates are 10 to 40 m/yr for the outer PIG shelf and 4 m/yr for the South shelf. These melt rates are similar to those derived from ice-bottom acoustic ranging, phase-sensitive ice-penetrating radar, and high-resolution stereo DEM records. The GPS/DEM records document higher melt rates within and near transverse surface depressions and rifts associated with longitudinal extension. Basal melt rates for the 2012-2014 period show limited temporal variability, despite significant change in ocean heat content. This suggests that sub-shelf melt rates are less sensitive to

The transient response of ice-shelf melting to ocean change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holland, P.

2017-12-01

Idealised modelling studies show that the melting of ice shelves varies as a quadratic function of ocean temperature. This means that warm-water ice shelves have higher melt rates and are also more sensitive to ocean warming. However, this result is the equilibrium response, derived from a set of ice—ocean simulations subjected to a fixed ocean forcing and run until steady. This study considers instead the transient response of melting, using unsteady simulations subjected to forcing conditions that are oscillated in time with a range of periods. The results show that when the ocean forcing is varied slowly, the melt rates follow the equililbrium response. However, for rapid ocean change melting deviates from the equilibrium response in interesting ways. The residence time of water in the sub-ice cavity offers a critical timescale. When the forcing varies slowly (period of oscillation >> residence time), the cavity is fully-flushed with forcing anomalies at all stages of the cycle and melting follows the equilibrium response. When the forcing varies rapidly (period ≤ residence time), multiple cold and warm anomalies coexist in the cavity, cancelling each other in the spatial mean and thus inducing a relatively steady melt rate. This implies that all ice shelves have a maximum frequency of ocean variability that can be manifested in melting. The results also show that ice shelves forced by warm water have high melt rates, high equilibrium sensitivity, and short residence times, hence a short timescale over which the equilibrium sensitivity is manifest. The most rapid melting adjustment is induced by warm anomalies that are also saline. Thus, ice shelves in the Amundsen and Bellingshausen seas, Antarctica, are highly sensitive to ocean change.

Modeling the basal melting and marine ice accretion of the Amery Ice Shelf

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galton-Fenzi, B. K.; Hunter, J. R.; Coleman, R.; Marsland, S. J.; Warner, R. C.

2012-09-01

The basal mass balance of the Amery Ice Shelf (AIS) in East Antarctica is investigated using a numerical ocean model. The main improvements of this model over previous studies are the inclusion of frazil formation and dynamics, tides and the use of the latest estimate of the sub-ice-shelf cavity geometry. The model produces a net basal melt rate of 45.6 Gt year-1 (0.74 m ice year-1) which is in good agreement with reviewed observations. The melting at the base of the ice shelf is primarily due to interaction with High Salinity Shelf Water created from the surface sea-ice formation in winter. The temperature difference between the coldest waters created in the open ocean and the in situ freezing point of ocean water in contact with the deepest part of the AIS drives a melt rate that can exceed 30 m of ice year-1. The inclusion of frazil dynamics is shown to be important for both melting and marine ice accretion (refreezing). Frazil initially forms in the supercooled water layer adjacent to the base of the ice shelf. The net accretion of marine ice is 5.3 Gt year-1, comprised of 3.7 Gt year-1 of frazil accretion and 1.6 Gt year-1 of direct basal refreezing.

A preliminary study on isotopic evolution of ice by a melting experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ham, J. Y.; Lee, J.; Lee, W. S.; Han, Y.; Hur, S. D.

2016-12-01

Evidences of melted snow at surface were found on some ice cores. Melted layers may generate a significant error when paleo-temperature was retrieved from ice cores using stable water isotopes. To resolve this problem, it is necessary to understand the isotopic changes of ice and its meltwater that is made during the ice and snow melting. Isotopic fractionations between liquid water and snow have been discussed by Taylor et al. (2002) and Lee et al. (2009). The goal of this work is to understand isotopic evolution of ice and its meltwater. Melting experiments in a cold room were designed and conducted with heat source (infrared lamp) to mimic solar radiation. Melting rates were calculated in terms of specific discharge (g/min). To control melting rates, distances between ice surface and heat source were adjusted in various conditions (1 cm, 10 cm and 20 cm). The experiments were conducted by three different melting rates, 1.6 g/min, 3.5 g/min and 5.8 g/min. We used cubic ice that has 3 cm in width, length and height in dimension with 1.5 kg or 2 kg of ice used totally. The total time spent melting the whole ice was 592, 783, and 1180 minutes, respectively. Cold room temperature was range of -1 to 1°C, which removes an effect of air temperature. Meltwater samples were collected and isotopic compositions of oxygen and hydrogen were determined by a cavity ring down spectrometer (Picarro L-1120) installed at the Korea Polar Research Institute. We also analyzed bulk water and bulk ice to make the ice used in the experiments (-8.20 ‰ and -58.73 ‰ for oxygen and hydrogen isotopes, respectively). The isotopic compositions of meltwater increased linearly or to a second degree polynomial. The isotopic variations were larger in the lower melting rates, compared to the higher melting rates (0.65 of lower melting rates vs. 0.35 higher melting rates for oxygen isotope). The slope of linear regression between oxygen and hydrogen ranged 6.2, 7.3 and 6.2, which is less than

Results from a lab study of melting sea ice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiese, M.; Griewank, P.; Notz, D.

2012-04-01

Sea-ice melting is a complex process which is not fully understood yet. In order to study sea-ice melt in detail we perform lab experiments in an approximately 2x0.7x1.2 m large tank in a cold room. We grow sea ice with different salinities at least 10 cm thick. Then we let the ice melt at different air temperatures and oceanic heat fluxes. During the melt period, we measure the evolution of ice thickness, internal temperature, salinity and surface temperature. We will present results from roughly five months of experiments. Topics will include the influence of bulk salinity on melt rates and the surface temperature. The effects of flushing on the salinity evolution and detailed thermal profiles will also be included. To investigate these processes we focus on the energy budget and the salinity evolution. These topics are linked since the thermodynamic properties of sea ice (heat capacity, heat conductivity and latent heat of fusion) are very sensitive to salinity variations. For example the heat capacity of sea ice increases greatly as the temperature approaches the melting point. This increase results in non-linear temperature profiles and enhances heat conduction into the ice. The salinity evolution during the growth phase has been investigated and measured in multiple studies over the last decades. In contrast there are no detailed lab measurements of melting ice available to quantify the effects of flushing melt water and ponding. This is partially due to the fact that the heterogeneity of melting sea ice makes it much more difficult to measure representative values.

The effect of basal channels on oceanic ice-shelf melting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Millgate, Thomas; Holland, Paul R.; Jenkins, Adrian; Johnson, Helen L.

2013-12-01

The presence of ice-shelf basal channels has been noted in a number of Antarctic and Greenland ice shelves, but their impact on basal melting is not fully understood. Here we use the Massachusetts Institute of Technology general circulation model to investigate the effect of ice-shelf basal channels on oceanic melt rate for an idealized ice shelf resembling the floating tongue of Petermann Glacier in Greenland. The introduction of basal channels prevents the formation of a single geostrophically balanced boundary current; instead the flow is diverted up the right-hand (Coriolis-favored) side of each channel, with a return flow in the opposite direction on the left-hand side. As the prescribed number of basal channels is increased the mean basal melt rate decreases, in agreement with previous studies. For a small number of relatively wide channels the subice flow is found to be a largely geostrophic horizontal circulation. The reduction in melt rate is then caused by an increase in the relative contribution of weakly melting channel crests and keels. For a larger number of relatively narrow channels, the subice flow changes to a vertical overturning circulation. This change in circulation results in a weaker sensitivity of melt rates to channel size. The transition between the two regimes is governed by the Rossby radius of deformation. Our results explain why basal channels play an important role in regulating basal melting, increasing the stability of ice shelves.

Sensitivity of an Antarctic Ice Sheet Model to Sub-Ice-Shelf Melting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lipscomb, W. H.; Leguy, G.; Urban, N. M.; Berdahl, M.

2017-12-01

Theory and observations suggest that marine-based sectors of the Antarctic ice sheet could retreat rapidly under ocean warming and increased melting beneath ice shelves. Numerical models of marine ice sheets vary widely in sensitivity, depending on grid resolution and the parameterization of key processes (e.g., calving and hydrofracture). Here we study the sensitivity of the Antarctic ice sheet to ocean warming and sub-shelf melting in standalone simulations of the Community Ice Sheet Model (CISM). Melt rates either are prescribed based on observations and high-resolution ocean model output, or are derived from a plume model forced by idealized ocean temperature profiles. In CISM, we vary the model resolution (between 1 and 8 km), Stokes approximation (shallow-shelf, depth-integrated higher-order, or 3D higher-order) and calving scheme to create an ensemble of plausible responses to sub-shelf melting. This work supports a broader goal of building statistical and reduced models that can translate large-scale Earth-system model projections to changes in Antarctic ocean temperatures and ice sheet discharge, thus better quantifying uncertainty in Antarctic-sourced sea-level rise.

connecting the dots between Greenland ice sheet surface melting and ice flow dynamics (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Box, J. E.; Colgan, W. T.; Fettweis, X.; Phillips, T. P.; Stober, M.

2013-12-01

. Because water is 'heavier' than ice, water-filled cracks have unlimited capacity to hydraulically ';jack' open fractures, penetrating, fracturing and disaggregating a solid ice body. This process promotes iceberg calving at more than 150, 1km wide marine terminating Greenland glacier fronts. Resulting from a rising trend of surface melting and sea water temperature, meltwater ejection at the underwater front of marine glaciers drives a an increasing turbulent heat exchange between the glacier front and relatively warm sea water melting it faster. Underwater melting promotes an undercutting of the glacier front leading to ice berg calving. Calving through hydrofracture or marine undercutting provide a direct and immediate ice flow speed response mechanism for surface meltwater production. Ice flow speed reacts because calving reduces flow resistance. The above physical processes interact. Cooling shuts these processes down. Negative feedbacks dampen the warming impulse. Live 21 June, 2013 is a new Danish Web site1 that exploits total mass balance rate of decline as a function of albedo to predict GRACE mass rate of change with 80% explained variance. While surface mass balance explains the mass rate of change slightly higher, surface albedo is an observable quantity as is gravity change.

The effect of under-ice melt ponds on their surroundings in the Arctic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feltham, D. L.; Smith, N.; Flocco, D.

2016-12-01

In the summer months, melt water from the surface of the Arctic sea ice can percolate down through the ice and flow out of its base. This water is relatively warm and fresh compared to the ocean water beneath it, and so it floats between the ice and the oceanic mixed layer, forming pools of melt water called under-ice melt ponds. Sheets of ice, known as false bottoms, can subsequently form via double diffusion processes at the under-ice melt pond interface with the ocean, trapping the pond against the ice and completely isolating it from the ocean below. This has an insulating effect on the parent sea ice above the trapped pond, altering its rate of basal ablation. A one-dimensional, thermodynamic model of Arctic sea ice has been adapted to study the evolution of under-ice melt ponds and false bottoms over time. Comparing simulations of sea ice evolution with and without an under-ice melt pond provides a measure of how an under-ice melt pond affects the mass balance of the sea ice above it. Sensitivity studies testing the response of the model to a range of uncertain parameters have been performed, revealing some interesting implications of under-ice ponds during their life cycle. By changing the rate of basal ablation of the parent sea ice, and so the flux of fresh water and salt into the ocean, under-ice melt ponds affect the properties of the mixed layer beneath the sea ice. Our model of under-ice melt pond refreezing has been coupled to a simple oceanic mixed layer model to determine the effect on mixed layer depth, salinity and temperature.

Impact of ice-shelf sediment content on the dynamics of plumes under melting ice shelves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wells, A.

2015-12-01

When a floating ice shelf melts into an underlying warm salty ocean, the resulting fresh meltwater can rise in a buoyant Ice-Shelf-Water plume under the ice. In certain settings, ice flowing across the grounding line carries a basal layer of debris rich ice, entrained via basal freezing around till in the upstream ice sheet. Melting of this debris-laden ice from floating ice shelves provides a flux of dense sediment to the ocean, in addition to the release of fresh buoyant meltwater. This presentation considers the impact of the resulting suspended sediment on the dynamics of ice shelf water plumes, and identifies two key flow regimes depending on the sediment concentration frozen into the basal ice layer. For large sediment concentration, melting of the debris-laden ice shelf generates dense convectively unstable waters that drive convective overturning into the underlying ocean. For lower sediment concentration, the sediment initially remains suspended in a buoyant meltwater plume rising along the underside of the ice shelf, before slowly depositing into the underlying ocean. A theoretical plume model is used to evaluate the significance of the negatively buoyant sediment on circulation strength and the feedbacks on melting rate, along with the expected depositional patterns under the ice shelf.

Calving fluxes and basal melt rates of Antarctic ice shelves.

PubMed

Depoorter, M A; Bamber, J L; Griggs, J A; Lenaerts, J T M; Ligtenberg, S R M; van den Broeke, M R; Moholdt, G

2013-10-03

Iceberg calving has been assumed to be the dominant cause of mass loss for the Antarctic ice sheet, with previous estimates of the calving flux exceeding 2,000 gigatonnes per year. More recently, the importance of melting by the ocean has been demonstrated close to the grounding line and near the calving front. So far, however, no study has reliably quantified the calving flux and the basal mass balance (the balance between accretion and ablation at the ice-shelf base) for the whole of Antarctica. The distribution of fresh water in the Southern Ocean and its partitioning between the liquid and solid phases is therefore poorly constrained. Here we estimate the mass balance components for all ice shelves in Antarctica, using satellite measurements of calving flux and grounding-line flux, modelled ice-shelf snow accumulation rates and a regional scaling that accounts for unsurveyed areas. We obtain a total calving flux of 1,321 ± 144 gigatonnes per year and a total basal mass balance of -1,454 ± 174 gigatonnes per year. This means that about half of the ice-sheet surface mass gain is lost through oceanic erosion before reaching the ice front, and the calving flux is about 34 per cent less than previous estimates derived from iceberg tracking. In addition, the fraction of mass loss due to basal processes varies from about 10 to 90 per cent between ice shelves. We find a significant positive correlation between basal mass loss and surface elevation change for ice shelves experiencing surface lowering and enhanced discharge. We suggest that basal mass loss is a valuable metric for predicting future ice-shelf vulnerability to oceanic forcing.

Basal terraces on melting ice shelves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dutrieux, Pierre; Stewart, Craig; Jenkins, Adrian; Nicholls, Keith W.; Corr, Hugh F. J.; Rignot, Eric; Steffen, Konrad

2014-08-01

Ocean waters melt the margins of Antarctic and Greenland glaciers, and individual glaciers' responses and the integrity of their ice shelves are expected to depend on the spatial distribution of melt. The bases of the ice shelves associated with Pine Island Glacier (West Antarctica) and Petermann Glacier (Greenland) have similar geometries, including kilometer-wide, hundreds-of-meter high channels oriented along and across the direction of ice flow. The channels are enhanced by, and constrain, oceanic melt. New meter-scale observations of basal topography reveal peculiar glaciated landscapes. Channel flanks are not smooth, but are instead stepped, with hundreds-of-meters-wide flat terraces separated by 5-50 m high walls. Melting is shown to be modulated by the geometry: constant across each terrace, changing from one terrace to the next, and greatly enhanced on the ~45° inclined walls. Melting is therefore fundamentally heterogeneous and likely associated with stratification in the ice-ocean boundary layer, challenging current models of ice shelf-ocean interactions.

Basal Terraces on Melting Ice Shelves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dutrieux, P.; Stewart, C.; Jenkins, A.; Nicholls, K. W.; Corr, H. F. J.; Rignot, E. J.; Steffen, K.

2014-12-01

Ocean waters melt the margins of Antarctic and Greenland glaciers and individualglaciers' responses and the integrity of their ice shelves are expected to depend on thespatial distribution of melt. The bases of the ice shelves associated with Pine IslandGlacier (West Antarctica) and Petermann Glacier (Greenland) have similar geometries,including kilometers-wide, hundreds-of-meter-high channels oriented along and acrossthe direction of ice flow. The channels are enhanced by, and constrain, oceanic melt.New, meter-scale observations of basal topography reveal peculiar glaciated landscapes.Channel flanks are not smooth, but are instead stepped, with hundreds-of-meters-wideflat terraces separated by 5-50 m-high walls. Melting is shown to be modulated by thegeometry: constant across each terrace, changing from one terrace to the next, and greatlyenhanced on the ~45°-inclined walls. Melting is therefore fundamentally heterogeneousand likely associated with stratification in the ice-ocean boundary layer, challengingcurrent models of ice shelf-ocean interactions.

Melting beneath Greenland outlet glaciers and ice streams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alexander, David; Perrette, Mahé; Beckmann, Johanna

2015-04-01

Basal melting of fast-flowing Greenland outlet glaciers and ice streams due to frictional heating at the ice-bed interface contributes significantly to total glacier mass balance and subglacial meltwater flux, yet modelling this basal melt process in Greenland has received minimal research attention. A one-dimensional dynamic ice-flow model is calibrated to the present day longitudinal profiles of 10 major Greenland outlet glaciers and ice streams (including the Jakobshavn Isbrae, Petermann Glacier and Helheim Glacier) and is validated against published ice flow and surface elevation measurements. Along each longitudinal profile, basal melt is calculated as a function of ice flow velocity and basal shear stress. The basal shear stress is dependent on the effective pressure (difference between ice overburden pressure and water pressure), basal roughness and a sliding parametrization. Model output indicates that where outlet glaciers and ice streams terminate into the ocean with either a small floating ice tongue or no floating tongue whatsoever, the proportion of basal melt to total melt (surface, basal and submarine melt) is 5-10% (e.g. Jakobshavn Isbrae; Daugaard-Jensen Glacier). This proportion is, however, negligible where larger ice tongues lose mass mostly by submarine melt (~1%; e.g. Nioghalvfjerdsfjorden Glacier). Modelled basal melt is highest immediately upvalley of the grounding line, with contributions typically up to 20-40% of the total melt for slippery beds and up to 30-70% for resistant beds. Additionally, modelled grounding line and calving front migration inland for all outlet glaciers and ice streams of hundreds of metres to several kilometres occurs. Including basal melt due to frictional heating in outlet glacier and ice stream models is important for more accurately modelling mass balance and subglacial meltwater flux, and therefore, more accurately modelling outlet glacier and ice stream dynamics and responses to future climate change.

Cloud screening and melt water detection over melting sea ice using AATSR/SLSTR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Istomina, Larysa; Heygster, Georg

2014-05-01

With the onset of melt in the Arctic Ocean, the fraction of melt water on sea ice, the melt pond fraction, increases. The consequences are: the reduced albedo of sea ice, increased transmittance of sea ice and affected heat balance of the system with more heat passing through the ice into the ocean, which facilitates further melting. The onset of melt, duration of melt season and melt pond fraction are good indicators of the climate state of the Arctic and its change. In the absence of reliable sea ice thickness retrievals in summer, melt pond fraction retrieval from satellite is in demand as input for GCM as an indicator of melt state of the sea ice. The retrieval of melt pond fraction with a moderate resolution radiometer as AATSR is, however, a non-trivial task due to a variety of subpixel surface types with very different optical properties, which give non-unique combinations if mixed. In this work this has been solved by employing additional information on the surface and air temperature of the pixel. In the current work, a concept of melt pond detection on sea ice is presented. The basis of the retrieval is the sensitivity of AATSR reflectance channels 550nm and 860nm to the amount of melt water on sea ice. The retrieval features extensive usage of a database of in situ surface albedo spectra. A tree of decisions is employed to select the feasible family of in situ spectra for the retrieval, depending on the melt stage of the surface. Reanalysis air temperature at the surface and brightness temperature measured by the satellite sensor are analyzed in order to evaluate the melting status of the surface. Case studies for FYI and MYI show plausible retrieved melt pond fractions, characteristic for both of the ice types. The developed retrieval can be used to process the historical AATSR (2002-2012) dataset, as well as for the SLSTR sensor onboard the future Sentinel-3 mission (scheduled for launch in 2015), to keep the continuity and obtain longer time sequence

Forced convective melting at an evolving ice-water interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramudu, Eshwan; Hirsh, Benjamin; Olson, Peter; Gnanadesikan, Anand

2015-11-01

The intrusion of warm Circumpolar Deep Water into the ocean cavity between the base of ice shelves and the sea bed in Antarctica causes melting at the ice shelves' basal surface, producing a turbulent melt plume. We conduct a series of laboratory experiments to investigate how the presence of forced convection (turbulent mixing) changes the delivery of heat to the ice-water interface. We also develop a theoretical model for the heat balance of the system that can be used to predict the change in ice thickness with time. In cases of turbulent mixing, the heat balance includes a term for turbulent heat transfer that depends on the friction velocity and an empirical coefficient. We obtain a new value for this coefficient by comparing the modeled ice thickness against measurements from a set of nine experiments covering one order of magnitude of Reynolds numbers. Our results are consistent with the altimetry-inferred melting rate under Antarctic ice shelves and can be used in climate models to predict their disintegration. This work was supported by NSF grant EAR-110371.

Floating ice-algal aggregates below melting arctic sea ice.

PubMed

Assmy, Philipp; Ehn, Jens K; Fernández-Méndez, Mar; Hop, Haakon; Katlein, Christian; Sundfjord, Arild; Bluhm, Katrin; Daase, Malin; Engel, Anja; Fransson, Agneta; Granskog, Mats A; Hudson, Stephen R; Kristiansen, Svein; Nicolaus, Marcel; Peeken, Ilka; Renner, Angelika H H; Spreen, Gunnar; Tatarek, Agnieszka; Wiktor, Jozef

2013-01-01

During two consecutive cruises to the Eastern Central Arctic in late summer 2012, we observed floating algal aggregates in the melt-water layer below and between melting ice floes of first-year pack ice. The macroscopic (1-15 cm in diameter) aggregates had a mucous consistency and were dominated by typical ice-associated pennate diatoms embedded within the mucous matrix. Aggregates maintained buoyancy and accumulated just above a strong pycnocline that separated meltwater and seawater layers. We were able, for the first time, to obtain quantitative abundance and biomass estimates of these aggregates. Although their biomass and production on a square metre basis was small compared to ice-algal blooms, the floating ice-algal aggregates supported high levels of biological activity on the scale of the individual aggregate. In addition they constituted a food source for the ice-associated fauna as revealed by pigments indicative of zooplankton grazing, high abundance of naked ciliates, and ice amphipods associated with them. During the Arctic melt season, these floating aggregates likely play an important ecological role in an otherwise impoverished near-surface sea ice environment. Our findings provide important observations and measurements of a unique aggregate-based habitat during the 2012 record sea ice minimum year.

Floating Ice-Algal Aggregates below Melting Arctic Sea Ice

PubMed Central

Assmy, Philipp; Ehn, Jens K.; Fernández-Méndez, Mar; Hop, Haakon; Katlein, Christian; Sundfjord, Arild; Bluhm, Katrin; Daase, Malin; Engel, Anja; Fransson, Agneta; Granskog, Mats A.; Hudson, Stephen R.; Kristiansen, Svein; Nicolaus, Marcel; Peeken, Ilka; Renner, Angelika H. H.; Spreen, Gunnar; Tatarek, Agnieszka; Wiktor, Jozef

2013-01-01

During two consecutive cruises to the Eastern Central Arctic in late summer 2012, we observed floating algal aggregates in the melt-water layer below and between melting ice floes of first-year pack ice. The macroscopic (1-15 cm in diameter) aggregates had a mucous consistency and were dominated by typical ice-associated pennate diatoms embedded within the mucous matrix. Aggregates maintained buoyancy and accumulated just above a strong pycnocline that separated meltwater and seawater layers. We were able, for the first time, to obtain quantitative abundance and biomass estimates of these aggregates. Although their biomass and production on a square metre basis was small compared to ice-algal blooms, the floating ice-algal aggregates supported high levels of biological activity on the scale of the individual aggregate. In addition they constituted a food source for the ice-associated fauna as revealed by pigments indicative of zooplankton grazing, high abundance of naked ciliates, and ice amphipods associated with them. During the Arctic melt season, these floating aggregates likely play an important ecological role in an otherwise impoverished near-surface sea ice environment. Our findings provide important observations and measurements of a unique aggregate-based habitat during the 2012 record sea ice minimum year. PMID:24204642

How much can Greenland melt? An upper bound on mass loss from the Greenland Ice Sheet through surface melting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, X.; Bassis, J. N.

2015-12-01

With observations showing accelerated mass loss from the Greenland Ice Sheet due to surface melt, the Greenland Ice Sheet is becoming one of the most significant contributors to sea level rise. The contribution of the Greenland Ice Sheet o sea level rise is likely to accelerate in the coming decade and centuries as atmospheric temperatures continue to rise, potentially triggering ever larger surface melt rates. However, at present considerable uncertainty remains in projecting the contribution to sea level of the Greenland Ice Sheet both due to uncertainty in atmospheric forcing and the ice sheet response to climate forcing. Here we seek an upper bound on the contribution of surface melt from the Greenland to sea level rise in the coming century using a surface energy balance model coupled to an englacial model. We use IPCC Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP8.5, RCP6, RCP4.5, RCP2.6) climate scenarios from an ensemble of global climate models in our simulations to project the maximum rate of ice volume loss and related sea-level rise associated with surface melting. To estimate the upper bound, we assume the Greenland Ice Sheet is perpetually covered in thick clouds, which maximize longwave radiation to the ice sheet. We further assume that deposition of black carbon darkens the ice substantially turning it nearly black, substantially reducing its albedo. Although assuming that all melt water not stored in the snow/firn is instantaneously transported off the ice sheet increases mass loss in the short term, refreezing of retained water warms the ice and may lead to more melt in the long term. Hence we examine both assumptions and use the scenario that leads to the most surface melt by 2100. Preliminary models results suggest that under the most aggressive climate forcing, surface melt from the Greenland Ice Sheet contributes ~1 m to sea level by the year 2100. This is a significant contribution and ignores dynamic effects. We also examined a lower bound

Melt-induced speed-up of Greenland ice sheet offset by efficient subglacial drainage.

PubMed

Sundal, Aud Venke; Shepherd, Andrew; Nienow, Peter; Hanna, Edward; Palmer, Steven; Huybrechts, Philippe

2011-01-27

Fluctuations in surface melting are known to affect the speed of glaciers and ice sheets, but their impact on the Greenland ice sheet in a warming climate remains uncertain. Although some studies suggest that greater melting produces greater ice-sheet acceleration, others have identified a long-term decrease in Greenland's flow despite increased melting. Here we use satellite observations of ice motion recorded in a land-terminating sector of southwest Greenland to investigate the manner in which ice flow develops during years of markedly different melting. Although peak rates of ice speed-up are positively correlated with the degree of melting, mean summer flow rates are not, because glacier slowdown occurs, on average, when a critical run-off threshold of about 1.4 centimetres a day is exceeded. In contrast to the first half of summer, when flow is similar in all years, speed-up during the latter half is 62 ± 16 per cent less in warmer years. Consequently, in warmer years, the period of fast ice flow is three times shorter and, overall, summer ice flow is slower. This behaviour is at odds with that expected from basal lubrication alone. Instead, it mirrors that of mountain glaciers, where melt-induced acceleration of flow ceases during years of high melting once subglacial drainage becomes efficient. A model of ice-sheet flow that captures switching between cavity and channel drainage modes is consistent with the run-off threshold, fast-flow periods, and later-summer speeds we have observed. Simulations of the Greenland ice-sheet flow under climate warming scenarios should account for the dynamic evolution of subglacial drainage; a simple model of basal lubrication alone misses key aspects of the ice sheet's response to climate warming.

When ice meets water: Sub-aqueous melt and its relevance in various settings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Truffer, M.; Motyka, R. J.

2014-12-01

The largest glacier changes are primarily observed in settings where ice flows into a proglacial water body. However, the responses to this interaction are not uniform. Rapidly retreating glaciers can occur in close vicinity to advancing ones. Calving styles and glacier morphologies vary greatly as well. Temperate lake-calving glaciers frequently exhibit floating tongues; but this is rarely observed on temperate tidewater glaciers. Calving styles range from mostly sub-aerial calving to full-thickness calving to slow detachment of large ice bergs. In addition to the more obvious mechanical calving, glaciers lose mass at their termini through sub-aqueous melting. Melt rates of submerged ice have been shown to vary over several orders of magnitudes, and can range up to several meters per day. This large range is a consequence of different proglacial water temperatures, and of different modes of water transport. Water convection in proglacial water bodies can be driven by winds and tides, but subglacial water discharge is commonly the strongest and most variable driver. Here we attempt to relate the variability of forcings and melt rates to the various morphologies and calving styles of different water-terminating glaciers. The highest melt rates are observed at low-latitude tidewater glaciers, where ocean water can be warm (7 - 10 deg C) and subglacial discharge high. In such settings, sub-aqueous melt can reach the same magnitude as ice flux delivered to the terminus and it can control ice terminus position. Polar tidewater glaciers, such as those in Greenland, often exhibit floating tongues. Although melt rates are likely much lower, they can have a large effect under a floating tongue because of the much larger exposure of ice to water. Changes in melt rates can therefore affect the stability of such floating tongues. Low melt rates occur at some ice shelves at high latitudes, where the temperature and freshwater forcings are small. This situation can also occur at

A simple model for the evolution of melt pond coverage on permeable Arctic sea ice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Popović, Predrag; Abbot, Dorian

2017-05-01

As the melt season progresses, sea ice in the Arctic often becomes permeable enough to allow for nearly complete drainage of meltwater that has collected on the ice surface. Melt ponds that remain after drainage are hydraulically connected to the ocean and correspond to regions of sea ice whose surface is below sea level. We present a simple model for the evolution of melt pond coverage on such permeable sea ice floes in which we allow for spatially varying ice melt rates and assume the whole floe is in hydrostatic balance. The model is represented by two simple ordinary differential equations, where the rate of change of pond coverage depends on the pond coverage. All the physical parameters of the system are summarized by four strengths that control the relative importance of the terms in the equations. The model both fits observations and allows us to understand the behavior of melt ponds in a way that is often not possible with more complex models. Examples of insights we can gain from the model are that (1) the pond growth rate is more sensitive to changes in bare sea ice albedo than changes in pond albedo, (2) ponds grow slower on smoother ice, and (3) ponds respond strongest to freeboard sinking on first-year ice and sidewall melting on multiyear ice. We also show that under a global warming scenario, pond coverage would increase, decreasing the overall ice albedo and leading to ice thinning that is likely comparable to thinning due to direct forcing. Since melt pond coverage is one of the key parameters controlling the albedo of sea ice, understanding the mechanisms that control the distribution of pond coverage will help improve large-scale model parameterizations and sea ice forecasts in a warming climate.

Multiscale Models of Melting Arctic Sea Ice

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-30

September 29, 2013 LONG-TERM GOALS Sea ice reflectance or albedo , a key parameter in climate modeling, is primarily determined by melt pond...and ice floe configurations. Ice - albedo feedback has played a major role in the recent declines of the summer Arctic sea ice pack. However...understanding the evolution of melt ponds and sea ice albedo remains a significant challenge to improving climate models. Our research is focused on

Pressure melting and ice skating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colbeck, S. C.

1995-10-01

Pressure melting cannot be responsible for the low friction of ice. The pressure needed to reach the melting temperature is above the compressive failure stress and, if it did occur, high squeeze losses would result in very thin films. Pure liquid water cannot coexist with ice much below -20 °C at any pressure and friction does not increase suddenly in that range. If frictional heating and pressure melting contribute equally, the length of the wetted contact could not exceed 15 μm at a speed of 5 m/s, which seems much too short. If pressure melting is the dominant process, the water films are less than 0.08 μm thick because of the high pressures.

Estimating spring terminus submarine melt rates at a Greenlandic tidewater glacier using satellite imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moyer, Alexis N.; Nienow, Peter W.; Gourmelen, Noel; Sole, Andrew J.; Slater, Donald A.

2017-12-01

Oceanic forcing of the Greenland Ice Sheet is believed to promote widespread thinning at tidewater glaciers, with submarine melting proposed as a potential trigger of increased glacier calving, retreat, and subsequent acceleration. The precise mechanism(s) driving glacier instability, however, remain poorly understood, and while increasing evidence points to the importance of submarine melting, estimates of melt rates are uncertain. Here we estimate submarine melt rate by examining freeboard changes in the seasonal ice tongue of Kangiata Nunaata Sermia at the head of Kangersuneq Fjord, southwest Greenland. We calculate melt rates for March and May 2013 by differencing along-fjord surface elevation, derived from high-resolution TanDEM-X digital elevation models, in combination with ice velocities derived from offset tracking applied to TerraSAR-X imagery. Estimated steady state melt rates reach up to 1.4 ± 0.5 m d^-1 near the glacier grounding line, with mean values of up to 0.8 ± 0.3 and 0.7 ± 0.3 m d^1 for the eastern and western parts of the ice tongue, respectively. Melt rates decrease with distance from the ice front and vary across the fjord. This methodology reveals spatio-temporal variations in submarine melt rates at tidewater glaciers which develop floating termini, and can be used to improve our understanding of ice-ocean interactions and submarine melting in glacial fjords.

Multi-Decadal Averages of Basal Melt for Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica Using Airborne Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Das, I.; Bell, R. E.; Tinto, K. J.; Frearson, N.; Kingslake, J.; Padman, L.; Siddoway, C. S.; Fricker, H. A.

2017-12-01

Changes in ice shelf mass balance are key to the long term stability of the Antarctic Ice Sheet. Although the most extensive ice shelf mass loss currently is occurring in the Amundsen Sea sector of West Antarctica, many other ice shelves experience changes in thickness on time scales from annual to ice age cycles. Here, we focus on the Ross Ice Shelf. An 18-year record (1994-2012) of satellite radar altimetry shows substantial variability in Ross Ice Shelf height on interannual time scales, complicating detection of potential long-term climate-change signals in the mass budget of this ice shelf. Variability of radar signal penetration into the ice-shelf surface snow and firn layers further complicates assessment of mass changes. We investigate Ross Ice Shelf mass balance using aerogeophysical data from the ROSETTA-Ice surveys using IcePod. We use two ice-penetrating radars; a 2 GHz unit that images fine-structure in the upper 400 m of the ice surface and a 360 MHz radar to identify the ice shelf base. We have identified internal layers that are continuous along flow from the grounding line to the ice shelf front. Based on layer continuity, we conclude that these layers must be the horizons between the continental ice of the outlet glaciers and snow accumulation once the ice is afloat. We use the Lagrangian change in thickness of these layers, after correcting for strain rates derived using modern day InSAR velocities, to estimate multidecadal averaged basal melt rates. This method provides a novel way to quantify basal melt, avoiding the confounding impacts of spatial and short-timescale variability in surface accumulation and firn densification processes. Our estimates show elevated basal melt rates (> -1m/yr) around Byrd and Mullock glaciers within 100 km from the ice shelf front. We also compare modern InSAR velocity derived strain rates with estimates from the comprehensive ground-based RIGGS observations during 1973-1978 to estimate the potential magnitude of

Rapid bottom melting widespread near Antarctic ice sheet grounding lines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rignot, E.; Jacobs, S.

2002-01-01

As continental ice from Antartica reaches the grounding line and begins to float, its underside melts into the ocean. Results obtained with satellite radar interferometry reveal that bottom melt rates experienced by large outlet glaciers near their grounding lines are far higher than generally assumed.

Coupled ice sheet-ocean modelling to investigate ocean driven melting of marine ice sheets in Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jong, Lenneke; Gladstone, Rupert; Galton-Fenzi, Ben

2017-04-01

Ocean induced melting below the ice shelves of marine ice sheets is a major source of uncertainty for predictions of ice mass loss and Antarctica's resultant contribution to future sea level rise. The floating ice shelves provide a buttressing force against the flow of ice across the grounding line into the ocean. Thinning of these ice shelves due to an increase in melting reduces this force and can lead to an increase in the discharge of grounded ice. Fully coupled modelling of ice sheet-ocean interactions is key to improving understanding the influence of the Southern ocean on the evolution of the Antarctic ice sheet, and to predicting its future behaviour under changing climate conditions. Coupling of ocean and ice sheet models is needed to provide more realistic melt rates at the base of ice shelves and hence make better predictions of the behaviour of the grounding line and the shape of the ice-shelf cavity as the ice sheet evolves. The Framework for Ice Sheet - Ocean Coupling (FISOC) has been developed to provide a flexible platform for performing coupled ice sheet - ocean modelling experiments. We present preliminary results using FISOC to couple the Regional Ocean Modelling System (ROMS) with Elmer/Ice in idealised experiments Marine Ice Sheet-Ocean Model Intercomparison Project (MISOMIP). These experiments use an idealised geometry motivated by that of Pine Island glacier and the adjacent Amundsen Sea in West Antarctica, a region which has shown shown signs of thinning ice and grounding line retreat.

The anomalously high melting temperature of bilayer ice.

PubMed

Kastelowitz, Noah; Johnston, Jessica C; Molinero, Valeria

2010-03-28

Confinement of water usually depresses its melting temperature. Here we use molecular dynamics simulations to determine the liquid-crystal equilibrium temperature for water confined between parallel hydrophobic or mildly hydrophilic plates as a function of the distance between the surfaces. We find that bilayer ice, an ice polymorph in which the local environment of each water molecule strongly departs from the most stable tetrahedral structure, has the highest melting temperature (T(m)) of the series of l-layer ices. The melting temperature of bilayer ice is not only unusually high compared to the other confined ices, but also above the melting point of bulk hexagonal ice. Recent force microscopy experiments of water confined between graphite and a tungsten tip reveal the formation of ice at room temperature [K. B. Jinesh and J. W. M. Frenken, Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 036101 (2008)]. Our results suggest that bilayer ice, for which we compute a T(m) as high as 310 K in hydrophobic confinement, is the crystal formed in those experiments.

NASA Science Flights Target Melting Arctic Sea Ice

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

This summer, with sea ice across the Arctic Ocean shrinking to below-average levels, a NASA airborne survey of polar ice just completed its first flights. Its target: aquamarine pools of melt water on the ice surface that may be accelerating the overall sea ice retreat. NASA’s Operation IceBridge completed the first research flight of its new 2016 Arctic summer campaign on July 13. The science flights, which continue through July 25, are collecting data on sea ice in a year following a record-warm winter in the Arctic. Read more: go.nasa.gov/29T6mxc Caption: A large pool of melt water over sea ice, as seen from an Operation IceBridge flight over the Beaufort Sea on July 14, 2016. During this summer campaign, IceBridge will map the extent, frequency and depth of melt ponds like these to help scientists forecast the Arctic sea ice yearly minimum extent in September. Credit: NASA/Operation IceBridge

The refreezing of melt ponds on Arctic sea ice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flocco, Daniela; Feltham, Daniel L.; Bailey, Eleanor; Schroeder, David

2015-02-01

The presence of melt ponds on the surface of Arctic sea ice significantly reduces its albedo, inducing a positive feedback leading to sea ice thinning. While the role of melt ponds in enhancing the summer melt of sea ice is well known, their impact on suppressing winter freezing of sea ice has, hitherto, received less attention. Melt ponds freeze by forming an ice lid at the upper surface, which insulates them from the atmosphere and traps pond water between the underlying sea ice and the ice lid. The pond water is a store of latent heat, which is released during refreezing. Until a pond freezes completely, there can be minimal ice growth at the base of the underlying sea ice. In this work, we present a model of the refreezing of a melt pond that includes the heat and salt balances in the ice lid, trapped pond, and underlying sea ice. The model uses a two-stream radiation model to account for radiative scattering at phase boundaries. Simulations and related sensitivity studies suggest that trapped pond water may survive for over a month. We focus on the role that pond salinity has on delaying the refreezing process and retarding basal sea ice growth. We estimate that for a typical sea ice pond coverage in autumn, excluding the impact of trapped ponds in models overestimates ice growth by up to 265 million km3, an overestimate of 26%.

Regional variability in sea ice melt in a changing Arctic

PubMed Central

Perovich, Donald K.; Richter-Menge, Jacqueline A.

2015-01-01

In recent years, the Arctic sea ice cover has undergone a precipitous decline in summer extent. The sea ice mass balance integrates heat and provides insight on atmospheric and oceanic forcing. The amount of surface melt and bottom melt that occurs during the summer melt season was measured at 41 sites over the time period 1957 to 2014. There are large regional and temporal variations in both surface and bottom melting. Combined surface and bottom melt ranged from 16 to 294 cm, with a mean of 101 cm. The mean ice equivalent surface melt was 48 cm and the mean bottom melt was 53 cm. On average, surface melting decreases moving northward from the Beaufort Sea towards the North Pole; however interannual differences in atmospheric forcing can overwhelm the influence of latitude. Substantial increases in bottom melting are a major contributor to ice losses in the Beaufort Sea, due to decreases in ice concentration. In the central Arctic, surface and bottom melting demonstrate interannual variability, but show no strong temporal trends from 2000 to 2014. This suggests that under current conditions, summer melting in the central Arctic is not large enough to completely remove the sea ice cover. PMID:26032323

Regional variability in sea ice melt in a changing Arctic.

PubMed

Perovich, Donald K; Richter-Menge, Jacqueline A

2015-07-13

In recent years, the Arctic sea ice cover has undergone a precipitous decline in summer extent. The sea ice mass balance integrates heat and provides insight on atmospheric and oceanic forcing. The amount of surface melt and bottom melt that occurs during the summer melt season was measured at 41 sites over the time period 1957 to 2014. There are large regional and temporal variations in both surface and bottom melting. Combined surface and bottom melt ranged from 16 to 294 cm, with a mean of 101 cm. The mean ice equivalent surface melt was 48 cm and the mean bottom melt was 53 cm. On average, surface melting decreases moving northward from the Beaufort Sea towards the North Pole; however interannual differences in atmospheric forcing can overwhelm the influence of latitude. Substantial increases in bottom melting are a major contributor to ice losses in the Beaufort Sea, due to decreases in ice concentration. In the central Arctic, surface and bottom melting demonstrate interannual variability, but show no strong temporal trends from 2000 to 2014. This suggests that under current conditions, summer melting in the central Arctic is not large enough to completely remove the sea ice cover. © 2015 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

Effects of ice shelf basal melt variability on evolution of Thwaites Glacier

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoffman, M. J.; Fyke, J. G.; Price, S. F.; Asay-Davis, X.; Perego, M.

2017-12-01

Theory, modeling, and observations indicate that marine ice sheets on a retrograde bed, including Thwaites Glacier, Antarctica, are only conditionally stable. Previous modeling studies have shown that rapid, unstable retreat can occur when steady ice-shelf basal melting causes the grounding line to retreat past restraining bedrock bumps. Here we explore the initiation and evolution of unstable retreat of Thwaites Glacier when the ice-shelf basal melt forcing includes temporal variability mimicking realistic climate variability. We use the three-dimensional, higher-order Model for Prediction Across Scales-Land Ice (MPASLI) model forced with an ice shelf basal melt parameterization derived from previous coupled ice sheet/ocean simulations. We add sinusoidal temporal variability to the melt parameterization that represents shoaling and deepening of Circumpolar Deep Water. We perform an ensemble of 250 year duration simulations with different values for the amplitude, period, and phase of the variability. Preliminary results suggest that, overall, variability leads to slower grounding line retreat and less mass loss than steady simulations. Short period (2 yr) variability leads to similar results as steady forcing, whereas decadal variability can result in up to one-third less mass loss. Differences in phase lead to a large range in mass loss/grounding line retreat, but it is always less than the steady forcing. The timing of ungrounding from each restraining bedrock bump, which is strongly affected by the melt variability, is the rate limiting factor, and variability-driven delays in ungrounding at each bump accumulate. Grounding line retreat in the regions between bedrock bumps is relatively unaffected by ice shelf melt variability. While the results are sensitive to the form of the melt parameterization and its variability, we conclude that decadal period ice shelf melt variability could potentially delay marine ice sheet instability by up to many decades. However

Marine ice sheet model performance depends on basal sliding physics and sub-shelf melting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gladstone, Rupert Michael; Warner, Roland Charles; Galton-Fenzi, Benjamin Keith; Gagliardini, Olivier; Zwinger, Thomas; Greve, Ralf

2017-01-01

Computer models are necessary for understanding and predicting marine ice sheet behaviour. However, there is uncertainty over implementation of physical processes at the ice base, both for grounded and floating glacial ice. Here we implement several sliding relations in a marine ice sheet flow-line model accounting for all stress components and demonstrate that model resolution requirements are strongly dependent on both the choice of basal sliding relation and the spatial distribution of ice shelf basal melting.Sliding relations that reduce the magnitude of the step change in basal drag from grounded ice to floating ice (where basal drag is set to zero) show reduced dependence on resolution compared to a commonly used relation, in which basal drag is purely a power law function of basal ice velocity. Sliding relations in which basal drag goes smoothly to zero as the grounding line is approached from inland (due to a physically motivated incorporation of effective pressure at the bed) provide further reduction in resolution dependence.A similar issue is found with the imposition of basal melt under the floating part of the ice shelf: melt parameterisations that reduce the abruptness of change in basal melting from grounded ice (where basal melt is set to zero) to floating ice provide improved convergence with resolution compared to parameterisations in which high melt occurs adjacent to the grounding line.Thus physical processes, such as sub-glacial outflow (which could cause high melt near the grounding line), impact on capability to simulate marine ice sheets. If there exists an abrupt change across the grounding line in either basal drag or basal melting, then high resolution will be required to solve the problem. However, the plausible combination of a physical dependency of basal drag on effective pressure, and the possibility of low ice shelf basal melt rates next to the grounding line, may mean that some marine ice sheet systems can be reliably simulated at

Channelized bottom melting and stability of floating ice shelves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rignot, E.; Steffen, K.

2008-01-01

The floating ice shelf in front of Petermann Glacier, in northwest Greenland, experiences massive bottom melting that removes 80% of its ice before calving into the Arctic Ocean. Detailed surveys of the ice shelf reveal the presence of 1-2 km wide, 200-400 m deep, sub-ice shelf channels, aligned with the flow direction and spaced by 5 km. We attribute their formation to the bottom melting of ice from warm ocean waters underneath. Drilling at the center of one of channel, only 8 m above sea level, confirms the presence of ice-shelf melt water in the channel. These deep incisions in ice-shelf thickness imply a vulnerability to mechanical break up and climate warming of ice shelves that has not been considered previously.

Monitoring Antarctic ice sheet surface melting with TIMESAT algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Y.; Cheng, X.; Li, X.; Liang, L.

2011-12-01

Antarctic ice sheet contributes significantly to the global heat budget by controlling the exchange of heat, moisture, and momentum at the surface-atmosphere interface, which directly influence the global atmospheric circulation and climate change. Ice sheet melting will cause snow humidity increase, which will accelerate the disintegration and movement of ice sheet. As a result, detecting Antarctic ice sheet melting is essential for global climate change research. In the past decades, various methods have been proposed for extracting snowmelt information from multi-channel satellite passive microwave data. Some methods are based on brightness temperature values or a composite index of them, and others are based on edge detection. TIMESAT (Time-series of Satellite sensor data) is an algorithm for extracting seasonality information from time-series of satellite sensor data. With TIMESAT long-time series brightness temperature (SSM/I 19H) is simulated by Double Logistic function. Snow is classified to wet and dry snow with generalized Gaussian model. The results were compared with those from a wavelet algorithm. On this basis, Antarctic automatic weather station data were used for ground verification. It shows that this algorithm is effective in ice sheet melting detection. The spatial distribution of melting areas(Fig.1) shows that, the majority of melting areas are located on the edge of Antarctic ice shelf region. It is affected by land cover type, surface elevation and geographic location (latitude). In addition, the Antarctic ice sheet melting varies with seasons. It is particularly acute in summer, peaking at December and January, staying low in March. In summary, from 1988 to 2008, Ross Ice Shelf and Ronnie Ice Shelf have the greatest interannual variability in amount of melting, which largely determines the overall interannual variability in Antarctica. Other regions, especially Larsen Ice Shelf and Wilkins Ice Shelf, which is in the Antarctic Peninsula

Massive subsurface ice formed by refreezing of ice-shelf melt ponds

PubMed Central

Hubbard, Bryn; Luckman, Adrian; Ashmore, David W.; Bevan, Suzanne; Kulessa, Bernd; Kuipers Munneke, Peter; Philippe, Morgane; Jansen, Daniela; Booth, Adam; Sevestre, Heidi; Tison, Jean-Louis; O'Leary, Martin; Rutt, Ian

2016-01-01

Surface melt ponds form intermittently on several Antarctic ice shelves. Although implicated in ice-shelf break up, the consequences of such ponding for ice formation and ice-shelf structure have not been evaluated. Here we report the discovery of a massive subsurface ice layer, at least 16 km across, several kilometres long and tens of metres deep, located in an area of intense melting and intermittent ponding on Larsen C Ice Shelf, Antarctica. We combine borehole optical televiewer logging and radar measurements with remote sensing and firn modelling to investigate the layer, found to be ∼10 °C warmer and ∼170 kg m−3 denser than anticipated in the absence of ponding and hitherto used in models of ice-shelf fracture and flow. Surface ponding and ice layers such as the one we report are likely to form on a wider range of Antarctic ice shelves in response to climatic warming in forthcoming decades. PMID:27283778

Pressure-Induced Melting of Confined Ice.

PubMed

Sotthewes, Kai; Bampoulis, Pantelis; Zandvliet, Harold J W; Lohse, Detlef; Poelsema, Bene

2017-12-26

The classic regelation experiment of Thomson in the 1850s deals with cutting an ice cube, followed by refreezing. The cutting was attributed to pressure-induced melting but has been challenged continuously, and only lately consensus emerged by understanding that compression shortens the O:H nonbond and lengthens the H-O bond simultaneously. This H-O elongation leads to energy loss and lowers the melting point. The hot debate survived well over 150 years, mainly due to a poorly defined heat exchange with the environment in the experiment. In our current experiment, we achieved thermal isolation from the environment and studied the fully reversible ice-liquid water transition for water confined between graphene and muscovite mica. We observe a transition from two-dimensional (2D) ice into a quasi-liquid phase by applying a pressure exerted by an atomic force microscopy tip. At room temperature, the critical pressure amounts to about 6 GPa. The transition is completely reversible: refreezing occurs when the applied pressure is lifted. The critical pressure to melt the 2D ice decreases with temperature, and we measured the phase coexistence line between 293 and 333 K. From a Clausius-Clapeyron analysis, we determine the latent heat of fusion of two-dimensional ice at 0.15 eV/molecule, being twice as large as that of bulk ice.

Ice core evidence for extensive melting of the greenland ice sheet in the last interglacial.

PubMed

Koerner, R M

1989-05-26

Evidence from ice at the bottom of ice cores from the Canadian Arctic Islands and Camp Century and Dye-3 in Greenland suggests that the Greenland ice sheet melted extensively or completely during the last interglacial period more than 100 ka (thousand years ago), in contrast to earlier interpretations. The presence of dirt particles in the basal ice has previously been thought to indicate that the base of the ice sheets had melted and that the evidence for the time of original growth of these ice masses had been destroyed. However, the particles most likely blew onto the ice when the dimensions of the ice caps and ice sheets were much smaller. Ice texture, gas content, and other evidence also suggest that the basal ice at each drill site is superimposed ice, a type of ice typical of the early growth stages of an ice cap or ice sheet. If the present-day ice masses began their growth during the last interglacial, the ice sheet from the earlier (Illinoian) glacial period must have competely or largely melted during the early part of the same interglacial period. If such melting did occur, the 6-meter higher-than-present sea level during the Sangamon cannot be attributed to disintegration of the West Antarctic ice sheet, as has been suggested.

Climate Variability, Melt-Flow Acceleration, and Ice Quakes at the Western Slope of the Greenland Ice Sheet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steffen, K.; Zwally, J. H.; Rial, J. A.; Behar, A.; Huff, R.

2006-12-01

The Greenland ice sheet experienced surface melt increase over the past 15 years with record melt years in 1987, 1991, 1998, 2002 and 2005. For the western part of the ice sheet the melt area increased by 30 percent (1979-2005). Monthly mean air temperatures increased in spring and fall by 0.23 deg. C per year since 1990, extending the length of melt and total ablation. Winter air temperatures increased by as much as 0.5 deg. C per year during the past 15 years. The equilibrium line altitude ranged between 400 and 1530 m above sea level at 70 deg. north along the western slope of the ice sheet for the past 15 years, equaling a horizontal distance of 100 km. The ELA has been below the Swiss Camp (1100 m elevation) in the nineties, and since 1997 moved above the Swiss Camp height. An increase in ELA leads to an increase in melt water run-off which has been verified by regional model studies (high-resolution re-analysis). Interannual variability of snow accumulation varies from 0.3 to 2.0 m, whereas snow and ice ablation ranges from 0 to 1.5 m water equivalent at Swiss Camp during 1990-2005. A GPS network (10 stations) monitors ice velocity, acceleration, and surface height change at high temporal resolution throughout the year. The network covers a range of 500 and 1500 m above sea level, close to the Ilulissat Icefjord World Heritage region. The ice sheet continued to accelerate during the height of the melt season with short-term velocity increases up to 100 percent, and vertical uplift rates of 0.5 m. There seems to be a good correlation between the change in ice velocity and total surface melt, suggesting that melt water penetrates to great depth through moulins and cracks, lubricating the bottom of the ice sheet. A new bore-hole video movie will be shown from a 110 m deep moulin close to Swiss Camp. A PASSCAL array of 10 portable, 3-component seismic stations deployed around Swiss Camp from May to August 2006 detected numerous microearthquakes within the ice

Effects of Emulsifier, Overrun and Dasher Speed on Ice Cream Microstructure and Melting Properties.

PubMed

Warren, Maya M; Hartel, Richard W

2018-03-01

Ice cream is a multiphase frozen food containing ice crystals, air cells, fat globules, and partially coalesced fat globule clusters dispersed in an unfrozen serum phase (sugars, proteins, and stabilizers). This microstructure is responsible for ice cream's melting characteristics. By varying both formulation (emulsifier content and overrun) and processing conditions (dasher speed), the effects of different microstructural elements, particularly air cells and fat globule clusters, on ice cream melt-down properties were studied. Factors that caused an increase in shear stress within the freezer, namely increasing dasher speed and overrun, caused a decrease in air cell size and an increase in extent of fat destabilization. Increasing emulsifier content, especially of polysorbate 80, caused an increase in extent of fat destabilization. Both overrun and fat destabilization influenced drip-through rates. Ice creams with a combination of low overrun and low fat destabilization had the highest drip-through rates. Further, the amount of remnant foam left on the screen increased with reduced drip-through rates. These results provide a better understanding of the effects of microstructure components and their interactions on drip-through rate. Manipulating operating and formulation parameters in ice cream manufacture influences the microstructure (air cells, ice crystals, and fat globule clusters). This work provides guidance on which parameters have most effect on air cell size and fat globule cluster formation. Further, the structural characteristics that reduce melt-down rate were determined. Ice cream manufacturers will use these results to tailor their products for the desired quality attributes. © 2018 Institute of Food Technologists®.

Melting dynamics of ice in the mesoscopic regime

PubMed Central

Citroni, Margherita; Fanetti, Samuele; Falsini, Naomi; Foggi, Paolo; Bini, Roberto

2017-01-01

How does a crystal melt? How long does it take for melt nuclei to grow? The melting mechanisms have been addressed by several theoretical and experimental works, covering a subnanosecond time window with sample sizes of tens of nanometers and thus suitable to determine the onset of the process but unable to unveil the following dynamics. On the other hand, macroscopic observations of phase transitions, with millisecond or longer time resolution, account for processes occurring at surfaces and time limited by thermal contact with the environment. Here, we fill the gap between these two extremes, investigating the melting of ice in the entire mesoscopic regime. A bulk ice Ih or ice VI sample is homogeneously heated by a picosecond infrared pulse, which delivers all of the energy necessary for complete melting. The evolution of melt/ice interfaces thereafter is monitored by Mie scattering with nanosecond resolution, for all of the time needed for the sample to reequilibrate. The growth of the liquid domains, over distances of micrometers, takes hundreds of nanoseconds, a time orders of magnitude larger than expected from simple H-bond dynamics. PMID:28536197

Perception of melting and flavor release of ice cream containing different types and contents of fat.

PubMed

Hyvönen, L; Linna, M; Tuorila, H; Dijksterhuis, G

2003-04-01

Temporal effects of dairy and vegetable fats (0 to 18%) on perception of strawberry flavor release and melting of ice cream were studied using the time intensity sensory method. Also, aroma and flavor attributes of the ice cream samples were evaluated. Only slight effects of fat on the rate of flavor release and flavor intensity were perceived. A slightly faster flavor release from the vegetable fat compared with dairy fat was noticed. Polydextrose and maltodextrin as bodying agents in the fat-free ice cream significantly increased flavor release and melting rate of the ice cream. Increasing fat content slightly retarded melting of ice cream in the mouth. No significant effect of the fat quality on perceived melting was noticed. Significant differences in aroma and flavor attributes of the fat-free and other samples were perceived. Intensity and sharpness of the strawberry aroma and flavor were greater in fat-free samples and they were perceived as nontypical. Fattiness and creaminess were highly correlated. Maltodextrin and polydextrose increased perceived fattiness and creaminess of fat-free ice cream.

Impact of aerosol intrusions on sea-ice melting rates and the structure Arctic boundary layer clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cotton, W.; Carrio, G.; Jiang, H.

2003-04-01

The Los Alamos National Laboratory sea-ice model (LANL CICE) was implemented into the real-time and research versions of the Colorado State University-Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS@CSU). The original version of CICE was modified in its structure to allow module communication in an interactive multigrid framework. In addition, some improvements have been made in the routines involved in the coupling, among them, the inclusion of iterative methods that consider variable roughness lengths for snow-covered ice thickness categories. This version of the model also includes more complex microphysics that considers the nucleation of cloud droplets, allowing the prediction of mixing ratios and number concentrations for all condensed water species. The real-time version of RAMS@CSU automatically processes the NASA Team SSMI F13 25km sea-ice coverage data; the data are objectively analyzed and mapped to the model grid configuration. We performed two types of cloud resolving simulations to assess the impact of the entrainment of aerosols from above the inversion on Arctic boundary layer clouds. The first series of numerical experiments corresponds to a case observed on May 4 1998 during the FIRE-ACE/SHEBA field experiment. Results indicate a significant impact on the microstructure of the simulated clouds. When assuming polluted initial profiles above the inversion, the liquid water fraction of the cloud monotonically decreases, the total condensate paths increases and downward IR tends to increase due to a significant increase in the ice water path. The second set of cloud resolving simulations focused on the evaluation of the potential effect of aerosol concentration above the inversion on melting rates during spring-summer period. For these multi-month simulations, the IFN and CCN profiles were also initialized assuming the 4 May profiles as benchmarks. Results suggest that increasing the aerosol concentrations above the boundary layer increases sea-ice melting

The extreme melt across the Greenland ice sheet in 2012

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nghiem, S. V.; Hall, D. K.; Mote, T. L.; Tedesco, M.; Albert, M. R.; Keegan, K.; Shuman, C. A.; DiGirolamo, N. E.; Neumann, G.

2012-10-01

The discovery of the 2012 extreme melt event across almost the entire surface of the Greenland ice sheet is presented. Data from three different satellite sensors - including the Oceansat-2 scatterometer, the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, and the Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounder - are combined to obtain composite melt maps, representing the most complete melt conditions detectable across the ice sheet. Satellite observations reveal that melt occurred at or near the surface of the Greenland ice sheet across 98.6% of its entire extent on 12 July 2012, including the usually cold polar areas at high altitudes like Summit in the dry snow facies of the ice sheet. This melt event coincided with an anomalous ridge of warm air that became stagnant over Greenland. As seen in melt occurrences from multiple ice core records at Summit reported in the published literature, such a melt event is rare with the last significant one occurring in 1889 and the next previous one around seven centuries earlier in the Medieval Warm Period. Given its rarity, the 2012 extreme melt across Greenland provides an exceptional opportunity for new studies in broad interdisciplinary geophysical research.

Pressure-Induced Melting of Confined Ice

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

The classic regelation experiment of Thomson in the 1850s deals with cutting an ice cube, followed by refreezing. The cutting was attributed to pressure-induced melting but has been challenged continuously, and only lately consensus emerged by understanding that compression shortens the O:H nonbond and lengthens the H–O bond simultaneously. This H–O elongation leads to energy loss and lowers the melting point. The hot debate survived well over 150 years, mainly due to a poorly defined heat exchange with the environment in the experiment. In our current experiment, we achieved thermal isolation from the environment and studied the fully reversible ice–liquid water transition for water confined between graphene and muscovite mica. We observe a transition from two-dimensional (2D) ice into a quasi-liquid phase by applying a pressure exerted by an atomic force microscopy tip. At room temperature, the critical pressure amounts to about 6 GPa. The transition is completely reversible: refreezing occurs when the applied pressure is lifted. The critical pressure to melt the 2D ice decreases with temperature, and we measured the phase coexistence line between 293 and 333 K. From a Clausius–Clapeyron analysis, we determine the latent heat of fusion of two-dimensional ice at 0.15 eV/molecule, being twice as large as that of bulk ice. PMID:29112376

Melting ice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benedetto, Elmo

2018-01-01

In this brief frontline, we want to describe the well-known fact that, when freshwater ice melts, the freshwater liquid level does not change. In the Italian Ministerial programs, fluid statics is introduced in the three years of middle school (students of 11-13 years) and during the first two years of high school (14-15 years). The Italian textbooks do not clearly explain why the abovementioned phenomenon occurs. The explanations are qualitative and they may lead to misinterpretation. I have noted that the students are very curious about this phenomenon. They sought a demonstration from books and from the web; and when they do not find it they asked me. Moreover, they have allowed me to observe that there are contradictory statements about the melting of icebergs. Some authors claim that they would not raise the sea-level, others say the opposite. Honestly speaking, I had never thought about this phenomenon and in classroom I tried to give them proof, expressing my opinion about the melting of icebergs.

A Mathematical Model of Melt Lake Development on an Ice Shelf

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buzzard, S. C.; Feltham, D. L.; Flocco, D.

2018-02-01

The accumulation of surface meltwater on ice shelves can lead to the formation of melt lakes. Melt lakes have been implicated in ice shelf collapse; Antarctica's Larsen B Ice Shelf was observed to have a large amount of surface melt lakes present preceding its collapse in 2002. Such collapse can affect ocean circulation and temperature, cause habitat loss and contribute to sea level rise through the acceleration of tributary glaciers. We present a mathematical model of a surface melt lake on an idealized ice shelf. The model incorporates a calculation of the ice shelf surface energy balance, heat transfer through the firn, the production and percolation of meltwater into the firn, the formation of ice lenses, and the development and refreezing of surface melt lakes. The model is applied to the Larsen C Ice Shelf, where melt lakes have been observed. This region has warmed several times the global average over the last century and the Larsen C firn layer could become saturated with meltwater by the end of the century. When forced with weather station data, our model produces surface melting, meltwater accumulation, and melt lake development consistent with observations. We examine the sensitivity of lake formation to uncertain parameters and provide evidence of the importance of processes such as lateral meltwater transport. We conclude that melt lakes impact surface melt and firn density and warrant inclusion in dynamic-thermodynamic models of ice shelf evolution within climate models, of which our model could form the basis for the thermodynamic component.

Local ice melting by an antifreeze protein.

PubMed

Calvaresi, Matteo; Höfinger, Siegfried; Zerbetto, Francesco

2012-07-09

Antifreeze proteins, AFP, impede freezing of bodily fluids and damaging of cellular tissues by low temperatures. Adsorption-inhibition mechanisms have been developed to explain their functioning. Using in silico Molecular Dynamics, we show that type I AFP can also induce melting of the local ice surface. Simulations of antifreeze-positive and antifreeze-negative mutants show a clear correlation between melting induction and antifreeze activity. The presence of local melting adds a function to type I AFPs that is unique to these proteins. It may also explain some apparently conflicting experimental results where binding to ice appears both quasipermanent and reversible.

Observational Evidence for Enhanced Greenhouse Effect Reinforcing Wintertime Arctic Amplification and Sea Ice Melting Onset

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Y.; Liang, S.

2017-12-01

Despite an apparent hiatus in global warming, the Arctic climate continues to experience unprecedented changes. Summer sea ice is retreating at an accelerated rate, and surface temperatures in this region are rising at a rate double that of the global average, a phenomenon known as Arctic amplification. Although a lot of efforts have been made, the causes this unprecedented phenomenon remain unclear and are subjects of considerable debate. In this study, we report strong observational evidence, for the first time from long-term (1984-2014) spatially complete satellite records, that increased cloudiness and atmospheric water vapor in winter and spring have caused an extraordinary downward longwave radiative flux to the ice surface, which may then amplify the Arctic wintertime ice-surface warming. In addition, we also provide observed evidence that it is quite likely the enhancement of the wintertime greenhouse effect caused by water vapor and cloudiness has advanced the time of onset of ice melting in mid-May through inhibiting sea-ice refreezing in the winter and accelerating the pre-melting process in the spring, and in turn triggered the positive sea-ice albedo feedback process and accelerated the sea ice melting in the summer.

Water freezing and ice melting

DOE PAGES

Malolepsza, Edyta; Keyes, Tom

2015-10-12

The generalized replica exchange method (gREM) is designed to sample states with coexisting phases and thereby to describe strong first order phase transitions. The isobaric MD version of the gREM is presented and applied to freezing of liquid water, and melting of hexagonal and cubic ice. It is confirmed that coexisting states are well sampled. The statistical temperature as a function of enthalpy, T S(H), is obtained. Hysteresis between freezing and melting is observed and discussed. The entropic analysis of phase transitions is applied and equilibrium transition temperatures, latent heats, and surface tensions are obtained for hexagonal ice↔liquid and cubicmore » ice↔liquid, with excellent agreement with published values. A new method is given to assign water molecules among various symmetry types. As a result, pathways for water freezing, ultimately leading to hexagonal ice, are found to contain intermediate layered structures built from hexagonal and cubic ice.« less

Greenland Ice Sheet Surface Temperature, Melt, and Mass Loss: 2000-2006

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, Dorothy K.; Williams, Richard S., Jr.; Luthcke, Scott B.; DiGirolamo, Nocolo

2007-01-01

Extensive melt on the Greenland Ice Sheet has been documented by a variety of ground and satellite measurements in recent years. If the well-documented warming continues in the Arctic, melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet will likely accelerate, contributing to sea-level rise. Modeling studies indicate that an annual or summer temperature rise of 1 C on the ice sheet will increase melt by 20-50% therefore, surface temperature is one of the most important ice-sheet parameters to study for analysis of changes in the mass balance of the ice-sheet. The Greenland Ice Sheet contains enough water to produce a rise in eustatic sea level of up to 7.0 m if the ice were to melt completely. However, even small changes (centimeters) in sea level would cause important economic and societal consequences in the world's major coastal cities thus it is extremely important to monitor changes in the ice-sheet surface temperature and to ultimately quantify these changes in terms of amount of sea-level rise. We have compiled a high-resolution, daily time series of surface temperature of the Greenland Ice Sheet, using the I-km resolution, clear-sky land-surface temperature (LST) standard product from the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), from 2000 - 2006. We also use Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) data, averaged over 10-day periods, to measure change in mass of the ice sheet as it melt and snow accumulates. Surface temperature can be used to determine frequency of surface melt, timing of the start and the end of the melt season, and duration of melt. In conjunction with GRACE data, it can also be used to analyze timing of ice-sheet mass loss and gain.

Warming Seas and Melting Ice Sheets

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

Sea level rise is a natural consequence of the warming of our planet. We know this from basic physics. When water heats up, it expands. So when the ocean warms, sea level rises. When ice is exposed to heat, it melts. And when ice on land melts and water runs into the ocean, sea level rises. For thousands of years, sea level has remained relatively stable and human communities have settled along the planet’s coastlines. But now Earth’s seas are rising. Globally, sea level has risen about eight inches since the beginning of the 20th century and more than two inches in the last 20 years alone. All signs suggest that this rise is accelerating. Read more: go.nasa.gov/1heZn29 Caption: An iceberg floats in Disko Bay, near Ilulissat, Greenland, on July 24, 2015. The massive Greenland ice sheet is shedding about 300 gigatons of ice a year into the ocean, making it the single largest source of sea level rise from melting ice. Credits: NASA/Saskia Madlener NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Rotation of melting ice disks due to melt fluid flow.

PubMed

Dorbolo, S; Adami, N; Dubois, C; Caps, H; Vandewalle, N; Darbois-Texier, B

2016-03-01

We report experiments concerning the melting of ice disks (85 mm in diameter and 14 mm in height) at the surface of a thermalized water bath. During the melting, the ice disks undergo translational and rotational motions. In particular, the disks rotate. The rotation speed has been found to increase with the bath temperature. We investigated the flow under the bottom face of the ice disks by a particle image velocimetry technique. We find that the flow goes downwards and also rotates horizontally, so that a vertical vortex is generated under the ice disk. The proposed mechanism is the following. In the vicinity of the bottom face of the disk, the water eventually reaches the temperature of 4 °C for which the water density is maximum. The 4 °C water sinks and generates a downwards plume. The observed vertical vorticity results from the flow in the plume. Finally, by viscous entrainment, the horizontal rotation of the flow induces the solid rotation of the ice block. This mechanism seems generic: any vertical flow that generates a vortex will induce the rotation of a floating object.

Ice-Shelf Melt Response to Changing Winds and Glacier Dynamics in the Amundsen Sea Sector, Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Donat-Magnin, Marion; Jourdain, Nicolas C.; Spence, Paul; Le Sommer, Julien; Gallée, Hubert; Durand, Gaël.

2017-12-01

It has been suggested that the coastal Southern Ocean subsurface may warm over the 21st century in response to strengthening and poleward shifting winds, with potential adverse effects on West Antarctic glaciers. However, using a 1/12° ocean regional model that includes ice-shelf cavities, we find a more complex response to changing winds in the Amundsen Sea. Simulated offshore subsurface waters get colder under strengthened and poleward shifted winds representative of the SAM projected trend. The buoyancy-driven circulation induced by ice-shelf melt transports this cold offshore anomaly onto the continental shelf, leading to cooling and decreased melt below 450 m. In the vicinity of ice-shelf fronts, Ekman pumping contributes to raise the isotherms in response to changing winds. This effect overwhelms the horizontal transport of colder offshore waters at intermediate depths (between 200 and 450 m), and therefore increases melt rates in the upper part of the ice-shelf cavities, which reinforces the buoyancy-driven circulation and further contributes to raise the isotherms. Then, prescribing an extreme grounding line retreat projected for 2100, the total melt rates simulated underneath Thwaites and Pine Island are multiplied by 2.5. Such increase is explained by a larger ocean/ice interface exposed to CDW, which is then amplified by a stronger melt-induced circulation along the ice draft. Our main conclusions are that (1) outputs from ocean models that do not represent ice shelf cavities (e.g., CMIP5 models) should not be directly used to predict the thermal forcing of future ice shelf cavities; (2) coupled ocean/ice sheet models with a velocity-dependent melt formulation are needed for future projections of glaciers experiencing a significant grounding line retreat.

Various Particulate Matter Effects on Glacial Melting Rates in the Himalayan Mountain Range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barwegen, S.

2017-12-01

Due to increased human activity and the impact of global warming in the Himalayas, glaciers are melting at alarming rates. It is hypothesized that by the year 2100, about 5,500 glaciers located in the Hindu-Kush will melt by up to 70%-90%. This will be severely detrimental to farmers as well as lessen the potential to harness hydropower, which requires the glaciers to be fully present (Vidal 2015). The melting of these glaciers is accelerating, in part, due to the deposition of particulate matter onto the snow, which lowers the albedo and causes the glaciers to absorb more heat. The Himalayan glaciers, specifically, are melting due to intense human movement over the snow, movement of particulate matter from storms, the increase in temperatures due to global warming, and soot deposited from forest fires (Dimmick 2014). This whole mountain range needs to retain glaciers in order to support the population of people living there by providing water. This project investigated the effect of both different types and amounts of particulate matter (PM) on ice melting rates. It was a model simulating the impact of PM of varying sizes and sources on glacial melting rates in the Himalayan glaciers. The impact of eight different types of PM (charcoal, pumice, sand/organic soil mixture, peat moss/soil, gravel/soil, soot, and soil), at two different masses (0.1g and 0.3g) on the melting rate of ice was assessed. Ice cubes were covered in PM and placed 5 cm away from a 50W incandescent bulb, with mass measured at regular intervals as they melted. Mass loss was recorded at 3, 6, 9, and 15 minutes and each sample type was repeated in triplicate. Over the course of the experiment, the ice cubes with 0.1 gram of PM were observed to be melting at a slower rate. Of the ice cubes with .3 g of PM on top, the ice covered in the sand and organic soil mixture had the lowest mass loss (3.4 g over 15 minutes), while the gravel and potting soil (4.9 g over 15 minutes) resulted in the highest (4

Morphological evidence and direct estimates of rapid melting beneath Totten Glacier Ice Shelf, East Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greenbaum, Jamin; Schroeder, Dustin; Grima, Cyril; Habbal, Feras; Dow, Christine; Roberts, Jason; Gwyther, David; van Ommen, Tas; Siegert, Martin; Blankenship, Donald

2017-04-01

Totten Glacier drains at least 3.5 meters of eustatic sea level potential from marine-based ice in the Aurora Subglacial Basin (ASB) in East Antarctica, more than the combined total of all glaciers in West Antarctica. Totten Glacier has been the most rapidly thinning glacier in East Antarctica since satellite altimetry time series began and the nature of the thinning suggests that it is driven by enhanced basal melting due to ocean processes. While grounded ice thinning rates have been steady, recent work has shown that Totten's floating ice shelf may not have the same thinning behavior; as a result, it is critical to observe ice shelf and cavity boundary conditions and basal processes to understand this apparent discrepancy. Warm Modified Circumpolar Deep Water (MCDW), which has been linked to glacier retreat in West Antarctica, has been observed in summer and winter on the nearby Sabrina Coast continental shelf and deep depressions in the seafloor provide access for MCDW to reach the ice shelf cavity. Given its northern latitude, numerical ice sheet modeling indicates that Totten Glacier may be prone to retreat caused by hydrofracture in a warming climate, so it is important to understand how intruding MCDW is affecting thinning of Totten Glacier's ice shelf. Here we use post-processed, focused airborne radar observations of the Totten Glacier Ice Shelf to delineate multi-km wide basal channels and flat basal terraces associated with high basal reflectivity and specularity (flatness) anomalies and correspondingly large ice surface depressions that indicate active basal melting. Using a simple temperature-attenuation model, and basal roughness corrections, we present basal melt rates associated with the radar reflection and specularity anomalies and compare them to those derived from numerical ocean circulation modeling and an ice flow divergence calculation. Sub-ice shelf ocean circulation modeling and under-ice robotic observations of Pine Island Glacier Ice

Optical properties of melting first-year Arctic sea ice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Light, Bonnie; Perovich, Donald K.; Webster, Melinda A.; Polashenski, Christopher; Dadic, Ruzica

2015-11-01

The albedo and transmittance of melting, first-year Arctic sea ice were measured during two cruises of the Impacts of Climate on the Eco-Systems and Chemistry of the Arctic Pacific Environment (ICESCAPE) project during the summers of 2010 and 2011. Spectral measurements were made for both bare and ponded ice types at a total of 19 ice stations in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. These data, along with irradiance profiles taken within boreholes, laboratory measurements of the optical properties of core samples, ice physical property observations, and radiative transfer model simulations are employed to describe representative optical properties for melting first-year Arctic sea ice. Ponded ice was found to transmit roughly 4.4 times more total energy into the ocean, relative to nearby bare ice. The ubiquitous surface-scattering layer and drained layer present on bare, melting sea ice are responsible for its relatively high albedo and relatively low transmittance. Light transmittance through ponded ice depends on the physical thickness of the ice and the magnitude of the scattering coefficient in the ice interior. Bare ice reflects nearly three-quarters of the incident sunlight, enhancing its resiliency to absorption by solar insolation. In contrast, ponded ice absorbs or transmits to the ocean more than three-quarters of the incident sunlight. Characterization of the heat balance of a summertime ice cover is largely dictated by its pond coverage, and light transmittance through ponded ice shows strong contrast between first-year and multiyear Arctic ice covers.

Investigating evaporation of melting ice particles within a bin melting layer model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neumann, Andrea J.

Single column models have been used to help develop algorithms for remote sensing retrievals. Assumptions in the single-column models may affect the assumptions of the remote sensing retrievals. Studies of the melting layer that use single column models often assume environments that are near or at water saturation. This study investigates the effects of evaporation upon melting particles to determine whether the assumption of negligible mass loss still holds within subsaturated melting layers. A single column, melting layer model is modified to include the effects of sublimation and evaporation upon the particles. Other changes to the model include switching the order in which the model loops over particle sizes and model layers; including a particle sedimentation scheme; adding aggregation, accretion, and collision and coalescence processes; allowing environmental variables such as the water vapor diffusivity and the Schmidt number to vary with the changes in the environment; adding explicitly calculated particle temperature, changing the particle terminal velocity parameterization; and using a newly-derived effective density-dimensional relationship for use in particle mass calculations. Simulations of idealized melting layer environments show that significant mass loss due to evaporation during melting is possible within subsaturated environments. Short melting distances, accelerating particle fall speeds, and short melting times help constrain the amount of mass lost due to evaporation while melting is occurring, even in subsaturated profiles. Sublimation prior to melting can also be a significant source of mass loss. The trends shown on the particle scale also appear in the bulk distribution parameters such as rainfall rate and ice water content. Simulations incorporating observed melting layer environments show that significant mass loss due to evaporation during the melting process is possible under certain environmental conditions. A profile such as the

Response of Antarctic ice shelf melt to SAM trend and possible feedbacks with the ice-dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Donat-Magnin, Marion; Jourdain, Nicolas C.; Gallée, Hubert; Spence, Paul; Cornford, Stephen L.; Le Sommer, Julien; Durand, Gaël

2017-04-01

The observed positive trend in the Southern Annular Mode (SAM) may warm the Southern Ocean sub-surface through decreased Ekman downward pumping. Subsequent change in ice-shelves melt has been suggested to trigger glacier acceleration in West Antarctica. Here we use a regional ocean model configuration of the Amundsen Sea that includes interactive ice-shelf cavities. Our results show that the inclusion of ice-shelves changes the ocean response to the projected SAM trend, i.e. it typically inhibits a part of the SAM-induced subsurface warming. Heat budget analysis has been used to propose responsible mechanisms. Regarding Thwaites and Pine Island, sub ice-shelf melt increases above 400m by approximately 40% for Thwaites and 10% for Pine Island and decreases by up to 10% below in response to ocean temperature changes driven by the projected SAM trend. The melt sensitivity to poleward shifting winds is nonetheless small compared to the sensitivity to an ice-sheet instability, i.e. to a projected change in the shape of ice-shelf cavities. For instance, the sub ice-shelf melt are doubled near the grounding line of some glaciers in response to the largest grounding line retreat projected for 2100. Large increase in basal melt close to the grounding line could largely impact instability and glacier acceleration. Our work suggests the need for including ice shelves into ocean models, and to couple ocean models to ice-sheet models in climate projections.

Retrieval of sea ice thickness during Arctic summer using melt pond color

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Istomina, L.; Nicolaus, M.; Heygster, G.

2016-12-01

The thickness of sea ice is an important climatic variable. Together with the ice concentration, it defines the total sea ice volume, is linked within the climatic feedback mechanisms and affects the Arctic energy balance greatly. During Arctic summer, the sea ice cover changes rapidly, which includes the presence of melt ponds, as well as reduction of ice albedo and ice thickness. Currently available remote sensing retrievals of sea ice thickness utilize data from altimeter, microwave, thermal infrared sensors and their combinations. All of these methods are compromised in summer in the presence of melt. This only leaves in situ and airborne sea ice thickness data available in summer. At the same time, data of greater coverage is needed for assimilation in global circulation models and correct estimation of ice mass balance.This study presents a new approach to estimate sea ice thickness in summer in the presence of melt ponds. Analysis of field data obtained during the RV "Polarstern" cruise ARK27/3 (August - October 2012) has shown a clear connection of ice thickness under melt ponds to their measured spectral albedo and to melt pond color in the hue-saturation-luminance color space from field photographs. An empirical function is derived from the HSL values and applied to aerial imagery obtained during various airborne campaigns. Comparison to in situ ice thickness shows a good correspondence to the ice thickness value retrieved in the melt ponds. A similar retrieval is developed for satellite spectral bands using the connection of the measured pond spectral albedo to the ice thickness within the melt ponds. Correction of the retrieved ice thickness in ponds to derive total thickness of sea ice is discussed. Case studies and application to very high resolution optical data are presented, as well as a concept to transfer the method to satellite data of lower spatial resolution where melt ponds become subpixel features.

Observations of brine plumes below melting Arctic sea ice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peterson, Algot K.

2018-02-01

In sea ice, interconnected pockets and channels of brine are surrounded by fresh ice. Over time, brine is lost by gravity drainage and flushing. The timing of salt release and its interaction with the underlying water can impact subsequent sea ice melt. Turbulence measurements 1 m below melting sea ice north of Svalbard reveal anticorrelated heat and salt fluxes. From the observations, 131 salty plumes descending from the warm sea ice are identified, confirming previous observations from a Svalbard fjord. The plumes are likely triggered by oceanic heat through bottom melt. Calculated over a composite plume, oceanic heat and salt fluxes during the plumes account for 6 and 9 % of the total fluxes, respectively, while only lasting in total 0.5 % of the time. The observed salt flux accumulates to 7.6 kg m-2, indicating nearly full desalination of the ice. Bulk salinity reduction between two nearby ice cores agrees with accumulated salt fluxes to within a factor of 2. The increasing fraction of younger, more saline ice in the Arctic suggests an increase in desalination processes with the transition to the new Arctic.

Arctic Sea Ice Basal Melt Onset Variability and Associated Ocean Surface Heating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Merrick, R. A.; Hutchings, J. K.

2015-12-01

The interannual and regional variability in Arctic sea ice melt has previously been characterized only in terms of surface melting. A focus on the variability in the onset of basal melt is additionally required to understand Arctic melt patterns. Monitoring basal melt provides a glimpse into the importance of ocean heating to sea ice melt. This warming is predominantly through seawater exposure due to lead opening and the associated solar warming at the ocean's surface. We present the temporal variability in basal melt onset observed by ice mass balance buoys throughout the Arctic Ocean since 2003, providing a different perspective than the satellite microwave data used to measure the onset of surface melt. We found that melt onset varies greatly, even for buoys deployed within 100km of each other. Therefore large volumes of data are necessary to accurately estimate the variability of basal melt onset. Once the variability of basal melt onset has been identified, we can investigate how this range has been changing as a response to atmospheric and oceanic warming, changes in ice morphology as well as the intensification of the ice albedo feedback.

Airborne laser scanning based quantification of dead-ice melting in recently deglaciated terrain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klug, C.; Sailer, R.; Schümberg, M.; Stötter, J.

2012-04-01

Dead-ice is explained as stagnant glacial ice, not influenced by glacier flow anymore. Whenever glaciers have negative mass balances and an accumulation of debris-cover on the surface, dead-ice may form. Although, there are numerous conceptual process-sediment-landform models for the melt-out of dead-ice bodies and areas of dead-ice environments at glacier margins are easily accessible, just a few quantitative studies of dead-ice melting have been carried out so far. Processes and rates of dead-ice melting are commonly believed to be controlled by climate and debris-cover properties, but there is still a lack of knowledge about this fact. This study has a focus on the quantification of process induced volumetric changes caused by dead-ice melting. The research for this project was conducted at Hintereisferner (Ötztal Alps, Austria), Gepatschferner (Ötztal Alps, Austria) and Schrankar (Stubai Alps, Austria), areas for which a good data basis of ALS (Airborne Laser Scanning) measurements is available. 'Hintereisferner' can be characterized as a typical high alpine environment in mid-latitudes, which ranges between approximately 2250 m and 3740 m a.s.l.. The Hintereisferner region has been investigated intensively since many decades. Two dead ice bodies at the orographic right side and one at the orographic left side of the Hintereisferner glacier terminus (approx. at 2500 m to 2550 m a.s.l.) were identified. Since 2001, ALS measurements have been carried out regularly at Hintereisferner resulting in a unique data record of 21 ALS flight campaigns, allowing long-term explorations of the two dead-ice areas. The second study area of 'Gepatschferner' in the Kaunertal ranges between 2060 m and 3520 m a.s.l. and is the second largest glacier of Austria. Near the glacier tongue at the orographic right side a significant dead ice body has formed. The ALS data used for quantification include a period of time of 4 years (2006 - 2010). 'Schrankar' is located in the Western

Turbulent convection driven by internal radiative heating of melt ponds on sea ice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wells, Andrew; Langton, Tom; Rees Jones, David; Moon, Woosok

2016-11-01

The melting of Arctic sea ice is strongly influenced by heat transfer through melt ponds which form on the ice surface. Melt ponds are internally heated by the absorption of incoming radiation and cooled by surface heat fluxes, resulting in vigorous buoyancy-driven convection in the pond interior. Motivated by this setting, we conduct two-dimensional direct-numerical simulations of the turbulent convective flow of a Boussinesq fluid between two horizontal boundaries, with internal heating predicted from a two-stream radiation model. A linearised thermal boundary condition describes heat exchange with the overlying atmosphere, whilst the lower boundary is isothermal. Vertically asymmetric convective flow modifies the upper surface temperature, and hence controls the partitioning of the incoming heat flux between emission at the upper and lower boundaries. We determine how the downward heat flux into the ice varies with a Rayleigh number based on the internal heating rate, the flux ratio of background surface cooling compared to internal heating, and a Biot number characterising the sensitivity of surface fluxes to surface temperature. Thus we elucidate the physical controls on heat transfer through Arctic melt ponds which determine the fate of sea ice in the summer.

Surface melt effects on Cryosat-2 elevation retrievals in the ablation zone of the Greenland ice sheet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slater, T.; McMillan, M.; Shepherd, A.; Leeson, A.; Cornford, S. L.; Hogg, A.; Gilbert, L.; Muir, A. S.; Briggs, K.

2017-12-01

Over the past two decades, there has been an acceleration in the rate of mass losses from the Greenland ice sheet. This acceleration is, in part, attributed to an increasingly negative surface mass balance (SMB), linked to increasing melt water runoff rates due to enhanced surface melting. Understanding the past, present and future evolution in surface melting is central to ongoing monitoring of ice sheet mass balance and, in turn, to building realistic future projections. Currently, regional climate models are commonly used for this purpose, because direct in-situ observations are spatially and temporally sparse due to the logistics and resources required to collect such data. In particular, modelled SMB is used to estimate the extent and magnitude of surface melting, which influences (1) many geodetic mass balance estimates, and (2) snowpack microwave scattering properties. The latter is poorly understood and introduces uncertainty into radar altimeter estimates of ice sheet evolution. Here, we investigate the changes in CryoSat-2 waveforms and elevation measurements caused by the onset of surface melt in the summer months over the ablation zone of the Greenland ice sheet. Specifically, we use CryoSat-2 SARIn mode data acquired between 2011 and 2016, to characterise the effect of high variability in surface melt during this period, and to assess the associated impact on estimates of ice mass balance.

Ice Core Records of West Greenland Melt and Climate Forcing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Graeter, K. A.; Osterberg, E. C.; Ferris, D. G.; Hawley, R. L.; Marshall, H. P.; Lewis, G.; Meehan, T.; McCarthy, F.; Overly, T.; Birkel, S. D.

2018-04-01

Remote sensing observations and climate models indicate that the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) has been losing mass since the late 1990s, mostly due to enhanced surface melting from rising summer temperatures. However, in situ observational records of GrIS melt rates over recent decades are rare. Here we develop a record of frozen meltwater in the west GrIS percolation zone preserved in seven firn cores. Quantifying ice layer distribution as a melt feature percentage (MFP), we find significant increases in MFP in the southernmost five cores over the past 50 years to unprecedented modern levels (since 1550 CE). Annual to decadal changes in summer temperatures and MFP are closely tied to changes in Greenland summer blocking activity and North Atlantic sea surface temperatures since 1870. However, summer warming of 1.2°C since 1870-1900, in addition to warming attributable to recent sea surface temperature and blocking variability, is a critical driver of high modern MFP levels.

Reflective properties of melt ponds on sea ice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malinka, Aleksey; Zege, Eleonora; Istomina, Larysa; Heygster, Georg; Spreen, Gunnar; Perovich, Donald; Polashenski, Chris

2018-06-01

Melt ponds occupy a large part of the Arctic sea ice in summer and strongly affect the radiative budget of the atmosphere-ice-ocean system. In this study, the melt pond reflectance is considered in the framework of radiative transfer theory. The melt pond is modeled as a plane-parallel layer of pure water upon a layer of sea ice (the pond bottom). We consider pond reflection as comprising Fresnel reflection by the water surface and multiple reflections between the pond surface and its bottom, which is assumed to be Lambertian. In order to give a description of how to find the pond bottom albedo, we investigate the inherent optical properties of sea ice. Using the Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin approximation approach to light scattering by non-spherical particles (brine inclusions) and Mie solution for spherical particles (air bubbles), we conclude that the transport scattering coefficient in sea ice is a spectrally independent value. Then, within the two-stream approximation of the radiative transfer theory, we show that the under-pond ice spectral albedo is determined by two independent scalar values: the transport scattering coefficient and ice layer thickness. Given the pond depth and bottom albedo values, the bidirectional reflectance factor (BRF) and albedo of a pond can be calculated with analytical formulas. Thus, the main reflective properties of the melt pond, including their spectral dependence, are determined by only three independent parameters: pond depth z, ice layer thickness H, and transport scattering coefficient of ice σt.The effects of the incident conditions and the atmosphere state are examined. It is clearly shown that atmospheric correction is necessary even for in situ measurements. The atmospheric correction procedure has been used in the model verification. The optical model developed is verified with data from in situ measurements made during three field campaigns performed on landfast and pack ice in the Arctic. The measured pond albedo

Estimation of Melt Ponds over Arctic Sea Ice using MODIS Surface Reflectance Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, Y.; Cheng, X.; Liu, J.

2017-12-01

Melt ponds over Arctic sea ice is one of the main factors affecting variability of surface albedo, increasing absorption of solar radiation and further melting of snow and ice. In recent years, a large number of melt ponds have been observed during the melt season in Arctic. Moreover, some studies have suggested that late spring to mid summer melt ponds information promises to improve the prediction skill of seasonal Arctic sea ice minimum. In the study, we extract the melt pond fraction over Arctic sea ice since 2000 using three bands MODIS weekly surface reflectance data by considering the difference of spectral reflectance in ponds, ice and open water. The preliminary comparison shows our derived Arctic-wide melt ponds are in good agreement with that derived by the University of Hamburg, especially at the pond distribution. We analyze seasonal evolution, interannual variability and trend of the melt ponds, as well as the changes of onset and re-freezing. The melt pond fraction shows an asymmetrical growth and decay pattern. The observed melt ponds fraction is almost within 25% in early May and increases rapidly in June and July with a high fraction of more than 40% in the east of Greenland and Beaufort Sea. A significant increasing trend in the melt pond fraction is observed for the period of 2000-2017. The relationship between melt pond fraction and sea ice extent will be also discussed. Key Words: melt ponds, sea ice, Arctic

Channelized ice melting in the ocean boundary layer beneath Pine Island Glacier, Antarctica.

PubMed

Stanton, T P; Shaw, W J; Truffer, M; Corr, H F J; Peters, L E; Riverman, K L; Bindschadler, R; Holland, D M; Anandakrishnan, S

2013-09-13

Ice shelves play a key role in the mass balance of the Antarctic ice sheets by buttressing their seaward-flowing outlet glaciers; however, they are exposed to the underlying ocean and may weaken if ocean thermal forcing increases. An expedition to the ice shelf of the remote Pine Island Glacier, a major outlet of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet that has rapidly thinned and accelerated in recent decades, has been completed. Observations from geophysical surveys and long-term oceanographic instruments deployed down bore holes into the ocean cavity reveal a buoyancy-driven boundary layer within a basal channel that melts the channel apex by 0.06 meter per day, with near-zero melt rates along the flanks of the channel. A complex pattern of such channels is visible throughout the Pine Island Glacier shelf.

Monte Carlo Study of Melting of a Model Bulk Ice.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Kyu-Kwang

The methods of NVT (constant number, volume and temperature) and NPT (constant number, pressure and temperature) Monte Carlo computer simulations are used to examine the melting of a periodic hexagonal ice (ice Ih) sample with a unit cell of 192 (rigid) water molecules interacting via the revised central force potentials of Stillinger and Rahman (RSL2). In NVT Monte Carlo simulation of P-T plot for a constant density (0.904g/cm^3) is used to locate onset of the liquid-solid coexistence region (where the slope of the pressure changes sign) and estimate the (constant density) melting point. The slope reversal is a natural consequence of the constant density condition for substances which expand upon freezing and it is pointed out that this analysis is extremely useful for substances such as water. In this study, a sign reversal of the pressure slope is observed near 280 K, indicating that the RSL2 potentials reproduce the freezing expansion expected for water and support a bulk ice Ih system which melts <280 K. The internal energy, specific heat, and two dimensional structure factors for the constant density H_2O system are also examined at a range of temperatures between 100 and 370 K and support the P-T analysis for location of the melting point. This P-T analysis might likewise be useful for determining a (constant density) freezing point, or, with multiple simulations at appropriate densities, the triple point. For NPT Monte Carlo simulations preliminary results are presented. In this study the density, enthalpy, specific heat, and structure factor dependences on temperature are monitored during a sequential heating of the system from 100 to 370 K at a constant pressure (1 atm.). A jump in density upon melting is observed and indicates that the RSL2 potentials reproduce the melting contraction of ice. From the dependences of monitored physical properties on temperature an upper bound on the melting temperature is estimated. In this study we made the first

Endmembers of Ice Shelf Melt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boghosian, A.; Child, S. F.; Kingslake, J.; Tedesco, M.; Bell, R. E.; Alexandrov, O.; McMichael, S.

2017-12-01

Studies of surface melt on ice shelves have defined a spectrum of meltwater behavior. On one end the storage of meltwater in persistent surface ponds can trigger ice shelf collapse as in the 2002 event leading to the disintegration of the Larsen B Ice Shelf. On the other, meltwater export by rivers can stabilize an ice shelf as was recently shown on the Nansen Ice Shelf. We explore this dichotomy by quantifying the partitioning between stored and transported water on two glaciers adjacent to floating ice shelves, Nimrod (Antarctica) and Peterman (Greenland). We analyze optical satellite imagery (LANDSAT, WorldView), airborne imagery (Operation IceBridge, Trimetrogon Aerial Phototography), satellite radar (Sentinel-1), and digital elevation models (DEMs) to categorize surface meltwater fate and map the evolution of ice shelf hydrology and topographic features through time. On the floating Peterman Glacier tongue a sizable river exports water to the ocean. The surface hydrology of Nimrod Glacier, geometrically similar to Peterman but with ten times shallower surface slope, is dominated by storage in surface lakes. In contrast, the Nansen has the same surface slope as Nimrod but transports water through surface rivers. Slope alone is not the sole control on ice shelf hydrology. It is essential to track the storage and transport volumes for each of these systems. To estimate water storage and transport we analyze high resolution (40 cm - 2 m) modern and historical DEMs. We produce historical (1957 onwards) DEMs with structure-from-motion photogrammetry. The DEMs are used to constrain water storage potential estimates of observed basins and water routing/transport potential. We quantify the total volume of water stored seasonally and interannually. We use the normalize difference water index to map meltwater extent, and estimate lake water depth from optical data. We also consider the role of stored water in subsurface aquifers in recharging surface water after

Processes controlling surface, bottom and lateral melt of Arctic sea ice in a state of the art sea ice model.

PubMed

Tsamados, Michel; Feltham, Daniel; Petty, Alek; Schroeder, David; Flocco, Daniela

2015-10-13

We present a modelling study of processes controlling the summer melt of the Arctic sea ice cover. We perform a sensitivity study and focus our interest on the thermodynamics at the ice-atmosphere and ice-ocean interfaces. We use the Los Alamos community sea ice model CICE, and additionally implement and test three new parametrization schemes: (i) a prognostic mixed layer; (ii) a three equation boundary condition for the salt and heat flux at the ice-ocean interface; and (iii) a new lateral melt parametrization. Recent additions to the CICE model are also tested, including explicit melt ponds, a form drag parametrization and a halodynamic brine drainage scheme. The various sea ice parametrizations tested in this sensitivity study introduce a wide spread in the simulated sea ice characteristics. For each simulation, the total melt is decomposed into its surface, bottom and lateral melt components to assess the processes driving melt and how this varies regionally and temporally. Because this study quantifies the relative importance of several processes in driving the summer melt of sea ice, this work can serve as a guide for future research priorities. © 2015 The Author(s).

Eddy-resolving simulations of the Fimbul Ice Shelf cavity circulation: Basal melting and exchange with open ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hattermann, T.; Smedsrud, L. H.; Nøst, O. A.; Lilly, J. M.; Galton-Fenzi, B. K.

2014-10-01

Melting at the base of floating ice shelves is a dominant term in the overall Antarctic mass budget. This study applies a high-resolution regional ice shelf/ocean model, constrained by observations, to (i) quantify present basal mass loss at the Fimbul Ice Shelf (FIS); and (ii) investigate the oceanic mechanisms that govern the heat supply to ice shelves in the Eastern Weddell Sea. The simulations confirm the low melt rates suggested by observations and show that melting is primarily determined by the depth of the coastal thermocline, regulating deep ocean heat fluxes towards the ice. Furthermore, the uneven distribution of ice shelf area at different depths modulates the melting response to oceanic forcing, causing the existence of two distinct states of melting at the FIS. In the simulated present-day state, only small amounts of Modified Warm Deep Water enter the continental shelf, and ocean temperatures beneath the ice are close to the surface freezing point. The basal mass loss in this so-called state of "shallow melting" is mainly controlled by the seasonal inflow of solar-heated surface water affecting large areas of shallow ice in the upper part of the cavity. This is in contrast to a state of "deep melting", in which the thermocline rises above the shelf break depth, establishing a continuous inflow of Warm Deep Water towards the deep ice. The transition between the two states is found to be determined by a complex response of the Antarctic Slope Front overturning circulation to varying climate forcings. A proper representation of these frontal dynamics in climate models will therefore be crucial when assessing the evolution of ice shelf basal melting along this sector of Antarctica.

In-Situ Biological Decontamination of an Ice Melting Probe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Digel, Ilya

A major concern in space and even many terrestrial missions is the forward contamination of the alien environment with microbes and biological molecules, transported on spacecraft from Earth. Furthermore, organisms and molecules can be brought to the sampling place from the surface. All this can lead to serious misinterpretations of the obtained data and more impor-tantly, could irreversibly alter the pristine nature of the extraterrestrial environments. These issues were addressed and are constantly updated in COSPAR planetary protection policy (20 October 2002; Amended 24 March 2005; 20 July 2008). The objective of our study was to investigate the efficacy of different in-situ decontamination protocols in the conditions of thermo-mechanical ice-melting. We evaluated survival rate of microorganisms on the melting probe as a function of both time and penetration depth. Special focus was made on deter-mination of the optimal concentration of chemical decontaminants (hydrogen peroxide and sodium hypochlorite) the peculiarities of their antimicrobial action at low temperatures (-80 to 0C) combined with constant dilution with melted ice and mechanical abrasion. Common, non-pathogenic microbial strains belonging to different morphological and metabolic groups (Pseudomonas, Micrococcus, Escherichia, Bacillus and others) were chosen as test objects for this study. The working part of the melting probe was first controllably contaminated by in-cubation in suspension of microbial cells. After appropriate sedimentation of microbial cells had been reached, the drilling-melting process was started using specially prepared sterile ice blocks. Every 2 minutes the samples were taken and analyzed. In the control tests, 1 mL of distilled water was injected into the penetration site at the onset of drilling. In the other tests, 1 mL of hydrogen peroxide (30Collected data suggest high efficacy of both used compounds in respect of all tested microbial groups. Typically, 99.9

Evolution of ocean-induced ice melt beneath Zachariæ Isstrøm, Northeast Greenland combining observations and an ocean general circulation model from 1978 to present

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cai, C.; Rignot, E. J.; Menemenlis, D.; Millan, R.; Bjørk, A. A.; Khan, S. A.; Charolais, A.

2017-12-01

Zachariæ Isstrøm, a major ice stream in northeast Greenland, lost a large fraction of its ice shelf during the last decade. We study the evolution of subaqueous melting of its floating section from 1978 to present. The ice shelf melt rate depends on thermal forcing from warm, salty, subsurface ocean waters of Atlantic origin (AW), the mixing of AW with fresh, buoyant subglacial discharge at the calving margin, and the shape of the sub-ice-shelf cavity. Subglacial discharge doubled as a result of enhanced ice sheet runoff caused by warmer air temperatures. Ocean thermal forcing has increased due to enhanced advection of AW. Using an Eulerian method, MEaSUREs ice velocity, Operation IceBridge (OIB) ice thickness, and RACMO2.3 surface balance data, we evaluate the ice shelf melt rate in 1978, 1999 and 2010. The melt rate doubled from 1999 to 2010. Using a Lagrangian method with World View imagery, we map the melt rate in detail from 2011 to 2016. We compare the results with 2D simulations from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology general circulation model (MITgcm), at a high spatial resolution (20-m horizontal and 40-m vertical grid spacing), using OIB ice thickness and sub-ice-shelf cavity for years 1978, 1996, 2010 and 2011, combined with in-situ ocean temperature/salinity data from Ocean Melting Greenland (OMG) 2017. We find that winter melt rates are 2 3 times smaller than summer rates and melt rates increase by one order magnitude during the transition from ice shelf termination to near-vertical calving wall termination. As the last remaining bits of floating ice shelf disappear, ice-ocean interaction will therefore play an increasing role in driving the glacier retreat into its marine-based basin. This work was performed under a contract with NASA Cryosphere Program at UC Irvine and Caltech's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Changes in flow of Crosson and Dotson ice shelves, West Antarctica, in response to elevated melt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lilien, David A.; Joughin, Ian; Smith, Benjamin; Shean, David E.

2018-04-01

Crosson and Dotson ice shelves are two of the most rapidly changing outlets in West Antarctica, displaying both significant thinning and grounding-line retreat in recent decades. We used remotely sensed measurements of velocity and ice geometry to investigate the processes controlling their changes in speed and grounding-line position over the past 20 years. We combined these observations with inverse modeling of the viscosity of the ice shelves to understand how weakening of the shelves affected this speedup. These ice shelves have lost mass continuously since the 1990s, and we find that this loss results from increasing melt beneath both shelves and the increasing speed of Crosson. High melt rates persisted over the period covered by our observations (1996-2014), with the highest rates beneath areas that ungrounded during this time. Grounding-line flux exceeded basin-wide accumulation by about a factor of 2 throughout the study period, consistent with earlier studies, resulting in significant loss of grounded as well as floating ice. The near doubling of Crosson's speed in some areas during this time is likely the result of weakening of its margins and retreat of its grounding line. This speedup contrasts with Dotson, which has maintained its speed despite increasingly high melt rates near its grounding line, likely a result of the sustained competency of the shelf. Our results indicate that changes to melt rates began before 1996 and suggest that observed increases in melt in the 2000s compounded an ongoing retreat of this system. Advection of a channel along Dotson, as well as the grounding-line position of Kohler Glacier, suggests that Dotson experienced a change in flow around the 1970s, which may be the initial cause of its continuing retreat.

Centuries of intense surface melt on Larsen C Ice Shelf

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bevan, Suzanne L.; Luckman, Adrian; Hubbard, Bryn; Kulessa, Bernd; Ashmore, David; Kuipers Munneke, Peter; O'Leary, Martin; Booth, Adam; Sevestre, Heidi; McGrath, Daniel

2017-12-01

Following a southward progression of ice-shelf disintegration along the Antarctic Peninsula (AP), Larsen C Ice Shelf (LCIS) has become the focus of ongoing investigation regarding its future stability. The ice shelf experiences surface melt and commonly features surface meltwater ponds. Here, we use a flow-line model and a firn density model (FDM) to date and interpret observations of melt-affected ice layers found within five 90 m boreholes distributed across the ice shelf. We find that units of ice within the boreholes, which have densities exceeding those expected under normal dry compaction metamorphism, correspond to two climatic warm periods within the last 300 years on the Antarctic Peninsula. The more recent warm period, from the 1960s onwards, has generated distinct sections of dense ice measured in two boreholes in Cabinet Inlet, which is close to the Antarctic Peninsula mountains - a region affected by föhn winds. Previous work has classified these layers as refrozen pond ice, requiring large quantities of mobile liquid water to form. Our flow-line model shows that, whilst preconditioning of the snow began in the late 1960s, it was probably not until the early 1990s that the modern period of ponding began. The earlier warm period occurred during the 18th century and resulted in two additional sections of anomalously dense ice deep within the boreholes. The first, at 61 m in one of our Cabinet Inlet boreholes, consists of ice characteristic of refrozen ponds and must have formed in an area currently featuring ponding. The second, at 69 m in a mid-shelf borehole, formed at the same time on the edge of the pond area. Further south, the boreholes sample ice that is of an equivalent age but which does not exhibit the same degree of melt influence. This west-east and north-south gradient in the past melt distribution resembles current spatial patterns of surface melt intensity.

How will melting of ice affect volcanic hazards in the twenty-first century?

PubMed

Tuffen, Hugh

2010-05-28

Glaciers and ice sheets on many active volcanoes are rapidly receding. There is compelling evidence that melting of ice during the last deglaciation triggered a dramatic acceleration in volcanic activity. Will melting of ice this century, which is associated with climate change, similarly affect volcanic activity and associated hazards? This paper provides a critical overview of the evidence that current melting of ice will increase the frequency or size of hazardous volcanic eruptions. Many aspects of the link between ice recession and accelerated volcanic activity remain poorly understood. Key questions include how rapidly volcanic systems react to melting of ice, whether volcanoes are sensitive to small changes in ice thickness and how recession of ice affects the generation, storage and eruption of magma at stratovolcanoes. A greater frequency of collapse events at glaciated stratovolcanoes can be expected in the near future, and there is strong potential for positive feedbacks between melting of ice and enhanced volcanism. Nonetheless, much further research is required to remove current uncertainties about the implications of climate change for volcanic hazards in the twenty-first century.

The effect of salt on the melting of ice: A molecular dynamics simulation study.

PubMed

Kim, Jun Soo; Yethiraj, Arun

2008-09-28

The effect of added salt (NaCl) on the melting of ice is studied using molecular dynamics simulations. The equilibrium freezing point depression observed in the simulations is in good agreement with experimental data. The kinetic aspects of melting are investigated in terms of the exchange of water molecules between ice and the liquid phase. The ice/liquid equilibrium is a highly dynamic process with frequent exchange of water molecules between ice and the liquid phase. The balance is disturbed when ice melts and the melting proceeds in two stages; the inhibition of the association of water molecules to the ice surface at short times, followed by the increased dissociation of water molecules from the ice surface at longer times. We also find that Cl(-) ions penetrate more deeply into the interfacial region than Na(+) ions during melting. This study provides an understanding of the kinetic aspects of melting that could be useful in other processes such as the inhibition of ice growth by antifreeze proteins.

Variability of Basal Melt Beneath the Pine Island Glacier Ice Shelf, West Antarctica

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bindschadler, Robert; Vaughan, David G.; Vornberger, Patricia

2011-01-01

Observations from satellite and airborne platforms are combined with model calculations to infer the nature and efficiency of basal melting of the Pine Island Glacier ice shelf, West Antarctica, by ocean waters. Satellite imagery shows surface features that suggest ice-shelf-wide changes to the ocean s influence on the ice shelf as the grounding line retreated. Longitudinal profiles of ice surface and bottom elevations are analyzed to reveal a spatially dependent pattern of basal melt with an annual melt flux of 40.5 Gt/a. One profile captures a persistent set of surface waves that correlates with quasi-annual variations of atmospheric forcing of Amundsen Sea circulation patterns, establishing a direct connection between atmospheric variability and sub-ice-shelf melting. Ice surface troughs are hydrostatically compensated by ice-bottom voids up to 150m deep. Voids form dynamically at the grounding line, triggered by enhanced melting when warmer-than-average water arrives. Subsequent enlargement of the voids is thermally inefficient (4% or less) compared with an overall melting efficiency beneath the ice shelf of 22%. Residual warm water is believed to cause three persistent polynyas at the ice-shelf front seen in Landsat imagery. Landsat thermal imagery confirms the occurrence of warm water at the same locations.

The melt pond fraction and spectral sea ice albedo retrieval from MERIS data: validation and trends of sea ice albedo and melt pond fraction in the Arctic for years 2002-2011

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Istomina, L.; Heygster, G.; Huntemann, M.; Schwarz, P.; Birnbaum, G.; Scharien, R.; Polashenski, C.; Perovich, D.; Zege, E.; Malinka, A.; Prikhach, A.; Katsev, I.

2014-10-01

The presence of melt ponds on the Arctic sea ice strongly affects the energy balance of the Arctic Ocean in summer. It affects albedo as well as transmittance through the sea ice, which has consequences on the heat balance and mass balance of sea ice. An algorithm to retrieve melt pond fraction and sea ice albedo (Zege et al., 2014) from the MEdium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) data is validated against aerial, ship borne and in situ campaign data. The result show the best correlation for landfast and multiyear ice of high ice concentrations (albedo: R = 0.92, RMS = 0.068, melt pond fraction: R = 0.6, RMS = 0.065). The correlation for lower ice concentrations, subpixel ice floes, blue ice and wet ice is lower due to complicated surface conditions and ice drift. Combining all aerial observations gives a mean albedo RMS equal to 0.089 and a mean melt pond fraction RMS equal to 0.22. The in situ melt pond fraction correlation is R = 0.72 with an RMS = 0.14. Ship cruise data might be affected by documentation of varying accuracy within the ASPeCT protocol, which is the reason for discrepancy between the satellite value and observed value: mean R = 0.21, mean RMS = 0.16. An additional dynamic spatial cloud filter for MERIS over snow and ice has been developed to assist with the validation on swath data. The case studies and trend analysis for the whole MERIS period (2002-2011) show pronounced and reasonable spatial features of melt pond fractions and sea ice albedo. The most prominent feature is the melt onset shifting towards spring (starting already in weeks 3 and 4 of June) within the multiyear ice area, north to the Queen Elizabeth Islands and North Greenland.

Design, fabrication, and evaluation of a partially melted ice particle cloud facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soltis, Jared T.

High altitude ice crystal clouds created by highly convective storm cells are dangerous to jet transport aircraft because the crystals are ingested into the compressor section, partially melt, accrete, and cause roll back or flame out. Current facilities to test engine particle icing are not ideal for fundamental mixed-phase ice accretion experiments or do not generate frozen droplet clouds under representative conditions. The goal of this research was to develop a novel facility capable of testing fundamental partially melted ice particle icing physics and to collect ice accretion data related to mixed-phase ice accretion. The Penn State Icing Tunnel (PSIT) has been designed and fabricated to conduct partially melted ice particle cloud accretion. The PSIT generated a cloud with air assisted atomizing nozzles. The water droplets cool from the 60psi pressure drop as the water exited the nozzle and fully glaciate while flowing in the -11.0°C tunnel air flow. The glaciated cloud flowed through a duct in the center of the tunnel where hot air was introduced. The temperature of the duct was regulated from 3.3°C to 24°C which melted particle the frozen particle from 0% to 90%. The partially melted particle cloud impinged on a temperature controlled flat plate. Ice accretion data was taken for a range of duct temperature from 3.3°C to 24°C and plate temperature from -4.5°C to 7.0°C. The particle median volumetric diameter was 23mum, the total water content was 4.5 g/m 3, the specific humidity was 1.12g/kg, and the wet bulb temperature ranged from 1.0°C to 7.0°C depending on the duct temperature. The boundaries between ice particle bounce off, ice accretion, and water run off were determined. When the particle were totally frozen and the plate surface was below freezing, the ice particle bounced off as expected. Ice accretion was seen for all percent melts tested, but the plate temperature boundary between water runoff and ice accretion increased from 0°C at 8

Duration of the Arctic sea ice melt season: Regional and interannual variability, 1979-2001

USGS Publications Warehouse

Belchansky, G.I.; Douglas, David C.; Platonov, Nikita G.

2004-01-01

Melt onset dates, freeze onset dates, and melt season duration were estimated over Arctic sea ice, 1979–2001, using passive microwave satellite imagery and surface air temperature data. Sea ice melt duration for the entire Northern Hemisphere varied from a 104-day minimum in 1983 and 1996 to a 124-day maximum in 1989. Ranges in melt duration were highest in peripheral seas, numbering 32, 42, 44, and 51 days in the Laptev, Barents-Kara, East Siberian, and Chukchi Seas, respectively. In the Arctic Ocean, average melt duration varied from a 75-day minimum in 1987 to a 103-day maximum in 1989. On average, melt onset in annual ice began 10.6 days earlier than perennial ice, and freeze onset in perennial ice commenced 18.4 days earlier than annual ice. Average annual melt dates, freeze dates, and melt durations in annual ice were significantly correlated with seasonal strength of the Arctic Oscillation (AO). Following high-index AO winters (January–March), spring melt tended to be earlier and autumn freeze later, leading to longer melt season durations. The largest increases in melt duration were observed in the eastern Siberian Arctic, coincident with cyclonic low pressure and ice motion anomalies associated with high-index AO phases. Following a positive AO shift in 1989, mean annual melt duration increased 2–3 weeks in the northern East Siberian and Chukchi Seas. Decreasing correlations between consecutive-year maps of melt onset in annual ice during 1979–2001 indicated increasing spatial variability and unpredictability in melt distributions from one year to the next. Despite recent declines in the winter AO index, recent melt distributions did not show evidence of reestablishing spatial patterns similar to those observed during the 1979–88 low-index AO period. Recent freeze distributions have become increasingly similar to those observed during 1979–88, suggesting a recurrent spatial pattern of freeze chronology under low-index AO conditions.

Variability of Surface Temperature and Melt on the Greenland Ice Sheet, 2000-2011

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, Dorothy K.; Comiso, Josefino, C.; Shuman, Christopher A.; Koenig, Lora S.; DiGirolamo, Nicolo E.

2012-01-01

Enhanced melting along with surface-temperature increases measured using infrared satellite data, have been documented for the Greenland Ice Sheet. Recently we developed a climate-quality data record of ice-surface temperature (IST) of the Greenland Ice Sheet using the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) 1ST product -- http://modis-snow-ice.gsfc.nasa.gov. Using daily and mean monthly MODIS 1ST maps from the data record we show maximum extent of melt for the ice sheet and its six major drainage basins for a 12-year period extending from March of 2000 through December of 2011. The duration of the melt season on the ice sheet varies in different drainage basins with some basins melting progressively earlier over the study period. Some (but not all) of the basins also show a progressively-longer duration of melt. The short time of the study period (approximately 12 years) precludes an evaluation of statistically-significant trends. However the dataset provides valuable information on natural variability of IST, and on the ability of the MODIS instrument to capture changes in IST and melt conditions indifferent drainage basins of the ice sheet.

GPS-derived estimates of surface mass balance and ocean-induced basal melt for Pine Island Glacier ice shelf, Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shean, David E.; Christianson, Knut; Larson, Kristine M.; Ligtenberg, Stefan R. M.; Joughin, Ian R.; Smith, Ben E.; Stevens, C. Max; Bushuk, Mitchell; Holland, David M.

2017-11-01

In the last 2 decades, Pine Island Glacier (PIG) experienced marked speedup, thinning, and grounding-line retreat, likely due to marine ice-sheet instability and ice-shelf basal melt. To better understand these processes, we combined 2008-2010 and 2012-2014 GPS records with dynamic firn model output to constrain local surface and basal mass balance for PIG. We used GPS interferometric reflectometry to precisely measure absolute surface elevation (zsurf) and Lagrangian surface elevation change (Dzsurf/ Dt). Observed surface elevation relative to a firn layer tracer for the initial surface (zsurf - zsurf0') is consistent with model estimates of surface mass balance (SMB, primarily snow accumulation). A relatively abrupt ˜ 0.2-0.3 m surface elevation decrease, likely due to surface melt and increased compaction rates, is observed during a period of warm atmospheric temperatures from December 2012 to January 2013. Observed Dzsurf/ Dt trends (-1 to -4 m yr-1) for the PIG shelf sites are all highly linear. Corresponding basal melt rate estimates range from ˜ 10 to 40 m yr-1, in good agreement with those derived from ice-bottom acoustic ranging, phase-sensitive ice-penetrating radar, and high-resolution stereo digital elevation model (DEM) records. The GPS and DEM records document higher melt rates within and near features associated with longitudinal extension (i.e., transverse surface depressions, rifts). Basal melt rates for the 2012-2014 period show limited temporal variability despite large changes in ocean temperature recorded by moorings in Pine Island Bay. Our results demonstrate the value of long-term GPS records for ice-shelf mass balance studies, with implications for the sensitivity of ice-ocean interaction at PIG.

Strong sensitivity of Pine Island ice-shelf melting to climatic variability.

PubMed

Dutrieux, Pierre; De Rydt, Jan; Jenkins, Adrian; Holland, Paul R; Ha, Ho Kyung; Lee, Sang Hoon; Steig, Eric J; Ding, Qinghua; Abrahamsen, E Povl; Schröder, Michael

2014-01-10

Pine Island Glacier has thinned and accelerated over recent decades, significantly contributing to global sea-level rise. Increased oceanic melting of its ice shelf is thought to have triggered those changes. Observations and numerical modeling reveal large fluctuations in the ocean heat available in the adjacent bay and enhanced sensitivity of ice-shelf melting to water temperatures at intermediate depth, as a seabed ridge blocks the deepest and warmest waters from reaching the thickest ice. Oceanic melting decreased by 50% between January 2010 and 2012, with ocean conditions in 2012 partly attributable to atmospheric forcing associated with a strong La Niña event. Both atmospheric variability and local ice shelf and seabed geometry play fundamental roles in determining the response of the Antarctic Ice Sheet to climate.

Simple rules govern the patterns of Arctic sea ice melt ponds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Popovic, P.; Cael, B. B.; Abbot, D. S.; Silber, M.

2017-12-01

Climate change, amplified in the far north, has led to a rapid sea ice decline in recent years. Melt ponds that form on the surface of Arctic sea ice in the summer significantly lower the ice albedo, thereby accelerating ice melt. Pond geometry controls the details of this crucial feedback. However, currently it is unclear how to model this intricate geometry. Here we show that an extremely simple model of voids surrounding randomly sized and placed overlapping circles reproduces the essential features of pond patterns. The model has only two parameters, circle scale and the fraction of the surface covered by voids, and we choose them by comparing the model to pond images. Using these parameters the void model robustly reproduces all of the examined pond features such as the ponds' area-perimeter relationship and the area-abundance relationship over nearly 7 orders of magnitude. By analyzing airborne photographs of sea ice, we also find that the typical pond scale is surprisingly constant across different years, regions, and ice types. These results demonstrate that the geometric and abundance patterns of Arctic melt ponds can be simply described, and can guide future models of Arctic melt ponds to improve predictions of how sea ice will respond to Arctic warming.

Responses of Basal Melting of Antarctic Ice Shelves to the Climatic Forcing of the Last Glacial Maximum and CO2 Doubling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abe-Ouchi, A.; Obase, T.

2017-12-01

Basal melting of the Antarctic ice shelves is an important factor in determining the stability of the Antarctic ice sheet. This study used the climatic outputs of an atmosphere?ocean general circulation model to force a circumpolar ocean model that resolves ice shelf cavity circulation to investigate the response of Antarctic ice shelf melting to different climatic conditions, i.e., to an increase (doubling) of CO2 and the Last Glacial Maximum conditions. We also conducted sensitivity experiments to investigate the role of surface atmospheric change, which strongly affects sea ice production, and the change of oceanic lateral boundary conditions. We found that the rate of change of basal melt due to climate warming is much greater (by an order of magnitude) than due to cooling. This is mainly because the intrusion of warm water onto the continental shelves, linked to sea ice production and climate change, is crucial in determining the basal melt rate of many ice shelves. Sensitivity experiments showed that changes of atmospheric heat flux and ocean temperature are both important for warm and cold climates. The offshore wind change together with atmospheric heat flux change strongly affected the production of sea ice and high-density water, preventing warmer water approaching the ice shelves under a colder climate. These results reflect the importance of both water mass formation in the Antarctic shelf seas and subsurface ocean temperature in understanding the long-term response to climate change of the melting of Antarctic ice shelves.

Meteorological Drivers of West Antarctic Ice Sheet and Ice Shelf Surface Melt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scott, R. C.; Nicolas, J. P.; Bromwich, D. H.; Norris, J. R.; Lubin, D.

2017-12-01

We identify synoptic patterns and surface energy balance components driving warming and surface melting on the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) and ice shelves using reanalysis and satellite remote sensing data from 1973-present. We have developed a synoptic climatology of atmospheric circulation patterns during the summer melt season using k-means cluster and composite analysis of daily 700-mb geopotential height and near-surface air temperature and wind fields from the ECMWF ERA-Interim reanalysis. Surface melt occurrence is detected in satellite passive microwave brightness temperature observations (K-band, horizontal polarization) beginning with the NASA Nimbus-5 Electrically Scanning Microwave Radiometer (ESMR) and continuing with its more familiar descendants SMMR, SSM/I and SSMIS. To diagnose synoptic precursors and physical processes driving surface melt we combine the circulation climatology and multi-decadal records of cloud cover with surface radiative fluxes from the Extended AVHRR Polar Pathfinder (APP-x) project. We identify three distinct modes of regional summer West Antarctic warming since 1979 involving anomalous ridging over West Antarctica (WA) and the Amundsen Sea (AS). During the 1970s, ESMR data reveal four extensive melt events on the Ross Sea sector of the WAIS also linked to AS blocking. We therefore define an Amundsen Sea Blocking Index (ASBI). The ASBI and synoptic circulation pattern occurrence frequencies are correlated with the tropical Pacific (ENSO) and high latitude Southern Annular Mode (SAM) indices and the West Antarctic melt index. Surface melt in WA is favored by enhanced downwelling infrared and turbulent sensible heat fluxes associated with intrusions of warm, moist marine air. Consistent with recent findings from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) West Antarctic Radiation Experiment (AWARE), marine advection to the Ross sector is favored by El Niño conditions in the tropical Pacific and a negative SAM. We also find

Level-Ice Melt Ponds in the Los Alamos Sea Ice Model, CICE

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-12-06

terms obtained using the Bitz and Lips- comb (1999) thermodynamic model. The thickness distribution ( Thorndike et al., 1975) employs 5 ice thickness...D.L., 2004. A model of melt pond evolution on sea ice. J. Geophys. Res. 109, C12007. http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2004JC002361. Thorndike , A.S., Rothrock

Greenland ice sheet surface temperature, melt and mass loss: 2000-06

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hall, D.K.; Williams, R.S.; Luthcke, S.B.; DiGirolamo, N.E.

2008-01-01

A daily time series of 'clear-sky' surface temperature has been compiled of the Greenland ice sheet (GIS) using 1 km resolution moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) land-surface temperature (LST) maps from 2000 to 2006. We also used mass-concentration data from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) to study mass change in relationship to surface melt from 2003 to 2006. The mean LST of the GIS increased during the study period by ???0.27??Ca-1. The increase was especially notable in the northern half of the ice sheet during the winter months. Melt-season length and timing were also studied in each of the six major drainage basins. Rapid (<15 days) and sustained mass loss below 2000 m elevation was triggered in 2004 and 2005 as recorded by GRACE when surface melt begins. Initiation of large-scale surface melt was followed rapidly by mass loss. This indicates that surface meltwater is flowing rapidly to the base of the ice sheet, causing acceleration of outlet glaciers, thus highlighting the metastability of parts of the GIS and the vulnerability of the ice sheet to air-temperature increases. If air temperatures continue to rise over Greenland, increased surface melt will play a large role in ice-sheet mass loss.

An Explanation for the Arctic Sea Ice Melt Pond Fractal Transition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Popovic, P.; Abbot, D. S.

2016-12-01

As Arctic sea ice melts during the summer, pools of melt water form on its surface. This decreases the ice's albedo, which signifcantly impacts its subsequent evolution. Understanding this process is essential for buiding accurate sea ice models in GCMs and using them to forecast future changes in sea ice. A feature of melt ponds that helps determine their impact on ice albedo is that they often form complex geometric shapes. One characteristic of their shape, the fractal dimension of the pond boundaries, D, has been shown to transition between the two fundamental limits of D = 1 and D = 2 at some critical pond size. Here, we provide an explanation for this behavior. First, using aerial photographs taken during the SHEBA mission, we show how this fractal transition curve changes with time, and show that there is a qualitative difference in the pond shape as ice transitions from impermeable to permeable. While ice is impermeable, the maximum fractal dimension is less than 2, whereas after it becomes permeable, the maximum fractal dimension becomes very close to 2. We then show how the fractal dimension of the boundary of a collection of overlapping circles placed randomly on a plane also transitions from D = 1 to D = 2 at a size equal to the average size of a single circle. We, therefore, conclude that this transition is a simple geometric consequence of regular shapes connecting. The one physical parameter that can be extracted from the fractal transition curve is the length scale at which transition occurs. Previously, this length scale has been associated with the typical size of snow dunes created on the ice surface during winter. We provide an alternative explanation by noting that the flexural wavelength of the ice poses a fundamental limit on the size of melt ponds on permeable ice. If this is true, melt ponds could be used as a proxy for ice thickness. Finally, we provide some remarks on how to observationally distinguish between the two ideas for what

Warm Rivers Play Role in Arctic Sea Ice Melt

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-03-05

Beaufort Sea surface temperatures where Canada Mackenzie River discharges into the Arctic Ocean, measured by NASA MODIS instrument; warm river waters had broken through a shoreline sea ice barrier to enhance sea ice melt.

Freezing, melting and structure of ice in a hydrophilic nanopore.

PubMed

Moore, Emily B; de la Llave, Ezequiel; Welke, Kai; Scherlis, Damian A; Molinero, Valeria

2010-04-28

The nucleation, growth, structure and melting of ice in 3 nm diameter hydrophilic nanopores are studied through molecular dynamics simulations with the mW water model. The melting temperature of water in the pore was T(m)(pore) = 223 K, 51 K lower than the melting point of bulk water in the model and in excellent agreement with experimental determinations for 3 nm silica pores. Liquid and ice coexist in equilibrium at the melting point and down to temperatures as low as 180 K. Liquid water is located at the interface of the pore wall, increasing from one monolayer at the freezing temperature, T(f)(pore) = 195 K, to two monolayers a few degrees below T(m)(pore). Crystallization of ice in the pore occurs through homogeneous nucleation. At the freezing temperature, the critical nucleus contains approximately 75 to 100 molecules, with a radius of gyration similar to the radius of the pore. The critical nuclei contain features of both cubic and hexagonal ice, although stacking of hexagonal and cubic layers is not defined until the nuclei reach approximately 150 molecules. The structure of the confined ice is rich in stacking faults, in agreement with the interpretation of X-ray and neutron diffraction experiments. Though the presence of cubic layers is twice as prevalent as hexagonal ones, the crystals should not be considered defective Ic as sequences with more than three adjacent cubic (or hexagonal) layers are extremely rare in the confined ice.

Stochastic dynamics of melt ponds and sea ice-albedo climate feedback

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sudakov, Ivan

Evolution of melt ponds on the Arctic sea surface is a complicated stochastic process. We suggest a low-order model with ice-albedo feedback which describes stochastic dynamics of melt ponds geometrical characteristics. The model is a stochastic dynamical system model of energy balance in the climate system. We describe the equilibria in this model. We conclude the transition in fractal dimension of melt ponds affects the shape of the sea ice albedo curve.

Enhanced wintertime greenhouse effect reinforcing Arctic amplification and initial sea-ice melting.

PubMed

Cao, Yunfeng; Liang, Shunlin; Chen, Xiaona; He, Tao; Wang, Dongdong; Cheng, Xiao

2017-08-16

The speeds of both Arctic surface warming and sea-ice shrinking have accelerated over recent decades. However, the causes of this unprecedented phenomenon remain unclear and are subjects of considerable debate. In this study, we report strong observational evidence, for the first time from long-term (1984-2014) spatially complete satellite records, that increased cloudiness and atmospheric water vapor in winter and spring have caused an extraordinary downward longwave radiative flux to the ice surface, which may then amplify the Arctic wintertime ice-surface warming. In addition, we also provide observed evidence that it is quite likely the enhancement of the wintertime greenhouse effect caused by water vapor and cloudiness has advanced the time of onset of ice melting in mid-May through inhibiting sea-ice refreezing in the winter and accelerating the pre-melting process in the spring, and in turn triggered the positive sea-ice albedo feedback process and accelerated the sea ice melting in the summer.

A 400-Year Ice Core Melt Layer Record of Summertime Warming in the Alaska Range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winski, Dominic; Osterberg, Erich; Kreutz, Karl; Wake, Cameron; Ferris, David; Campbell, Seth; Baum, Mark; Bailey, Adriana; Birkel, Sean; Introne, Douglas; Handley, Mike

2018-04-01

Warming in high-elevation regions has societally important impacts on glacier mass balance, water resources, and sensitive alpine ecosystems, yet very few high-elevation temperature records exist from the middle or high latitudes. While a variety of paleoproxy records provide critical temperature records from low elevations over recent centuries, melt layers preserved in alpine glaciers present an opportunity to develop calibrated, annually resolved temperature records from high elevations. Here we present a 400-year temperature proxy record based on the melt layer stratigraphy of two ice cores collected from Mt. Hunter in Denali National Park in the central Alaska Range. The ice core record shows a sixtyfold increase in water equivalent total annual melt between the preindustrial period (before 1850 Common Era) and present day. We calibrate the melt record to summer temperatures based on weather station data from the ice core drill site and find that the increase in melt production represents a summer warming rate of at least 1.92 ± 0.31°C per century during the last 100 years, exceeding rates of temperature increase at most low-elevation sites in Alaska. The Mt. Hunter melt layer record is significantly (p < 0.05) correlated with surface temperatures in the central tropical Pacific through a Rossby wave-like pattern that enhances high temperatures over Alaska. Our results show that rapid alpine warming has taken place in the Alaska Range for at least a century and that conditions in the tropical oceans contribute to this warming.

The influence of double-diffusive processes on the melting of ice in the Arctic Ocean: laboratory analogue experiments and their interpretation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turner, J. S.; Veronis, G.

2004-03-01

This study has been motivated by two oceanographic observations: an increased rate of melting of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean, and the advance of an anomalously warm tongue of Atlantic water across the Arctic below the halocline over the last few decades. A series of laboratory experiments has been carried out in order to explore the physical principles underlying these phenomena, and the possibility that the extra heating at depth is responsible for the enhanced melting rate. A tank was filled with salt solution having various constant vertical density gradients. A block of ice one third of the length of the tank was floated on the surface at one end, and the rest of the surface and the walls of the tank were insulated. When no extra heat was supplied the melting rate (loss of weight of the ice in 1 h) systematically decreased as the stratification was changed from homogeneous fluid to increasingly large density gradients, while keeping the salinity of the solution in contact with the ice constant. An analogue of the intruding Atlantic water was produced by heating the lower portion of the vertical end wall at the end of the tank opposite to the ice end, keeping its temperature constant, and using the same range of salinity gradients as in the unheated experiments. Again the melting rate decreased as the density gradient was increased, but for low gradients it was larger than that in the unheated experiments. Above a certain intermediate gradient there was no significant difference in melting rate between the unheated and heated runs. The melting data were supplemented by photographs and vertical temperature and salinity profiles. The upward transfer of heat from the body of the fluid to melt the ice was clearly double-diffusive: overturning layers, separated by 'diffusive' interfaces, were visible on shadowgraphs, and the thickness of the layers decreased as the density gradient increased. The mean thickness of the layers through the depth of the tank also

New Equations for the Sublimation Pressure and Melting Pressure of H2O Ice Ih

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wagner, Wolfgang; Riethmann, Thomas; Feistel, Rainer; Harvey, Allan H.

2011-12-01

New reference equations, adopted by the International Association for the Properties of Water and Steam (IAPWS), are presented for the sublimation pressure and melting pressure of ice Ih as a function of temperature. These equations are based on input values derived from the phase-equilibrium condition between the IAPWS-95 scientific standard for thermodynamic properties of fluid H2O and the equation of state of H2O ice Ih adopted by IAPWS in 2006, making them thermodynamically consistent with the bulk-phase properties. Compared to the previous IAPWS formulations, which were empirical fits to experimental data, the new equations have significantly less uncertainty. The sublimation-pressure equation covers the temperature range from 50 K to the vapor-liquid-solid triple point at 273.16 K. The ice Ih melting-pressure equation describes the entire melting curve from 273.16 K to the ice Ih-ice III-liquid triple point at 251.165 K. For completeness, we also give the IAPWS melting-pressure equation for ice III, which is slightly adjusted to agree with the ice Ih melting-pressure equation at the corresponding triple point, and the unchanged IAPWS melting-pressure equations for ice V, ice VI, and ice VII.

Simple Rules Govern the Patterns of Arctic Sea Ice Melt Ponds.

PubMed

Popović, Predrag; Cael, B B; Silber, Mary; Abbot, Dorian S

2018-04-06

Climate change, amplified in the far north, has led to rapid sea ice decline in recent years. In the summer, melt ponds form on the surface of Arctic sea ice, significantly lowering the ice reflectivity (albedo) and thereby accelerating ice melt. Pond geometry controls the details of this crucial feedback; however, a reliable model of pond geometry does not currently exist. Here we show that a simple model of voids surrounding randomly sized and placed overlapping circles reproduces the essential features of pond patterns. The only two model parameters, characteristic circle radius and coverage fraction, are chosen by comparing, between the model and the aerial photographs of the ponds, two correlation functions which determine the typical pond size and their connectedness. Using these parameters, the void model robustly reproduces the ponds' area-perimeter and area-abundance relationships over more than 6 orders of magnitude. By analyzing the correlation functions of ponds on several dates, we also find that the pond scale and the connectedness are surprisingly constant across different years and ice types. Moreover, we find that ponds resemble percolation clusters near the percolation threshold. These results demonstrate that the geometry and abundance of Arctic melt ponds can be simply described, which can be exploited in future models of Arctic melt ponds that would improve predictions of the response of sea ice to Arctic warming.

Simple Rules Govern the Patterns of Arctic Sea Ice Melt Ponds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Popović, Predrag; Cael, B. B.; Silber, Mary; Abbot, Dorian S.

2018-04-01

Climate change, amplified in the far north, has led to rapid sea ice decline in recent years. In the summer, melt ponds form on the surface of Arctic sea ice, significantly lowering the ice reflectivity (albedo) and thereby accelerating ice melt. Pond geometry controls the details of this crucial feedback; however, a reliable model of pond geometry does not currently exist. Here we show that a simple model of voids surrounding randomly sized and placed overlapping circles reproduces the essential features of pond patterns. The only two model parameters, characteristic circle radius and coverage fraction, are chosen by comparing, between the model and the aerial photographs of the ponds, two correlation functions which determine the typical pond size and their connectedness. Using these parameters, the void model robustly reproduces the ponds' area-perimeter and area-abundance relationships over more than 6 orders of magnitude. By analyzing the correlation functions of ponds on several dates, we also find that the pond scale and the connectedness are surprisingly constant across different years and ice types. Moreover, we find that ponds resemble percolation clusters near the percolation threshold. These results demonstrate that the geometry and abundance of Arctic melt ponds can be simply described, which can be exploited in future models of Arctic melt ponds that would improve predictions of the response of sea ice to Arctic warming.

Quantifying the Evolution of Melt Ponds in the Marginal Ice Zone Using High Resolution Optical Imagery and Neural Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ortiz, M.; Pinales, J. C.; Graber, H. C.; Wilkinson, J.; Lund, B.

2016-02-01

Melt ponds on sea ice play a significant and complex role on the thermodynamics in the Marginal Ice Zone (MIZ). Ponding reduces the sea ice's ability to reflect sunlight, and in consequence, exacerbates the albedo positive feedback cycle. In order to understand how melt ponds work and their effect on the heat uptake of sea ice, we must quantify ponds through their seasonal evolution first. A semi-supervised neural network three-class learning scheme using a gradient descent with momentum and adaptive learning rate backpropagation function is applied to classify melt ponds/melt areas in the Beaufort Sea region. The network uses high resolution panchromatic satellite images from the MEDEA program, which are collocated with autonomous platform arrays from the Marginal Ice Zone Program, including ice mass-balance buoys, arctic weather stations and wave buoys. The goal of the study is to capture the spatial variation of melt onset and freeze-up of the ponds within the MIZ, and gather ponding statistics such as size and concentration. The innovation of this work comes from training the neural network as the melt ponds evolve over time; making the machine learning algorithm time-dependent, which has not been previously done. We will achieve this by analyzing the image histograms through quantification of the minima and maxima intensity changes as well as linking textural variation information of the imagery. We will compare the evolution of the melt ponds against several different array sites on the sea ice to explore if there are spatial differences among the separated platforms in the MIZ.

Evolution of Meltwater on the McMurdo Ice Shelf, Antarctica During Two Summer Melt Seasons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Macdonald, G. J.; Banwell, A. F.; Willis, I.; Mayer, D. P.; Hansen, E. K.; MacAyeal, D. R.

2017-12-01

Ice shelves surround > 50% of Antarctica's coast and their response to climate change is key to the ice sheet's future and global sea-level rise. Observations of the development and drainage of 2750 lakes prior to the collapse of the Larsen B Ice Shelf, combined with our understanding of ice-shelf flexure/fracture, suggest that surface meltwater plays a key role in ice-shelf stability, although the present state of knowledge remains limited. Here, we report results of an investigation into the seasonal evolution of meltwater on the McMurdo Ice Shelf (MIS) during the 2015/16 and 2016/17 austral summers using satellite remote sensing, complemented by ground survey. Although the MIS is relatively far south (78° S), it experiences relatively high ablation rates in the west due to adiabatically warmed winds, making it a useful example of how meltwater could evolve on more southerly ice shelves in a warming climate. We calculate the areas and depths of ponded surface meltwater on the ice shelf at different stages of the two melt seasons using a modified NDWI approach and water-depth algorithm applied to both Landsat 8 and Worldview imagery. Data from two automatic weather stations on the ice shelf are used to drive a positive degree-day model to compare our observations of surface water volumes with modelled meltwater production. Results suggest that the spatial and temporal variations in surface meltwater coverage on the ice shelf vary not only with climatic conditions but also in response to other important processes. First, a rift that widens and propagates between the two melt seasons intercepts meltwater streams, redirecting flow and facilitating ponding elsewhere. Second, some lakes from previous years remain frozen over and become pedestalled, causing streams to divert around their perimeter. Third, surface debris conditions also cause large-scale spatial variation in melt rates and the flow and storage of water.

Sea ice breakup and marine melt of a retreating tidewater outlet glacier in northeast Greenland (81°N).

PubMed

Bendtsen, Jørgen; Mortensen, John; Lennert, Kunuk; K Ehn, Jens; Boone, Wieter; Galindo, Virginie; Hu, Yu-Bin; Dmitrenko, Igor A; Kirillov, Sergei A; Kjeldsen, Kristian K; Kristoffersen, Yngve; G Barber, David; Rysgaard, Søren

2017-07-10

Rising temperatures in the Arctic cause accelerated mass loss from the Greenland Ice Sheet and reduced sea ice cover. Tidewater outlet glaciers represent direct connections between glaciers and the ocean where melt rates at the ice-ocean interface are influenced by ocean temperature and circulation. However, few measurements exist near outlet glaciers from the northern coast towards the Arctic Ocean that has remained nearly permanently ice covered. Here we present hydrographic measurements along the terminus of a major retreating tidewater outlet glacier from Flade Isblink Ice Cap. We show that the region is characterized by a relatively large change of the seasonal freshwater content, corresponding to ~2 m of freshwater, and that solar heating during the short open water period results in surface layer temperatures above 1 °C. Observations of temperature and salinity supported that the outlet glacier is a floating ice shelf with near-glacial subsurface temperatures at the freezing point. Melting from the surface layer significantly influenced the ice foot morphology of the glacier terminus. Hence, melting of the tidewater outlet glacier was found to be critically dependent on the retreat of sea ice adjacent to the terminus and the duration of open water.

Arctic Ice Melting: National Security Implications

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-02-01

be a curse rather than a good, and under no conditions can it either lead into freedom or constitute a proof for its existence. - Hannah ... Arendt 39 How will the domestic or foreign economic policies of the United States be affected by Arctic ice melting? Increased access to the

Antifreeze protein-induced superheating of ice inside Antarctic notothenioid fishes inhibits melting during summer warming

PubMed Central

Cziko, Paul A.; DeVries, Arthur L.; Evans, Clive W.; Cheng, Chi-Hing Christina

2014-01-01

Antifreeze proteins (AFPs) of polar marine teleost fishes are widely recognized as an evolutionary innovation of vast adaptive value in that, by adsorbing to and inhibiting the growth of internalized environmental ice crystals, they prevent death by inoculative freezing. Paradoxically, systemic accumulation of AFP-stabilized ice could also be lethal. Whether or how fishes eliminate internal ice is unknown. To investigate if ice inside high-latitude Antarctic notothenioid fishes could melt seasonally, we measured its melting point and obtained a decadal temperature record from a shallow benthic fish habitat in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. We found that AFP-stabilized ice resists melting at temperatures above the expected equilibrium freezing/melting point (eqFMP), both in vitro and in vivo. Superheated ice was directly observed in notothenioid serum samples and in solutions of purified AFPs, and ice was found to persist inside live fishes at temperatures more than 1 °C above their eqFMP for at least 24 h, and at a lower temperature for at least several days. Field experiments confirmed that superheated ice occurs naturally inside wild fishes. Over the long-term record (1999–2012), seawater temperature surpassed the fish eqFMP in most summers, but never exceeded the highest temperature at which ice persisted inside experimental fishes. Thus, because of the effects of AFP-induced melting inhibition, summer warming may not reliably eliminate internal ice. Our results expose a potentially antagonistic pleiotropic effect of AFPs: beneficial freezing avoidance is accompanied by melting inhibition that may contribute to lifelong accumulation of detrimental internal ice crystals. PMID:25246548

Antifreeze protein-induced superheating of ice inside Antarctic notothenioid fishes inhibits melting during summer warming.

PubMed

Cziko, Paul A; DeVries, Arthur L; Evans, Clive W; Cheng, Chi-Hing Christina

2014-10-07

Antifreeze proteins (AFPs) of polar marine teleost fishes are widely recognized as an evolutionary innovation of vast adaptive value in that, by adsorbing to and inhibiting the growth of internalized environmental ice crystals, they prevent death by inoculative freezing. Paradoxically, systemic accumulation of AFP-stabilized ice could also be lethal. Whether or how fishes eliminate internal ice is unknown. To investigate if ice inside high-latitude Antarctic notothenioid fishes could melt seasonally, we measured its melting point and obtained a decadal temperature record from a shallow benthic fish habitat in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. We found that AFP-stabilized ice resists melting at temperatures above the expected equilibrium freezing/melting point (eqFMP), both in vitro and in vivo. Superheated ice was directly observed in notothenioid serum samples and in solutions of purified AFPs, and ice was found to persist inside live fishes at temperatures more than 1 °C above their eqFMP for at least 24 h, and at a lower temperature for at least several days. Field experiments confirmed that superheated ice occurs naturally inside wild fishes. Over the long-term record (1999-2012), seawater temperature surpassed the fish eqFMP in most summers, but never exceeded the highest temperature at which ice persisted inside experimental fishes. Thus, because of the effects of AFP-induced melting inhibition, summer warming may not reliably eliminate internal ice. Our results expose a potentially antagonistic pleiotropic effect of AFPs: beneficial freezing avoidance is accompanied by melting inhibition that may contribute to lifelong accumulation of detrimental internal ice crystals.

Using Melting Ice to Teach Radiometric Dating.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wise, Donald Underkofler

1990-01-01

Presented is an activity in which a mystery setting is used to motivate students to construct their own decay curves of melting ice used as an analogy to radioactive decay. Procedures, materials, apparatus, discussion topics, presentation, and thermodynamics are discussed. (CW)

Enhanced ice sheet melting driven by volcanic eruptions during the last deglaciation.

PubMed

Muschitiello, Francesco; Pausata, Francesco S R; Lea, James M; Mair, Douglas W F; Wohlfarth, Barbara

2017-10-24

Volcanic eruptions can impact the mass balance of ice sheets through changes in climate and the radiative properties of the ice. Yet, empirical evidence highlighting the sensitivity of ancient ice sheets to volcanism is scarce. Here we present an exceptionally well-dated annual glacial varve chronology recording the melting history of the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet at the end of the last deglaciation (∼13,200-12,000 years ago). Our data indicate that abrupt ice melting events coincide with volcanogenic aerosol emissions recorded in Greenland ice cores. We suggest that enhanced ice sheet runoff is primarily associated with albedo effects due to deposition of ash sourced from high-latitude volcanic eruptions. Climate and snowpack mass-balance simulations show evidence for enhanced ice sheet runoff under volcanically forced conditions despite atmospheric cooling. The sensitivity of past ice sheets to volcanic ashfall highlights the need for an accurate coupling between atmosphere and ice sheet components in climate models.

Rapid changes in surface water carbonate chemistry during Antarctic sea ice melt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, Elizabeth M.; Bakker, Dorothee C. E.; Venables, Hugh J.; Whitehouse, Michael J.; Korb, Rebecca E.; Watson, Andrew J.

2010-11-01

ABSTRACT The effect of sea ice melt on the carbonate chemistry of surface waters in the Weddell-Scotia Confluence, Southern Ocean, was investigated during January 2008. Contrasting concentrations of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), total alkalinity (TA) and the fugacity of carbon dioxide (fCO2) were observed in and around the receding sea ice edge. The precipitation of carbonate minerals such as ikaite (CaCO3.6H2O) in sea ice brine has the net effect of decreasing DIC and TA and increasing the fCO2 in the brine. Deficits in DIC up to 12 +/- 3 μmol kg-1 in the marginal ice zone (MIZ) were consistent with the release of DIC-poor brines to surface waters during sea ice melt. Biological utilization of carbon was the dominant processes and accounted for 41 +/- 1 μmol kg-1 of the summer DIC deficit. The data suggest that the combined effects of biological carbon uptake and the precipitation of carbonates created substantial undersaturation in fCO2 of 95 μatm in the MIZ during summer sea ice melt. Further work is required to improve the understanding of ikaite chemistry in Antarctic sea ice and its importance for the sea ice carbon pump.

Percolation blockage: A process that enables melt pond formation on first year Arctic sea ice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Polashenski, Chris; Golden, Kenneth M.; Perovich, Donald K.; Skyllingstad, Eric; Arnsten, Alexandra; Stwertka, Carolyn; Wright, Nicholas

2017-01-01

Melt pond formation atop Arctic sea ice is a primary control of shortwave energy balance in the Arctic Ocean. During late spring and summer, the ponds determine sea ice albedo and how much solar radiation is transmitted into the upper ocean through the sea ice. The initial formation of ponds requires that melt water be retained above sea level on the ice surface. Both theory and observations, however, show that first year sea ice is so highly porous prior to the formation of melt ponds that multiday retention of water above hydraulic equilibrium should not be possible. Here we present results of percolation experiments that identify and directly demonstrate a mechanism allowing melt pond formation. The infiltration of fresh water into the pore structure of sea ice is responsible for blocking percolation pathways with ice, sealing the ice against water percolation, and allowing water to pool above sea level. We demonstrate that this mechanism is dependent on fresh water availability, known to be predominantly from snowmelt, and ice temperature at melt onset. We argue that the blockage process has the potential to exert significant control over interannual variability in ice albedo. Finally, we suggest that incorporating the mechanism into models would enhance their physical realism. Full treatment would be complex. We provide a simple temperature threshold-based scheme that may be used to incorporate percolation blockage behavior into existing model frameworks.

Modeling the heating and melting of sea ice through light absorption by microalgae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeebe, Richard E.; Eicken, Hajo; Robinson, Dale H.; Wolf-Gladrow, Dieter; Dieckmann, Gerhard S.

1996-01-01

In sea ice of polar regions, high concentrations of microalgae are observed during the spring. Algal standing stocks may attain peak values of over 300 mg chl a m-2 in the congelation ice habitat. As of yet, the effect of additional heating of sea ice through conversion of solar radiation into heat by algae has not been investigated in detail. Local effects, such as a decrease in albedo, increasing melt rates, and a decrease of the physical strength of ice sheets may occur. To investigate the effects of microalgae on the thermal regime of sea ice, a time-dependent, one-dimensional thermodynamic model of sea ice was coupled to a bio-optical model. A spectral one-stream model was employed to determine spectral attenuation by snow, sea ice, and microalgae. Beer's law was assumed to hold for every wavelength. Energy absorption was obtained by calculating the divergence of irradiance in every layer of the model (Δz = 1 cm). Changes in sea ice temperature profiles were calculated by solving the heat conduction equation with a finite difference scheme. Model results indicate that when algal biomass is concentrated at the bottom of congelation ice, melting of ice resulting from the additional conversion of solar radiation into heat may effectively destroy the algal habitat, thereby releasing algal biomass into the water column. An algal layer located in the top of the ice sheet induced a significant increase in sea ice temperature (ΔT > 0.3 K) for snow depths less than 5 cm and algal standing stocks higher than 150 mg chl a m-2. Furthermore, under these conditions, brine volume increased by 21% from 181 to 219 parts per thousand, which decreased the physical strength of the ice.

Update on the Greenland Ice Sheet Melt Extent: 1979-1999

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abdalati, Waleed; Steffen, Konrad

2000-01-01

Analysis of melt extent on the Greenland ice sheet is updated to span the time period 1979-1999 is examined along with its spatial and temporal variability using passive microwave satellite data. In order to acquire the full record, the issue of continuity between previous passive microwave sensors (SMMR, SSM/I F-8, and SSM/I F-11), and the most recent SSM/I F-13 sensor is addressed. The F-13 Cross-polarized gradient ratio (XPGR) melt-classification threshold is determined to be -0.0154. Results show that for the 21-year record, an increasing melt trend of nearly 1 %/yr is observed, and this trend is driven by conditions on in the western portion of the ice sheet, rather than the east, where melt appears to have decreased slightly. Moreover, the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991 is likely to have had some impact the melt, but not as much as previously suspected. The 1992 melt anomaly is 1.7 standard deviations from the mean. Finally, the relationship between coastal temperatures and melt extent suggest an increase in surface runoff contribution to sea level of 0.31 mm/yr for a 1 C temperature rise.

The color of melt ponds on Arctic sea ice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Peng; Leppäranta, Matti; Cheng, Bin; Li, Zhijun; Istomina, Larysa; Heygster, Georg

2018-04-01

Pond color, which creates the visual appearance of melt ponds on Arctic sea ice in summer, is quantitatively investigated using a two-stream radiative transfer model for ponded sea ice. The upwelling irradiance from the pond surface is determined and then its spectrum is transformed into RGB (red, green, blue) color space using a colorimetric method. The dependence of pond color on various factors such as water and ice properties and incident solar radiation is investigated. The results reveal that increasing underlying ice thickness Hi enhances both the green and blue intensities of pond color, whereas the red intensity is mostly sensitive to Hi for thin ice (Hi < 1.5 m) and to pond depth Hp for thick ice (Hi > 1.5 m), similar to the behavior of melt-pond albedo. The distribution of the incident solar spectrum F0 with wavelength affects the pond color rather than its intensity. The pond color changes from dark blue to brighter blue with increasing scattering in ice, and the influence of absorption in ice on pond color is limited. The pond color reproduced by the model agrees with field observations for Arctic sea ice in summer, which supports the validity of this study. More importantly, the pond color has been confirmed to contain information about meltwater and underlying ice, and therefore it can be used as an index to retrieve Hi and Hp. Retrievals of Hi for thin ice (Hi < 1 m) agree better with field measurements than retrievals for thick ice, but those of Hp are not good. The analysis of pond color is a new potential method to obtain thin ice thickness in summer, although more validation data and improvements to the radiative transfer model will be needed in future.

Warm Rivers Play Role in Arctic Sea Ice Melt Animation

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-03-05

This frame from a NASA MODIS animation depicts warming sea surface temperatures in the Arctic Beaufort Sea after warm waters from Canada Mackenzie River broke through a shoreline sea ice barrier in summer 2012, enhancing the melting of sea ice.

The effects of sub-ice-shelf melting on dense shelf water formation and export in idealized simulations of Antarctic margins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marques, Gustavo; Stern, Alon; Harrison, Matthew; Sergienko, Olga; Hallberg, Robert

2017-04-01

Dense shelf water (DSW) is formed in coastal polynyas around Antarctica as a result of intense cooling and brine rejection. A fraction of this water reaches ice shelves cavities and is modified due to interactions with sub-ice-shelf melt water. This modified water mass contributes to the formation of Antarctic Bottom Water, and consequently, influences the large-scale ocean circulation. Here, we investigate the role of sub-ice-shelf melting in the formation and export of DSW using idealized simulations with an isopycnal ocean model (MOM6) coupled with a sea ice model (SIS2) and a thermodynamic active ice shelf. A set of experiments is conducted with variable horizontal grid resolutions (0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 km), ice shelf geometries and atmospheric forcing. In all simulations DSW is spontaneously formed in coastal polynyas due to the combined effect of the imposed atmospheric forcing and the ocean state. Our results show that sub-ice-shelf melting can significantly change the rate of dense shelf water outflows, highlighting the importance of this process to correctly represent bottom water formation.

Object-based Image Classification of Arctic Sea Ice and Melt Ponds through Aerial Photos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miao, X.; Xie, H.; Li, Z.; Lei, R.

2013-12-01

The last six years have marked the lowest Arctic summer sea ice extents in the modern era, with a new record summer minimum (3.4 million km2) set on 13 September 2012. It has been predicted that the Arctic could be free of summer ice within the next 25-30. The loss of Arctic summer ice could have serious consequences, such as higher water temperature due to the positive feedback of albedo, more powerful and frequent storms, rising sea levels, diminished habitats for polar animals, and more pollution due to fossil fuel exploitation and/ or increased traffic through the Northwest/ Northeast Passage. In these processes, melt ponds play an important role in Earth's radiation balance since they strongly absorb solar radiation rather than reflecting it as snow and ice do. Therefore, it is necessary to develop the ability of predicting the sea ice/ melt pond extents and space-time evolution, which is pivotal to prepare for the variation and uncertainty of the future environment, political, economic, and military needs. A lot of efforts have been put into Arctic sea ice modeling to simulate sea ice processes. However, these sea ice models were initiated and developed based on limited field surveys, aircraft or satellite image data. Therefore, it is necessary to collect high resolution sea ice aerial photo in a systematic way to tune up, validate, and improve models. Currently there are many sea ice aerial photos available, such as Chinese Arctic Exploration (CHINARE 2008, 2010, 2012), SHEBA 1998 and HOTRAX 2005. However, manually delineating of sea ice and melt pond from these images is time-consuming and labor-intensive. In this study, we use the object-based remote sensing classification scheme to extract sea ice and melt ponds efficiently from 1,727 aerial photos taken during the CHINARE 2010. The algorithm includes three major steps as follows. (1) Image segmentation groups the neighboring pixels into objects according to the similarity of spectral and texture

Geothermal flux and basal melt rate in the Dome C region inferred from radar reflectivity and heat modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Passalacqua, Olivier; Ritz, Catherine; Parrenin, Frédéric; Urbini, Stefano; Frezzotti, Massimo

2017-09-01

Basal melt rate is the most important physical quantity to be evaluated when looking for an old-ice drilling site, and it depends to a great extent on the geothermal flux (GF), which is poorly known under the East Antarctic ice sheet. Given that wet bedrock has higher reflectivity than dry bedrock, the wetness of the ice-bed interface can be assessed using radar echoes from the bedrock. But, since basal conditions depend on heat transfer forced by climate but lagged by the thick ice, the basal ice may currently be frozen whereas in the past it was generally melting. For that reason, the risk of bias between present and past conditions has to be evaluated. The objective of this study is to assess which locations in the Dome C area could have been protected from basal melting at any time in the past, which requires evaluating GF. We used an inverse approach to retrieve GF from radar-inferred distribution of wet and dry beds. A 1-D heat model is run over the last 800 ka to constrain the value of GF by assessing a critical ice thickness, i.e. the minimum ice thickness that would allow the present local distribution of basal melting. A regional map of the GF was then inferred over a 80 km × 130 km area, with a N-S gradient and with values ranging from 48 to 60 mW m-2. The forward model was then emulated by a polynomial function to compute a time-averaged value of the spatially variable basal melt rate over the region. Three main subregions appear to be free of basal melting, two because of a thin overlying ice and one, north of Dome C, because of a low GF.

Documenting Melting Features of the Greenland Ice Sheet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tedesco, M.

2011-12-01

There is an increasing interest in studying the Greenland Ice Sheet, its hydrology and dynamics over the short term and longer term because of the potential impact of a warming Arctic. Major studies concern about whether increased surface melting will lead to changes in production of supraglacial lakes and subglacial water pressures and hence , potentially, rates of ice movement. In this talk I will show movies recorded over the past three years form fieldwork activities carried out over the West Greenland ice sheet. In particular, I will project and comment movies concerning surface streams and supraglacial lakes, as the one at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbuFphwJn4c. I will discuss the importance of observing such phenomena and how the recorded videos can be used to summarize scientific studies and communicate the relevance of scientific findings. I will also show, for the first time, the video of the drainage of a supraglacial lake, an event during which a lake ~ 6 m deep and ~ 1 km drained in ~ 1.5 hours. This section of the movie is under development as video material was collected during our latest expedition in June 2011.

The coupled response to slope-dependent basal melting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Little, C. M.; Goldberg, D. N.; Sergienko, O. V.; Gnanadesikan, A.

2009-12-01

Ice shelf basal melting is likely to be strongly controlled by basal slope. If ice shelves steepen in response to intensified melting, it suggests instability in the coupled ice-ocean system. The dynamic response of ice shelves governs what stable morphologies are possible, and thus the influence of melting on buttressing and grounding line migration. Simulations performed using a 3-D ocean model indicate that a simple form of slope-dependent melting is robust under more complex oceanographic conditions. Here we utilize this parameterization to investigate the shape and grounding line evolution of ice shelves, using a shallow-shelf approximation-based model that includes lateral drag. The distribution of melting substantially affects the shape and aspect ratio of unbuttressed ice shelves. Slope-dependent melting thins the ice shelf near the grounding line, reducing velocities throughout the shelf. Sharp ice thickness gradients evolve at high melting rates, yet grounding lines remain static. In foredeepened, buttressed ice shelves, changes in grounding line flux allow two additional options: stable or unstable retreat. Under some conditions, slope-dependent melting results in stable configurations even at high melt rates.

Quantifying Local Ablation Rates for the Greenland Ice Sheet Using Terrestrial LIDAR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kershner, C. M.; Pitcher, L. H.; LeWinter, A.; Finnegan, D. C.; Overstreet, B. T.; Miège, C.; Cooper, M. G.; Smith, L. C.; Rennermalm, A. K.

2016-12-01

Quantifying accurate ice surface ablation or melt rates for the Greenland Ice Sheet is important for calibrating and validating surface mass balance models and constraining sea level rise estimates. Common practice is to monitor surface ablation at defined points by manually measuring ice surface lowering in relation to stakes inserted into the ice / snow. However, this method does not account for the effects of local topography, solar zenith angle, and local variations in ice surface albedo/impurities on ablation rates. To directly address these uncertainties, we use a commercially available terrestrial LIDAR scanner (TLS) to monitor daily melt rates in the ablation zone of the Greenland Ice Sheet for 7 consecutive days in July 2016. Each survey is registered to previous scans using retroreflective cylinders and is georeferenced using static GPS measurements. Bulk ablation will be calculated using multi-temporal differential LIDAR techniques, and difficulties in referencing scans and collecting high quality surveys in this dynamic environment will be discussed, as well as areas for future research. We conclude that this novel application of TLS technology provides a spatially accurate, higher fidelity measurements of ablation across a larger area with less interpolation and less time spent than using traditional manual point based methods alone. Furthermore, this sets the stage for direct calibration, validation and cross-comparison with existing airborne (e.g. NASA's Airborne Topographic Mapper - ATM - onboard Operation IceBridge and NASA's Land, Vegetation & Ice Sensor - LVIS) and forthcoming spaceborne sensors (e.g. NASA's ICESat-2).

Ice sheet margins and ice shelves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomas, R. H.

1984-01-01

The effect of climate warming on the size of ice sheet margins in polar regions is considered. Particular attention is given to the possibility of a rapid response to warming on the order of tens to hundreds of years. It is found that the early response of the polar regions to climate warming would be an increase in the area of summer melt on the ice sheets and ice shelves. For sufficiently large warming (5-10C) the delayed effects would include the breakup of the ice shelves by an increase in ice drainage rates, particularly from the ice sheets. On the basis of published data for periodic changes in the thickness and melting rates of the marine ice sheets and fjord glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica, it is shown that the rate of retreat (or advance) of an ice sheet is primarily determined by: bedrock topography; the basal conditions of the grounded ice sheet; and the ice shelf condition downstream of the grounding line. A program of satellite and ground measurements to monitor the state of ice sheet equilibrium is recommended.

Changes in Arctic Melt Season and Implications for Sea Ice Loss

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stroeve, J. C.; Markus, T.; Boisvert, L.; Miller, J.; Barrett, A.

2014-01-01

The Arctic-wide melt season has lengthened at a rate of 5 days dec-1 from 1979 to 2013, dominated by later autumn freeze-up within the Kara, Laptev, East Siberian, Chukchi and Beaufort seas between 6 and 11 days dec(exp -1). While melt onset trends are generally smaller, the timing of melt onset has a large influence on the total amount of solar energy absorbed during summer. The additional heat stored in the upper ocean of approximately 752MJ m(exp -2) during the last decade, increases sea surface temperatures by 0.5 to 1.5 C and largely explains the observed delays in autumn freeze-up within the Arctic Ocean's adjacent seas. Cumulative anomalies in total absorbed solar radiation from May through September for the most recent pentad locally exceed 300-400 MJ m(exp -2) in the Beaufort, Chukchi and East Siberian seas. This extra solar energy is equivalent to melting 0.97 to 1.3 m of ice during the summer.

Climate change and forest fires synergistically drive widespread melt events of the Greenland Ice Sheet.

PubMed

Keegan, Kaitlin M; Albert, Mary R; McConnell, Joseph R; Baker, Ian

2014-06-03

In July 2012, over 97% of the Greenland Ice Sheet experienced surface melt, the first widespread melt during the era of satellite remote sensing. Analysis of six Greenland shallow firn cores from the dry snow region confirms that the most recent prior widespread melt occurred in 1889. A firn core from the center of the ice sheet demonstrated that exceptionally warm temperatures combined with black carbon sediments from Northern Hemisphere forest fires reduced albedo below a critical threshold in the dry snow region, and caused the melting events in both 1889 and 2012. We use these data to project the frequency of widespread melt into the year 2100. Since Arctic temperatures and the frequency of forest fires are both expected to rise with climate change, our results suggest that widespread melt events on the Greenland Ice Sheet may begin to occur almost annually by the end of century. These events are likely to alter the surface mass balance of the ice sheet, leaving the surface susceptible to further melting.

Channel-Like Bottom Features and High Bottom Melt Rates of Petermann Gletscher's Floating Tongue in Northwestern Greenland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steffen, K.; Huff, R. D.; Cullen, N.; Rignot, E.; Stewart, C.; Jenkins, A.

2003-12-01

Petermann Gletscher is the largest and most influential outlet glacier in central northern Greenland. Located at 81 N, 60 W, it drains an area of 71,580 km2, with a discharge of 12 cubic km of ice per year into the Arctic Ocean. We finished a second field season in spring 2003 collecting in situ data on local climate, ice velocity, strain rates, ice thickness profiles and bottom melt rates of the floating ice tongue. Last years findings have been confirmed that large channels of several hundred meters in depth at the underside of the floating ice tongue are running roughly parallel to the flow direction. We mapped these channels using ground penetrating radar at 25 MHz frequency and multi-phase radar in profiling mode over half of the glacier's width. In addition, NASA airborne laser altimeter data was collected along and cross-glacier for accurate assessment of surface topography. We will present a 3-D model of the floating ice tongue and provide hypothesis of the origin and mechanism that caused these large ice channels at the bottom of the floating ice tongue. Multi-phase radar point measurements revealed interesting results of bottom melt rates, which exceed all previous estimates. It is worth mentioned that the largest bottom melt rates were not found at the grounding line, which is common on ice shelves in the Antarctica. In addition, GPS tidal motion has been measured over one lunar cycle at the flex zone and on the free floating ice tongue and the result will be compared to historic measurements made at the beginning of last century. The surface climate has been recorded by two automatic weather stations over a 12 month period, and the local climate of this remote region will be presented.

The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation Stability Influenced by the Melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet under Various Warming Scenarios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gierz, P.; Lohmann, G.; Wei, W.; Barbi, D.

2012-12-01

In this study, we aim to model melting processes of the Greenland ice sheet over the next 1000 years using the Earth system model COSMOS with a dynamic ice sheet module. Of primary interest is the resulting impact on the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (GMOC/AMOC), which is expected to slow in response to a large freshwater (eg melt water) input. Six warming scenarios will be considered, one set corresponding to the IPCC's RPC Scenario 6, and another set corresponding to RPC Scenario 4.5, each time with 0.5, 1, and 2% increase of greenhouse gas concentration per year. It is expected that the freshwater input will slow down the AMOC overturning; each scenario producing a unique braking signal corresponding to how rapidly the Greenland ice sheet is forced to melt. It will be interesting to see if there is a CO2 threshold level at which the slowdown of the AMOC begins and the melting phenomena becomes unstable and positively reinforces itself or instead, as previous studies have demonstrated with a prescribed amount of melting, if the freshwater input always allows for an eventual recovery of the AMOC to a stable state regardless of the rapidity with which the salinity anomalies develop. The primary difference between this set of experiments and those in previous studies shall be the dynamic nature of the ice sheet model, as we will allow the Greenland ice sheet to melt solely based upon atmospheric conditions rather than prescribing a salinity change directly into the ocean model. It is expected that higher levels of greenhouse gases will result in more rapid melting, which in turn will have a stronger braking affect on the AMOC, possibly with longer recovery times to the starting equilibrium point. It will additionally be of interest to see if it is possible to create a shift in this equilibrium, suggesting that the rapidity with which density anomalies are introduced may create a new stable deep water formation rate. PRELIMINARY RESULTS - AMOC

Fragmentation and melting of the seasonal sea ice cover

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feltham, D. L.; Bateson, A.; Schroeder, D.; Ridley, J. K.; Aksenov, Y.

2017-12-01

Recent years have seen a rapid reduction in the summer extent of Arctic sea ice. This trend has implications for navigation, oil exploration, wildlife, and local communities. Furthermore the Arctic sea ice cover impacts the exchange of heat and momentum between the ocean and atmosphere with significant teleconnections across the climate system, particularly mid to low latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. The treatment of melting and break-up processes of the seasonal sea ice cover within climate models is currently limited. In particular floes are assumed to have a uniform size which does not evolve with time. Observations suggest however that floe sizes can be modelled as truncated power law distributions, with different exponents for smaller and larger floes. This study aims to examine factors controlling the floe size distribution in the seasonal and marginal ice zone. This includes lateral melting, wave induced break-up of floes, and the feedback between floe size and the mixed ocean layer. These results are then used to quantify the proximate mechanisms of seasonal sea ice reduction in a sea ice—ocean mixed layer model. Observations are used to assess and calibrate the model. The impacts of introducing these processes to the model will be discussed and the preliminary results of sensitivity and feedback studies will also be presented.

Widespread Refreezing of Both Surface and Basal Melt Water Beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bell, R. E.; Tinto, K. J.; Das, I.; Wolovick, M.; Chu, W.; Creyts, T. T.; Frearson, N.

2013-12-01

The isotopically and chemically distinct, bubble-free ice observed along the Greenland Ice Sheet margin both in the Russell Glacier and north of Jacobshavn must have formed when water froze from subglacial networks. Where this refreezing occurs and what impact it has on ice sheet processes remain unclear. We use airborne radar data to demonstrate that freeze-on to the ice sheet base and associated deformation produce large ice units up to 700 m thick throughout northern Greenland. Along the ice sheet margin, in the ablation zone, surface meltwater, delivered via moulins, refreezes to the ice sheet base over rugged topography. In the interior, water melted from the ice sheet base is refrozen and surrounded by folded ice. A significant fraction of the ice sheet is modified by basal freeze-on and associated deformation. For the Eqip and Petermann catchments, representing the ice sheet margin and interior respectively, extensive airborne radar datasets show that 10%-13% of the base of the ice sheet and up to a third of the catchment width is modified by basal freeze-on. The interior units develop over relatively subdued topography with modest water flux from basal melt where conductive cooling likely dominates. Steps in the bed topography associated with subglacial valley networks may foster glaciohydraulic supercooling. The ablation zone units develop where both surface melt and crevassing are widespread and large volumes of surface meltwater will reach the base of the ice sheet. The relatively steep topography at the upslope edge of the ablation zone units combined with the larger water flux suggests that supercooling plays a greater role in their formation. The ice qualities of the ablation zone units should reflect the relatively fresh surface melt whereas the chemistry of the interior units should reflect solute-rich basal melt. Changes in basal conditions such as the presence of till patches may contribute to the formation of the large basal units near the

Efficacy of sanitized ice in reducing bacterial load on fish fillet and in the water collected from the melted ice.

PubMed

Feliciano, Lizanel; Lee, Jaesung; Lopes, John A; Pascall, Melvin A

2010-05-01

This study investigated the efficacy of sanitized ice for the reduction of bacteria in the water collected from the ice that melted during storage of whole and filleted Tilapia fish. Also, bacterial reductions on the fish fillets were investigated. The sanitized ice was prepared by freezing solutions of PRO-SAN (an organic acid formulation) and neutral electrolyzed water (NEW). For the whole fish study, the survival of the natural microflora was determined from the water of the melted ice prepared with PRO-SAN and tap water. These water samples were collected during an 8 h storage period. For the fish fillet study, samples were inoculated with Escherichia coli K12, Listeria innocua, and Pseudomonas putida then stored on crushed sanitized ice. The efficacies of these were tested by enumerating each bacterial species on the fish fillet and in the water samples at 12 and 24 h intervals for 72 h, respectively. Results showed that each bacterial population was reduced during the test. However, a bacterial reduction of < 1 log CFU was obtained for the fillet samples. A maximum of approximately 2 log CFU and > 3 log CFU reductions were obtained in the waters sampled after the storage of whole fish and the fillets, respectively. These reductions were significantly (P < 0.05) higher in the water from sanitized ice when compared with the water from the unsanitized melted ice. These results showed that the organic acid formulation and NEW considerably reduced the bacterial numbers in the melted ice and thus reduced the potential for cross-contamination.

New insights into ice growth and melting modifications by antifreeze proteins

PubMed Central

Bar-Dolev, Maya; Celik, Yeliz; Wettlaufer, J. S.; Davies, Peter L.; Braslavsky, Ido

2012-01-01

Antifreeze proteins (AFPs) evolved in many organisms, allowing them to survive in cold climates by controlling ice crystal growth. The specific interactions of AFPs with ice determine their potential applications in agriculture, food preservation and medicine. AFPs control the shapes of ice crystals in a manner characteristic of the particular AFP type. Moderately active AFPs cause the formation of elongated bipyramidal crystals, often with seemingly defined facets, while hyperactive AFPs produce more varied crystal shapes. These different morphologies are generally considered to be growth shapes. In a series of bright light and fluorescent microscopy observations of ice crystals in solutions containing different AFPs, we show that crystal shaping also occurs during melting. In particular, the characteristic ice shapes observed in solutions of most hyperactive AFPs are formed during melting. We relate these findings to the affinities of the hyperactive AFPs for the basal plane of ice. Our results demonstrate the relation between basal plane affinity and hyperactivity and show a clear difference in the ice-shaping mechanisms of most moderate and hyperactive AFPs. This study provides key aspects associated with the identification of hyperactive AFPs. PMID:22787007

A 400-year ice core melt layer record of summertime warming in the Alaska Range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winski, D.; Osterberg, E. C.; Kreutz, K. J.; Wake, C. P.; Ferris, D. G.; Campbell, S. W.; Baum, M.; Raudzens Bailey, A.; Birkel, S. D.; Introne, D.; Handley, M.

2017-12-01

Warming in high-elevation regions has socially relevant impacts on glacier mass balance, water resources, and sensitive alpine ecosystems, yet very few high-elevation temperature records exist from the middle or high latitudes. While many terrestrial paleoclimate records provide critical temperature records from low elevations over recent centuries, melt layers preserved in alpine glaciers present an opportunity to develop calibrated, annually-resolved temperature records from high elevations. We present a 400-year temperature record based on the melt-layer stratigraphy in two ice cores collected from Mt. Hunter in the Central Alaska Range. The ice core record shows a 60-fold increase in melt frequency and water equivalent melt thickness between the pre-industrial period (before 1850) and present day. We calibrate the melt record to summer temperatures based on local and regional weather station analyses, and find that the increase in melt production represents a summer warming of at least 2° C, exceeding rates of temperature increase at most low elevation sites in Alaska. The Mt. Hunter melt layer record is significantly (p<0.05) correlated with surface temperatures in the central tropical Pacific through a Rossby-wave like pattern that induces high temperatures over Alaska. Our results show that rapid alpine warming has taken place in the Alaska Range for at least a century, and that conditions in the tropical oceans contribute to this warming.

The WAIS Melt Monitor: An automated ice core melting system for meltwater sample handling and the collection of high resolution microparticle size distribution data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Breton, D. J.; Koffman, B. G.; Kreutz, K. J.; Hamilton, G. S.

2010-12-01

Paleoclimate data are often extracted from ice cores by careful geochemical analysis of meltwater samples. The analysis of the microparticles found in ice cores can also yield unique clues about atmospheric dust loading and transport, dust provenance and past environmental conditions. Determination of microparticle concentration, size distribution and chemical makeup as a function of depth is especially difficult because the particle size measurement either consumes or contaminates the meltwater, preventing further geochemical analysis. Here we describe a microcontroller-based ice core melting system which allows the collection of separate microparticle and chemistry samples from the same depth intervals in the ice core, while logging and accurately depth-tagging real-time electrical conductivity and particle size distribution data. This system was designed specifically to support microparticle analysis of the WAIS Divide WDC06A deep ice core, but many of the subsystems are applicable to more general ice core melting operations. Major system components include: a rotary encoder to measure ice core melt displacement with 0.1 millimeter accuracy, a meltwater tracking system to assign core depths to conductivity, particle and sample vial data, an optical debubbler level control system to protect the Abakus laser particle counter from damage due to air bubbles, a Rabbit 3700 microcontroller which communicates with a host PC, collects encoder and optical sensor data and autonomously operates Gilson peristaltic pumps and fraction collectors to provide automatic sample handling, melt monitor control software operating on a standard PC allowing the user to control and view the status of the system, data logging software operating on the same PC to collect data from the melting, electrical conductivity and microparticle measurement systems. Because microparticle samples can easily be contaminated, we use optical air bubble sensors and high resolution ice core density

Snow Dunes: A Controlling Factor of Melt Pond Distribution on Arctic Sea Ice

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Petrich, Chris; Eicken, Hajo; Polashenski, Christopher M.; Sturm, Matthew; Harbeck, Jeremy P.; Perovich, Donald K.; Finnegan, David C.

2012-01-01

The location of snow dunes over the course of the ice-growth season 2007/08 was mapped on level landfast first-year sea ice near Barrow, Alaska. Landfast ice formed in mid-December and exhibited essentially homogeneous snow depths of 4-6 cm in mid-January; by early February distinct snow dunes were observed. Despite additional snowfall and wind redistribution throughout the season, the location of the dunes was fixed by March, and these locations were highly correlated with the distribution of meltwater ponds at the beginning of June. Our observations, including ground-based light detection and ranging system (lidar) measurements, show that melt ponds initially form in the interstices between snow dunes, and that the outline of the melt ponds is controlled by snow depth contours. The resulting preferential surface ablation of ponded ice creates the surface topography that later determines the melt pond evolution.

The response of grounded ice to ocean temperature forcing in a coupled ice sheet-ice shelf-ocean cavity model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goldberg, D. N.; Little, C. M.; Sergienko, O. V.; Gnanadesikan, A.

2010-12-01

Ice shelves provide a pathway for the heat content of the ocean to influence continental ice sheets. Changes in the rate or location of basal melting can alter their geometry and effect changes in stress conditions at the grounding line, leading to a grounded ice response. Recent observations of ice streams and ice shelves in the Amundsen Sea sector of West Antarctica have been consistent with this story. On the other hand, ice dynamics in the grounding zone control flux into the shelf and thus ice shelf geometry, which has a strong influence on the circulation in the cavity beneath the shelf. Thus the coupling between the two systems, ocean and ice sheet-ice shelf, can be quite strong. We examine the response of the ice sheet-ice shelf-ocean cavity system to changes in ocean temperature using a recently developed coupled model. The coupled model consists a 3-D ocean model (GFDL's Generalized Ocean Layered Dynamics model, or GOLD) to a two-dimensional ice sheet-ice shelf model (Goldberg et al, 2009), and allows for changing cavity geometry and a migrating grounding line. Steady states of the coupled system are found even under considerable forcing. The ice shelf morphology and basal melt rate patterns of the steady states exhibit detailed structure, and furthermore seem to be unique and robust. The relationship between temperature forcing and area-averaged melt rate is influenced by the response of ice shelf morphology to thermal forcing, and is found to be sublinear in the range of forcing considered. However, results suggest that area-averaged melt rate is not the best predictor of overall system response, as grounding line stability depends on local aspects of the basal melt field. Goldberg, D N, D M Holland and C G Schoof, 2009. Grounding line movement and ice shelf buttressing in marine ice sheets, Journal of Geophysical Research-Earth Surfaces, 114, F04026.

Abnormal Winter Melting of the Arctic Sea Ice Cap Observed by the Spaceborne Passive Microwave Sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Seongsuk; Yi, Yu

2016-12-01

The spatial size and variation of Arctic sea ice play an important role in Earth’s climate system. These are affected by conditions in the polar atmosphere and Arctic sea temperatures. The Arctic sea ice concentration is calculated from brightness temperature data derived from the Defense Meteorological Satellite program (DMSP) F13 Special Sensor Microwave/Imagers (SSMI) and the DMSP F17 Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounder (SSMIS) sensors. Many previous studies point to significant reductions in sea ice and their causes. We investigated the variability of Arctic sea ice using the daily sea ice concentration data from passive microwave observations to identify the sea ice melting regions near the Arctic polar ice cap. We discovered the abnormal melting of the Arctic sea ice near the North Pole during the summer and the winter. This phenomenon is hard to explain only surface air temperature or solar heating as suggested by recent studies. We propose a hypothesis explaining this phenomenon. The heat from the deep sea in Arctic Ocean ridges and/ or the hydrothermal vents might be contributing to the melting of Arctic sea ice. This hypothesis could be verified by the observation of warm water column structure below the melting or thinning arctic sea ice through the project such as Coriolis dataset for reanalysis (CORA).

Early Melt on the Greenland Ice Sheet

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

On June 15, 2016, the Advanced Land Imager (ALI) on NASA’s Earth Observing-1 satellite acquired a natural-color image of an area just inland from the coast of southwestern Greenland (120 kilometers southeast of Ilulisat and 500 kilometers north-northeast of Nuuk). According to Marco Tedesco, a professor at Columbia University’s Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, melting in this area began relatively early in April but was not sustained. It started up again in May and grew into the watery June scene pictured above. Surface melt can directly contribute to sea level rise via runoff. It can also force its way through crevasses to the base of a glacier, temporarily speeding up ice flow and indirectly contributing to sea level rise. Also, ponding of meltwater can “darken” the ice sheet’s surface and lead to further melting. Read more: earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=88288 Credit: NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen, using EO-1 ALI data provided courtesy of the NASA EO-1 team NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Arctic warming: nonlinear impacts of sea-ice and glacier melt on seabird foraging.

PubMed

Grémillet, David; Fort, Jérôme; Amélineau, Françoise; Zakharova, Elena; Le Bot, Tangi; Sala, Enric; Gavrilo, Maria

2015-03-01

Arctic climate change has profound impacts on the cryosphere, notably via shrinking sea-ice cover and retreating glaciers, and it is essential to evaluate and forecast the ecological consequences of such changes. We studied zooplankton-feeding little auks (Alle alle), a key sentinel species of the Arctic, at their northernmost breeding site in Franz-Josef Land (80°N), Russian Arctic. We tested the hypothesis that little auks still benefit from pristine arctic environmental conditions in this remote area. To this end, we analysed remote sensing data on sea-ice and coastal glacier dynamics collected in our study area across 1979-2013. Further, we recorded little auk foraging behaviour using miniature electronic tags attached to the birds in the summer of 2013, and compared it with similar data collected at three localities across the Atlantic Arctic. We also compared current and historical data on Franz-Josef Land little auk diet, morphometrics and chick growth curves. Our analyses reveal that summer sea-ice retreated markedly during the last decade, leaving the Franz-Josef Land archipelago virtually sea-ice free each summer since 2005. This had a profound impact on little auk foraging, which lost their sea-ice-associated prey. Concomitantly, large coastal glaciers retreated rapidly, releasing large volumes of melt water. Zooplankton is stunned by cold and osmotic shock at the boundary between glacier melt and coastal waters, creating new foraging hotspots for little auks. Birds therefore switched from foraging at distant ice-edge localities, to highly profitable feeding at glacier melt-water fronts within <5 km of their breeding site. Through this behavioural plasticity, little auks maintained their chick growth rates, but showed a 4% decrease in adult body mass. Our study demonstrates that arctic cryosphere changes may have antagonistic ecological consequences on coastal trophic flow. Such nonlinear responses complicate modelling exercises of current and future

Dimethyl sulfide dynamics in first-year sea ice melt ponds in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gourdal, Margaux; Lizotte, Martine; Massé, Guillaume; Gosselin, Michel; Poulin, Michel; Scarratt, Michael; Charette, Joannie; Levasseur, Maurice

2018-05-01

Melt pond formation is a seasonal pan-Arctic process. During the thawing season, melt ponds may cover up to 90 % of the Arctic first-year sea ice (FYI) and 15 to 25 % of the multi-year sea ice (MYI). These pools of water lying at the surface of the sea ice cover are habitats for microorganisms and represent a potential source of the biogenic gas dimethyl sulfide (DMS) for the atmosphere. Here we report on the concentrations and dynamics of DMS in nine melt ponds sampled in July 2014 in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. DMS concentrations were under the detection limit ( < 0.01 nmol L-1) in freshwater melt ponds and increased linearly with salinity (rs = 0.84, p ≤ 0.05) from ˜ 3 up to ˜ 6 nmol L-1 (avg. 3.7 ± 1.6 nmol L-1) in brackish melt ponds. This relationship suggests that the intrusion of seawater in melt ponds is a key physical mechanism responsible for the presence of DMS. Experiments were conducted with water from three melt ponds incubated for 24 h with and without the addition of two stable isotope-labelled precursors of DMS (dimethylsulfoniopropionate), (D6-DMSP) and dimethylsulfoxide (13C-DMSO). Results show that de novo biological production of DMS can take place within brackish melt ponds through bacterial DMSP uptake and cleavage. Our data suggest that FYI melt ponds could represent a reservoir of DMS available for potential flux to the atmosphere. The importance of this ice-related source of DMS for the Arctic atmosphere is expected to increase as a response to the thinning of sea ice and the areal and temporal expansion of melt ponds on Arctic FYI.

Estimation of Melt Pond Fractions on First Year Sea Ice Using Compact Polarization SAR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Haiyan; Perrie, William; Li, Qun; Hou, Yijun

2017-10-01

Melt ponds are a common feature on Arctic sea ice. They are linked to the sea ice surface albedo and transmittance of energy to the ocean from the atmosphere and thus constitute an important process to parameterize in Arctic climate models and simulations. This paper presents a first attempt to retrieve the melt pond fraction from hybrid-polarized compact polarization (CP) SAR imagery, which has wider swath and shorter revisit time than the quad-polarization systems, e.g., from RADARSAT-2 (RS-2). The co-polarization (co-pol) ratio has been verified to provide estimates of melt pond fractions. However, it is a challenge to link CP parameters and the co-pol ratio. The theoretical possibility is presented, for making this linkage with the CP parameter C22/C11 (the ratio between the elements of the coherence matrix of CP SAR) for melt pond detection and monitoring with the tilted-Bragg scattering model for the ocean surface. The empirical transformed formulation, denoted as the "compact polarization and quad-pol" ("CPQP") model, is proposed, based on 2062 RS-2 quad-pol SAR images, collocated with in situ measurements. We compared the retrieved melt pond fraction with CP parameters simulated from quad-pol SAR data with results retrieved from the co-pol ratio from quad-pol SAR observations acquired during the Arctic-Ice (Arctic-Ice Covered Ecosystem in a Rapidly Changing Environment) field project. The results are shown to be comparable for observed melt pond measurements in spatial and temporal distributions. Thus, the utility of CP mode SAR for melt pond fraction estimation on first year level ice is presented.

Polarimetric C-/X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar Observations of Melting Sea Ice in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Casey, J. A.; Beckers, J. F.; Brossier, E.; Haas, C.

2013-12-01

Operational ice information services rely heavily on space-borne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data for the production of ice charts to meet their mandate of providing timely and accurate sea ice information to support safe and efficient marine operations. During the summer melt period, the usefulness of SAR data for sea ice monitoring is limited by the presence of wet snow and melt ponds on the ice surface, which can mask the signature of the underlying ice. This is a critical concern for ice services whose clients (e.g. commercial shipping, cruise tourism, resource exploration and extraction) are most active at this time of year when sea ice is at its minimum extent, concentration and thickness. As a result, there is a need to further quantify the loss of ice information in SAR data during the melt season and to identify what information can still be retrieved about ice surface conditions and melt pond evolution at this time of year. To date the majority of studies have been limited to analysis of single-polarization C-band SAR data. This study will investigate the potential complimentary and unique sea ice information that polarimetric C- and X-band SAR data can provide to supplement the information available from traditional single co-polarized C-band SAR data. A time-series of polarimetric C- and X-band SAR data was acquired over Jones Sound in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, in the vicinity of the Grise Fiord, Nunavut. Five RADARSAT-2 Wide Fine Quad-pol images and 11 TerraSAR-X StripMap dual-pol (HH/VV) images were acquired. The time-series begins at the onset of melt in early June and extends through advanced melt conditions in late July. Over this period several ponding and drainage events and two snowfall events occurred. Field observations of sea ice properties were collected using an Ice Mass Balance (IMB) buoy, hourly photos from a time-lapse camera deployed on a coastal cliff, and manual in situ measurements of snow thickness and melt pond depth

Turbulent heat exchange between water and ice at an evolving ice-water interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramudu, Eshwan; Hirsh, Benjamin Henry; Olson, Peter; Gnanadesikan, Anand

2016-07-01

We conduct laboratory experiments on the time evolution of an ice layer cooled from below and subjected to a turbulent shear flow of warm water from above. Our study is motivated by observations of warm water intrusion into the ocean cavity under Antarctic ice shelves, accelerating the melting of their basal surfaces. The strength of the applied turbulent shear flow in our experiments is represented in terms of its Reynolds number $\\textit{Re}$, which is varied over the range $2.0\\times10^3 \\le \\textit{Re} \\le 1.0\\times10^4$. Depending on the water temperature, partial transient melting of the ice occurs at the lower end of this range of $\\textit{Re}$ and complete transient melting of the ice occurs at the higher end. Following these episodes of transient melting, the ice reforms at a rate that is independent of $\\textit{Re}$. We fit our experimental measurements of ice thickness and temperature to a one-dimensional model for the evolution of the ice thickness in which the turbulent heat transfer is parameterized in terms of the friction velocity of the shear flow. The melting mechanism we investigate in our experiments can easily account for the basal melting rate of Pine Island Glacier ice shelf inferred from observations.

Links Between Acceleration, Melting, and Supraglacial Lake Drainage of the Western Greenland Ice Sheet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoffman, M. J.; Catania, G. A.; Newmann, T. A.; Andrews, L. C.; Rumrill, J. A.

2012-01-01

The impact of increasing summer melt on the dynamics and stability of the Greenland Ice Sheet is not fully understood. Mounting evidence suggests seasonal evolution of subglacial drainage mitigates or counteracts the ability of surface runoff to increase basal sliding. Here, we compare subdaily ice velocity and uplift derived from nine Global Positioning System stations in the upper ablation zone in west Greenland to surface melt and supraglacial lake drainage during summer 2007. Starting around day 173, we observe speedups of 6-41% above spring velocity lasting approximately 40 days accompanied by sustained surface uplift at most stations, followed by a late summer slowdown. After initial speedup, we see a spatially uniform velocity response across the ablation zone and strong diurnal velocity variations during periods of melting. Most lake drainages were undetectable in the velocity record, and those that were detected only perturbed velocities for approximately 1 day, suggesting preexisting drainage systems could efficiently drain large volumes of water. The dynamic response to melt forcing appears to 1) be driven by changes in subglacial storage of water that is delivered in diurnal and episodic pulses, and 2) decrease over the course of the summer, presumably as the subglacial drainage system evolves to greater efficiency. The relationship between hydrology and ice dynamics observed is similar to that observed on mountain glaciers, suggesting that seasonally large water pressures under the ice sheet largely compensate for the greater ice thickness considered here. Thus, increases in summer melting may not guarantee faster seasonal ice flow.

Links Between Acceleration, Melting, and Supraglacial Lake Drainage of the Western Greenland Ice Sheet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoffman, M. J.; Catania, G. A.; Neumann, T. A.; Andrews, L. C.; Rumrill, J. A.

2011-01-01

The impact of increasing summer melt on the dynamics and stability of the Greenland Ice Sheet is not fully understood. Mounting evidence suggests seasonal evolution of subglacial drainage mitigates or counteracts the ability of surface runoff to increase basal sliding. Here, we compare subdaily ice velocity and uplift derived from nine Global Positioning System stations in the upper ablation zone in west Greenland to surface melt and supraglacial lake drainage during summer 2007. Starting around day 173, we observe speedups of 6-41% above spring velocity lasting 40 days accompanied by sustained surface uplift at most stations, followed by a late summer slowdown. After initial speedup, we see a spatially uniform velocity response across the ablation zone and strong diurnal velocity variations during periods of melting. Most lake drainages were undetectable in the velocity record, and those that were detected only perturbed velocities for approx 1 day, suggesting preexisting drainage systems could efficiently drain large volumes of water. The dynamic response to melt forcing appears to (1) be driven by changes in subglacial storage of water that is delivered in diurnal and episodic pulses, and (2) decrease over the course of the summer, presumably as the subglacial drainage system evolves to greater efficiency. The relationship between hydrology and ice dynamics observed is similar to that observed on mountain glaciers, suggesting that seasonally large water pressures under the ice sheet largely compensate for the greater ice thickness considered here. Thus, increases in summer melting may not guarantee faster seasonal ice flow.

Revisiting the Potential of Melt Pond Fraction as a Predictor for the Seasonal Arctic Sea Ice Extent Minimum

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, Jiping; Song, Mirong; Horton, Radley M.; Hu, Yongyun

2015-01-01

The rapid change in Arctic sea ice in recent decades has led to a rising demand for seasonal sea ice prediction. A recent modeling study that employed a prognostic melt pond model in a stand-alone sea ice model found that September Arctic sea ice extent can be accurately predicted from the melt pond fraction in May. Here we show that satellite observations show no evidence of predictive skill in May. However, we find that a significantly strong relationship (high predictability) first emerges as the melt pond fraction is integrated from early May to late June, with a persistent strong relationship only occurring after late July. Our results highlight that late spring to mid summer melt pond information is required to improve the prediction skill of the seasonal sea ice minimum. Furthermore, satellite observations indicate a much higher percentage of melt pond formation in May than does the aforementioned model simulation, which points to the need to reconcile model simulations and observations, in order to better understand key mechanisms of melt pond formation and evolution and their influence on sea ice state.

What Models and Satellites Tell Us (and Don't Tell Us) About Arctic Sea Ice Melt Season Length

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahlert, A.; Jahn, A.

2017-12-01

Melt season length—the difference between the sea ice melt onset date and the sea ice freeze onset date—plays an important role in the radiation balance of the Arctic and the predictability of the sea ice cover. However, there are multiple possible definitions for sea ice melt and freeze onset in climate models, and none of them exactly correspond to the remote sensing definition. Using the CESM Large Ensemble model simulations, we show how this mismatch between model and remote sensing definitions of melt and freeze onset limits the utility of melt season remote sensing data for bias detection in models. It also opens up new questions about the precise physical meaning of the melt season remote sensing data. Despite these challenges, we find that the increase in melt season length in the CESM is not as large as that derived from remote sensing data, even when we account for internal variability and different definitions. At the same time, we find that the CESM ensemble members that have the largest trend in sea ice extent over the period 1979-2014 also have the largest melt season trend, driven primarily by the trend towards later freeze onsets. This might be an indication that an underestimation of the melt season length trend is one factor contributing to the generally underestimated sea ice loss within the CESM, and potentially climate models in general.

Towards Estimate of Present Day Ice Melting in Polar Regions From Altimetry, Gravity, Ocean Bottom Pressure and GPS Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Y.; Wu, X.; van den Broeke, M. R.; Munneke, P. K.; Simonsen, S. B.; van der Wal, W.; Vermeersen, B. L.

2013-12-01

The ice sheet in Polar Regions stores the largest freshwater bodies on Earth, sufficient to elevate global sea level by more than 65 meters if melted. The earth may have entered an intensive ice-melting episode, possibly due to anthropogenic global warming rather than natural orbit variations. Determining present-day ice mass balance, however, is complicated by the fact that most observations contain both present day ice melting signal and residual signals from past glacier melting. Despite decades of progress in geodynamic modeling and new observations, significant uncertainties remain in both. The key to separate present-day ice mass change and signals from past melting is to include data of different physical characteristics. We conducted a new global kinematic inversion scheme to estimate both present-day ice melting and past glacier signatures simultaneously and assess their contribution to current and future global mean sea level change. Our approach is designed to invert and separate present-day melting signal in the spherical harmonic domain using a globally distributed interdisciplinary data with distinct physical information. Interesting results with unprecedented precisions have been achieved so far. We will present our results of the estimated present-day ice mass balance trend in both Greenland and Antarctica ice sheet as well as other regions where significant mass change occurs.

Thermodynamic origin of surface melting on ice crystals

PubMed Central

Murata, Ken-ichiro; Asakawa, Harutoshi; Nagashima, Ken; Furukawa, Yoshinori; Sazaki, Gen

2016-01-01

Since the pioneering prediction of surface melting by Michael Faraday, it has been widely accepted that thin water layers, called quasi-liquid layers (QLLs), homogeneously and completely wet ice surfaces. Contrary to this conventional wisdom, here we both theoretically and experimentally demonstrate that QLLs have more than two wetting states and that there is a first-order wetting transition between them. Furthermore, we find that QLLs are born not only under supersaturated conditions, as recently reported, but also at undersaturation, but QLLs are absent at equilibrium. This means that QLLs are a metastable transient state formed through vapor growth and sublimation of ice, casting a serious doubt on the conventional understanding presupposing the spontaneous formation of QLLs in ice–vapor equilibrium. We propose a simple but general physical model that consistently explains these aspects of surface melting and QLLs. Our model shows that a unique interfacial potential solely controls both the wetting and thermodynamic behavior of QLLs. PMID:27791107

In-situ Measured Carbon and Nitrogen Uptake Rates of Melt Pond Algae in the Western Arctic Ocean, 2014

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Ho Jung; Kim, Kwanwoo; Lee, Jae Hyung; Ahn, So Hyun; Joo, Houng-Min; Jeong, Jin Young; Yang, Eun Jin; Kang, Sung-Ho; Yun, Mi Sun; Lee, Sang Heon

2018-03-01

Although the areal coverage of melt pond in the Arctic Ocean has recently increased, very few biological researches have been conducted. The objectives in this study were to ascertain the uptake rates of carbon and nitrogen in various melt ponds and to understand the major controlling factors for the rates. We obtained 22 melt pond samples at ice camp 1 (146.17°W, 77.38°N) and 11 melt pond samples at ice camp 2 (169.79°W, 76.52°N). The major nutrient concentrations varied largely among melt ponds at the ice camps 1 and 2. The chl-a concentrations averaged from the melt ponds at camps 1 and 2 were 0.02-0.56 mg chl-a m-3 (0.12 ± 0.12 mg chl-a m-3) and 0.08-0.30 mg chl-a m-3 (0.16 ± 0.08 mg chl-a m-3), respectively. The hourly carbon uptake rates at camps 1 and 2 were 0.001-0.080 mg C m-3 h-1 (0.025 ± 0.024 mg C m-3 h-1) and 0.022-0.210 mg C m-3 h-1 (0.077 ± 0.006 mg C m-3 h-1), respectively. In comparison, the nitrogen uptake rates at camps 1 and 2 were 0.001-0.030 mg N m-3 h-1 (0.011 ± 0.010 mg N m-3 h-1) and 0.002-0.022 mg N m-3 h-1 (0.010 ± 0.006 mg N m-3 h-1), respectively. The values obtained in this study are significantly lower than those reported previously. A large portion of algal biomass trapped in the new forming surface ice in melt ponds appears to be one of the main potential reasons for the lower chl-a concentration and subsequently lower carbon and nitrogen uptake rates revealed in this study. A long-term monitoring program on melt ponds is needed to understand the response of the Arctic marine ecosystem to ongoing environmental changes.

Cumulates, Dykes and Pressure Solution in the Ice-Salt Mantle of Europa: Geological Consequences of Pressure Dependent Liquid Compositions and Volume Changes During Ice-Salt Melting Reactions.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Day, S.; Asphaug, E.; Bruesch, L.

2002-12-01

Water-salt analogue experiments used to investigate cumulate processes in silicate magmas, along with observations of sea ice and ice shelf behaviour, indicate that crystal-melt separation in water-salt systems is a rapid and efficient process even on scales of millimetres and minutes. Squeezing-out of residual melts by matrix compaction is also predicted to be rapid on geological timescales. We predict that the ice-salt mantle of Europa is likely to be strongly stratified, with a layered structure predictable from density and phase relationships between ice polymorphs, aqueous saline solutions and crystalline salts such as hydrated magnesium sulphates (determined experimentally by, inter alia, Hogenboom et al). A surface layer of water ice flotation cumulate will be separated from denser salt cumulates by a cotectic horizon. This cotectic horizon will be both the site of subsequent lowest-temperature melting and a level of neutral buoyancy for the saline melts produced. Initial melting will be in a narrow depth range owing to increasing melting temperature with decreasing pressure: the phase relations argue against direct melt-though to the surface unless vesiculation occurs. Overpressuring of dense melts due to volume expansion on cotectic melting is predicted to lead to lateral dyke emplacement and extension above the dyke tips. Once the liquid leaves the cotectic, melting of water ice will involve negative volume change. Impact-generated melts will drain downwards through the fractured zones beneath crater floors. A feature in the complex crater Mannan'an, with elliptical ring fractures around a conical depression with a central pit, bears a close resemblance to Icelandic glacier collapse cauldrons produced by subglacial eruptions. Other structures resembling Icelandic cauldrons occur along Europan banded structures, while resurgence of ice rubble within collapse structures may produce certain types of chaos region. More general contraction of the ice mantle

Turbulent heat exchange between water and ice at an evolving ice-water interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramudu, E.; Hirsh, B.; Olson, P.; Gnanadesikan, A.

2016-02-01

Experimental results are presented on the time evolution of ice subject to a turbulent shear flow in a layer of water of uniform depth. Our study is motivated by observations in the ocean cavity beneath Antarctic ice shelves, where shoaling of Circumpolar Deep Water into the cavity has been implicated in the accelerated melting of the ice shelf base. Measurements of inflow and outflow at the ice shelf front have shown that not all of the heat entering the cavity is delivered to the ice shelf, suggesting that turbulent transfer to the ice represents an important bottleneck. Given that a range of turbulent transfer coefficients has been used in models it is important to better constrain this parameter. We measure as a function of time in our experiments the thickness of the ice, temperatures in the ice and water, and fluid velocity in the shear flow, starting from an initial condition in which the water is at rest and the ice has grown by conduction above a cold plate. The strength of the applied turbulent shear flow is represented in terms of a Reynolds number Re, which is varied over the range 3.5 × 103 ≤ Re ≤ 1.9 × 104. Transient partial melting of the ice occurs at the lower end of this range of Re and complete transient melting of the ice occurs at the higher end of the range. Following these melting transients, the ice reforms at a rate that is independent of Re. We fit to our experimental measurements of ice thickness and temperature a one-dimensional model for the evolution of the ice thickness in which the turbulent heat transfer is parameterized in terms of the friction velocity of the shear flow. Comparison with the Pine Island Glacier Ice Shelf yields qualitative agreement between the transient ice melting rates predicted by our model and the shelf melting rate inferred from the field observations.

Mechanisms and implications of α-HCH enrichment in melt pond water on Arctic sea ice.

PubMed

Pućko, M; Stern, G A; Barber, D G; Macdonald, R W; Warner, K-A; Fuchs, C

2012-11-06

During the summer of 2009, we sampled 14 partially refrozen melt ponds and the top 1 m of old ice in the pond vicinity for α-hexachlorocyclohexane (α-HCH) concentrations and enantiomer fractions (EFs) in the Beaufort Sea. α-HCH concentrations were 3 - 9 times higher in melt ponds than in the old ice. We identify two routes of α-HCH enrichment in the ice over the summer. First, atmospheric gas deposition results in an increase of α-HCH concentration from 0.07 ± 0.02 ng/L (old ice) to 0.34 ± 0.08 ng/L, or ~20% less than the atmosphere-water equilibrium partitioning concentration (0.43 ng/L). Second, late-season ice permeability and/or complete ice thawing at the bottom of ponds permit α-HCH rich seawater (~0.88 ng/L) to replenish pond water, bringing concentrations up to 0.75 ± 0.06 ng/L. α-HCH pond enrichment may lead to substantial concentration patchiness in old ice floes, and changed exposures to biota as the surface meltwater eventually reaches the ocean through various drainage mechanisms. Melt pond concentrations of α-HCH were relatively high prior to the late 1980-s, with a Melt pond Enrichment Factor >1 (MEF; a ratio of concentration in surface meltwater to surface seawater), providing for the potential of increased biological exposures.

Arctic sea ice melt leads to atmospheric new particle formation.

PubMed

Dall Osto, M; Beddows, D C S; Tunved, P; Krejci, R; Ström, J; Hansson, H-C; Yoon, Y J; Park, Ki-Tae; Becagli, S; Udisti, R; Onasch, T; O Dowd, C D; Simó, R; Harrison, Roy M

2017-06-12

Atmospheric new particle formation (NPF) and growth significantly influences climate by supplying new seeds for cloud condensation and brightness. Currently, there is a lack of understanding of whether and how marine biota emissions affect aerosol-cloud-climate interactions in the Arctic. Here, the aerosol population was categorised via cluster analysis of aerosol size distributions taken at Mt Zeppelin (Svalbard) during a 11 year record. The daily temporal occurrence of NPF events likely caused by nucleation in the polar marine boundary layer was quantified annually as 18%, with a peak of 51% during summer months. Air mass trajectory analysis and atmospheric nitrogen and sulphur tracers link these frequent nucleation events to biogenic precursors released by open water and melting sea ice regions. The occurrence of such events across a full decade was anti-correlated with sea ice extent. New particles originating from open water and open pack ice increased the cloud condensation nuclei concentration background by at least ca. 20%, supporting a marine biosphere-climate link through sea ice melt and low altitude clouds that may have contributed to accelerate Arctic warming. Our results prompt a better representation of biogenic aerosol sources in Arctic climate models.

Ocean mixing beneath Pine Island Glacier ice shelf, West Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kimura, Satoshi; Jenkins, Adrian; Dutrieux, Pierre; Forryan, Alexander; Naveira Garabato, Alberto C.; Firing, Yvonne

2016-12-01

Ice shelves around Antarctica are vulnerable to an increase in ocean-driven melting, with the melt rate depending on ocean temperature and the strength of flow inside the ice-shelf cavities. We present measurements of velocity, temperature, salinity, turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate, and thermal variance dissipation rate beneath Pine Island Glacier ice shelf, West Antarctica. These measurements were obtained by CTD, ADCP, and turbulence sensors mounted on an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV). The highest turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate is found near the grounding line. The thermal variance dissipation rate increases closer to the ice-shelf base, with a maximum value found ˜0.5 m away from the ice. The measurements of turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate near the ice are used to estimate basal melting of the ice shelf. The dissipation-rate-based melt rate estimates is sensitive to the stability correction parameter in the linear approximation of universal function of the Monin-Obukhov similarity theory for stratified boundary layers. We argue that our estimates of basal melting from dissipation rates are within a range of previous estimates of basal melting.

FAST TRACK COMMUNICATION: Growth melt asymmetry in ice crystals under the influence of spruce budworm antifreeze protein

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pertaya, Natalya; Celik, Yeliz; Di Prinzio, Carlos L.; Wettlaufer, J. S.; Davies, Peter L.; Braslavsky, Ido

2007-10-01

Here we describe studies of the crystallization behavior of ice in an aqueous solution of spruce budworm antifreeze protein (sbwAFP) at atmospheric pressure. SbwAFP is an ice binding protein with high thermal hysteresis activity, which helps protect Choristoneura fumiferana (spruce budworm) larvae from freezing as they overwinter in the spruce and fir forests of the north eastern United States and Canada. Different types of ice binding proteins have been found in many other species. They have a wide range of applications in cryomedicine and cryopreservation, as well as the potential to protect plants and vegetables from frost damage through genetic engineering. However, there is much to learn regarding the mechanism of action of ice binding proteins. In our experiments, a solution containing sbwAFP was rapidly frozen and then melted back, thereby allowing us to produce small single crystals. These maintained their hexagonal shapes during cooling within the thermal hysteresis gap. Melt-growth-melt sequences in low concentrations of sbwAFP reveal the same shape transitions as are found in pure ice crystals at low temperature (-22 °C) and high pressure (2000 bar) (Cahoon et al 2006 Phys. Rev. Lett. 96 255502) while both growth and melt shapes display faceted hexagonal morphology, they are rotated 30° relative to one another. Moreover, the initial melt shape and orientation is recovered in the sequence. To visualize the binding of sbwAFP to ice, we labeled the antifreeze protein with enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) and observed the sbwAFP-GFP molecules directly on ice crystals using confocal microscopy. When cooling the ice crystals, facets form on the six primary prism planes (slowest growing planes) that are evenly decorated with sbwAFP-GFP. During melting, apparent facets form on secondary prism planes (fastest melting planes), leaving residual sbwAFP at the six corners of the hexagon. Thus, the same general growth-melt behavior of an apparently rotated

Geothermal Flux, Basal Melt Rates, and Subglacial Lakes in Central East Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carter, S. P.; Blankenship, D. D.; Morse, D. L.

2002-12-01

The lakes beneath the East Antarctic ice sheet represent a unique environment on Earth, entirely untouched by human interference. Life forms which survive in this cold, lightless, high pressure environment may resemble the life forms which survived through "snowball earth" and evolved into the life forms we know today (Kirchvink, 2000). Recent airborne radar surveys over Dome C and the South Pole regions allow us to assess where these lakes are most likely to exist and infer melting and freezing rates at base of the ice sheet. Lakes appear as strong, flat basal reflectors in airborne radar sounding data. In order to determine the absolute strength of the reflector it is important to accurately estimate signal loss due to absorption by the ice. As this quantity is temperature sensitive, especially in regions where liquid water is likely to exist, we have developed a one dimensional heat transfer model, incorporating surface temperature, accumulation, ice sheet thickness, and geothermal flux. Of the four quantities used for our temperature model, geothermal flux has usually proven to be the most difficult to asses, due to logistical difficulties. A technique developed by Fahnestock et al 2001 is showing promise for inferring geothermal flux, with airborne radar data. This technique assumes that internal reflectors, which result from varying electrical properties within the ice column, can be approximated as constant time horizons. Using ice core data from our study area, we can place dates upon these internal layers and develop an age versus depth relationship for the surveyed region, with margin of error of +- 50 m for each selected layer. Knowing this relationship allows us to infer the vertical strain response of the ice to the stress of vertical loading by snow accumulation. When ice is frozen to the bed the deeper ice will accommodate the increased stress of by deforming and thinning (Patterson 1994). This thinning of deeper layers occurs throughout most of our

Melt onset over Arctic sea ice controlled by atmospheric moisture transport

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mortin, Jonas; Svensson, Gunilla; Graversen, Rune G.; Kapsch, Marie-Luise; Stroeve, Julienne C.; Boisvert, Linette N.

2016-06-01

The timing of melt onset affects the surface energy uptake throughout the melt season. Yet the processes triggering melt and causing its large interannual variability are not well understood. Here we show that melt onset over Arctic sea ice is initiated by positive anomalies of water vapor, clouds, and air temperatures that increase the downwelling longwave radiation (LWD) to the surface. The earlier melt onset occurs; the stronger are these anomalies. Downwelling shortwave radiation (SWD) is smaller than usual at melt onset, indicating that melt is not triggered by SWD. When melt occurs early, an anomalously opaque atmosphere with positive LWD anomalies preconditions the surface for weeks preceding melt. In contrast, when melt begins late, clearer than usual conditions are evident prior to melt. Hence, atmospheric processes are imperative for melt onset. It is also found that spring LWD increased during recent decades, consistent with trends toward an earlier melt onset.

Evaluation of Surface and Near-Surface Melt Characteristics on the Greenland Ice Sheet using MODIS and QuikSCAT Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, Dorothy K.; Nghiem, Son V.; Schaaf, Crystal B.; DiGirolamo, Nicolo E.

2009-01-01

The Greenland Ice Sheet has been the focus of much attention recently because of increasing melt in response to regional climate warming. To improve our ability to measure surface melt, we use remote-sensing data products to study surface and near-surface melt characteristics of the Greenland Ice Sheet for the 2007 melt season when record melt extent and runoff occurred. Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) daily land-surface temperature (LST), MODIS daily snow albedo, and a special diurnal melt product derived from QuikSCAT (QS) scatterometer data, are all effective in measuring the evolution of melt on the ice sheet. These daily products, produced from different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, are sensitive to different geophysical features, though QS- and MODIS-derived melt generally show excellent correspondence when surface melt is present on the ice sheet. Values derived from the daily MODIS snow albedo product drop in response to melt, and change with apparent grain-size changes. For the 2007 melt season, the QS and MODIS LST products detect 862,769 square kilometers and 766,184 square kilometers of melt, respectively. The QS product detects about 11% greater melt extent than is detected by the MODIS LST product probably because QS is more sensitive to surface melt, and can detect subsurface melt. The consistency of the response of the different products demonstrates unequivocally that physically-meaningful melt/freeze boundaries can be detected. We have demonstrated that these products, used together, can improve the precision in mapping surface and near-surface melt extent on the Greenland Ice Sheet.

A Thermal Melt Probe System for Extensive, Low-Cost Instrument Deployment Within and Beneath Ice Sheets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winebrenner, D. P.; Elam, W. T.; Carpenter, M.; Kintner, P., III

2014-12-01

More numerous observations within and beneath ice sheets are needed to address a broad variety of important questions concerning ice sheets and climate. However, emplacement of instruments continues to be constrained by logistical burdens, especially in cold ice a kilometer or more thick. Electrically powered thermal melt probes are inherently logistically light and efficient, especially for reaching greater depths in colder ice. They therefore offer a means of addressing current measurement problems, but have been limited historically by a lack of technology for reliable operation at the necessary voltages and powers. Here we report field tests in Greenland of two new melt probes. We operated one probe at 2.2 kilowatts (kW) and 1050 volts (V), achieving a depth of 400 m in the ice in ~ 120 hours, without electrical failure. That depth is the second greatest achieved thus far with a thermal melt probe, exceeded only by one deployment to 1005 m in Greenland in 1968, which ended in an electrical failure. Our test run took place in two intervals separated by a year, with the probe frozen at 65 m depth during the interim, after which we re-established communication, unfroze the probe, and proceeded to the greater depth. During the second field test we operated a higher-power probe, initially at 2.5 kW and 1500 V and progressing to 4.5 kW and 2000 V. Initial data indicate that this probe achieved a descent rate of 8 m/hr, which if correct would be the fastest rate yet achieved for such probes. Moreover, we observed maintenance of vertical probe travel using pendulum steering throughout both tests, as well as autonomous descent without operator-intervention after launch. The latter suggests potential for crews of 1-2 to operate several melt probes concurrently. However, the higher power probe did suffer electrical failure of a heating element after 7 hours of operation at 2000 V (24 hours after the start of the test), contrary to expectations based on laboratory

The Role of Late Summer Melt Pond Water Layers in the Ocean Mixed Layer on Enhancing Ice/Ocean Albedo Feedbacks in the Arctic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stanton, T. P.; Shaw, W. J.

2016-02-01

Drainage of surface melt pond water into the top of the ocean mixed layer is seen widely in the Arctic ice pack in later summer (for example Gallaher et al 2015). Under calm conditions, this fresh water forms a thin, stratified layer immediately below the ice which is dynamically decoupled from the thicker, underlying seasonal mixed layer by the density difference between the two layers. The ephemeral surface layer is significantly warmer than the underlying ocean water owing to the higher freezing temperature of the fresh melt water. How the presence of this warm ephemeral layer enhances basal melt rate and speeds the destruction of the floes is investigated. High resolution timeseries measurements of T/S profiles in the 2m of the ocean immediately below the ice, and eddy-correlation fluxes of heat, salt and momentum 2.5m below the ice were made from an Autonomous Ocean Flux Buoy over a 2 month interval in later summer of 2015 as a component of the ONR Marginal Ice Zone project. The stratification and turbulent forcing observations are used with a 1 D turbulence closure model to understand how momentum and incoming radiative energy are stored and redistributed within the ephemeral layer. Under low wind forcing conditions both turbulent mixing energy and the water with high departure from freezing are trapped in the ephemeral layer by the strong density gradient at the base of the layer, resulting in rapid basal melting. This case is contrasted with model runs where the ephemeral layer heat is allowed to mix across the seasonal mixed layer, which results in slower basal melt rates. Consequently, the salinity-trapped warm ephemeral layer results in the formation of more open water earlier in the summer season, in turn resulting in increased cumulative heating of the ocean mixed layer, enhancing ice/ocean albedo feedbacks.

Laboratory Experiments Investigating Glacier Submarine Melt Rates and Circulation in an East Greenland Fjord

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cenedese, C.

2014-12-01

Idealized laboratory experiments investigate the glacier-ocean boundary dynamics near a vertical 'glacier' (i.e. no floating ice tongue) in a two-layer stratified fluid, similar to Sermilik Fjord where Helheim Glacier terminates. In summer, the discharge of surface runoff at the base of the glacier (subglacial discharge) intensifies the circulation near the glacier and increases the melt rate with respect to that in winter. In the laboratory, the effect of subglacial discharge is simulated by introducing fresh water at melting temperatures from either point or line sources at the base of an ice block representing the glacier. The circulation pattern observed both with and without subglacial discharge resembles those observed in previous studies. The buoyant plume of cold meltwater and subglacial discharge water entrains ambient water and rises vertically until it finds either the interface between the two layers or the free surface. The results suggest that the meltwater deposits within the interior of the water column and not entirely at the free surface, as confirmed by field observations. The submarine melt rate increases with the subglacial discharge rate. Furthermore, the same subglacial discharge causes greater submarine melting if it exits from a point source rather than from a line source. When the subglacial discharge exits from two point sources, two buoyant plumes are formed which rise vertically and interact. The results suggest that the distance between the two subglacial discharges influences the entrainment in the plumes and consequently the amount of submarine melting and the final location of the meltwater within the water column. Hence, the distribution and number of sources of subglacial discharge may play an important role in glacial melt rates and fjord stratification and circulation. Support was given by NSF project OCE-113008.

Experimental and theoretical evidence for bilayer-by-bilayer surface melting of crystalline ice

PubMed Central

Sánchez, M. Alejandra; Kling, Tanja; Ishiyama, Tatsuya; van Zadel, Marc-Jan; Mezger, Markus; Jochum, Mara N.; Cyran, Jenée D.; Smit, Wilbert J.; Bakker, Huib J.; Shultz, Mary Jane; Morita, Akihiro; Donadio, Davide; Nagata, Yuki; Bonn, Mischa; Backus, Ellen H. G.

2017-01-01

On the surface of water ice, a quasi-liquid layer (QLL) has been extensively reported at temperatures below its bulk melting point at 273 K. Approaching the bulk melting temperature from below, the thickness of the QLL is known to increase. To elucidate the precise temperature variation of the QLL, and its nature, we investigate the surface melting of hexagonal ice by combining noncontact, surface-specific vibrational sum frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopy and spectra calculated from molecular dynamics simulations. Using SFG, we probe the outermost water layers of distinct single crystalline ice faces at different temperatures. For the basal face, a stepwise, sudden weakening of the hydrogen-bonded structure of the outermost water layers occurs at 257 K. The spectral calculations from the molecular dynamics simulations reproduce the experimental findings; this allows us to interpret our experimental findings in terms of a stepwise change from one to two molten bilayers at the transition temperature. PMID:27956637

A Prototype Ice-Melting Probe for Collecting Biological Samples from Cryogenic Ice at Low Pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davis, Ashley

2017-08-01

In the Solar System, the surface of an icy moon is composed of irregular ice formations at cryogenic temperatures (<200 K), with an oxidized surface layer and a tenuous atmosphere at very low pressure (<10-6 atm). A lander mission, whose aim is to collect and analyze biological samples from the surface ice, must contain a device that collects samples without refreezing liquid and without sublimation of ice. In addition, if the samples are biological in nature, then precautions must be taken to ensure the samples do not overheat or mix with the oxidized layer. To achieve these conditions, the collector must maintain temperatures close to maintenance or growth conditions of the organism (<293 K), and it must separate or neutralize the oxidized layer and be physically gentle. Here, we describe a device that addresses these requirements and is compatible with low atmospheric pressure while using no pumps. The device contains a heated conical probe with a central orifice, which is forced into surface ice and directs the meltwater upward into a reservoir. The force on the probe is proportional to the height of meltwater (pressure) obtained in the system and allows regulation of the melt rate and temperature of the sample. The device can collect 5-50 mL of meltwater from the surface of an ice block at 233-208 K with an environmental pressure of less than 10-2 atm while maintaining a sample temperature between 273 and 293 K. These conditions maintain most biological samples in a pristine state and maintain the integrity of most organisms' structure and function.

Water isotopic ratios from a continuously melted ice core sample

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gkinis, V.; Popp, T. J.; Blunier, T.; Bigler, M.; Schüpbach, S.; Johnsen, S. J.

2011-06-01

A new technique for on-line high resolution isotopic analysis of liquid water, tailored for ice core studies is presented. We build an interface between an Infra Red Cavity Ring Down Spectrometer (IR-CRDS) and a Continuous Flow Analysis (CFA) system. The system offers the possibility to perform simultaneuous water isotopic analysis of δ18O and δD on a continuous stream of liquid water as generated from a continuously melted ice rod. Injection of sub μl amounts of liquid water is achieved by pumping sample through a fused silica capillary and instantaneously vaporizing it with 100 % efficiency in a home made oven at a temperature of 170 °C. A calibration procedure allows for proper reporting of the data on the VSMOW scale. We apply the necessary corrections based on the assessed performance of the system regarding instrumental drifts and dependance on humidity levels. The melt rates are monitored in order to assign a depth scale to the measured isotopic profiles. Application of spectral methods yields the combined uncertainty of the system at below 0.1 ‰ and 0.5 ‰ for δ18O and δD, respectively. This performance is comparable to that achieved with mass spectrometry. Dispersion of the sample in the transfer lines limits the resolution of the technique. In this work we investigate and assess these dispersion effects. By using an optimal filtering method we show how the measured profiles can be corrected for the smoothing effects resulting from the sample dispersion. Considering the significant advantages the technique offers, i.e. simultaneuous measurement of δ18O and δD, potentially in combination with chemical components that are traditionally measured on CFA systems, notable reduction on analysis time and power consumption, we consider it as an alternative to traditional isotope ratio mass spectrometry with the possibility to be deployed for field ice core studies. We present data acquired in the framework of the NEEM deep ice core drilling project in

Greenland ice sheet melt from MODIS and associated atmospheric variability.

PubMed

Häkkinen, Sirpa; Hall, Dorothy K; Shuman, Christopher A; Worthen, Denise L; DiGirolamo, Nicolo E

2014-03-16

Daily June-July melt fraction variations over the Greenland ice sheet (GIS) derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) (2000-2013) are associated with atmospheric blocking forming an omega-shape ridge over the GIS at 500 hPa height. Blocking activity with a range of time scales, from synoptic waves breaking poleward (<5 days) to full-fledged blocks (≥5 days), brings warm subtropical air masses over the GIS controlling daily surface temperatures and melt. The temperature anomaly of these subtropical air mass intrusions is also important for melting. Based on the years with the greatest melt (2002 and 2012) during the MODIS era, the area-average temperature anomaly of 2 standard deviations above the 14 year June-July mean results in a melt fraction of 40% or more. Though the summer of 2007 had the most blocking days, atmospheric temperature anomalies were too small to instigate extreme melting. Short-term atmospheric blocking over Greenland contributes to melt episodesAssociated temperature anomalies are equally important for the meltDuration and strength of blocking events contribute to surface melt intensity.

Thermooptical properties of gold nanoparticles embedded in ice: characterization of heat generation and melting.

PubMed

Richardson, Hugh H; Hickman, Zackary N; Govorov, Alexander O; Thomas, Alyssa C; Zhang, Wei; Kordesch, Martin E

2006-04-01

We investigate the system of optically excited gold NPs in an ice matrix aiming to understand heat generation and melting processes at the nanoscale level. Along with the traditional fluorescence method, we introduce thermooptical spectroscopy based on phase transformation of a matrix. With this, we can not only measure optical response but also thermal response, that is, heat generation. After several recrystallization cycles, the nanoparticles are embedded into the ice film where the optical and thermal properties of the nanoparticles are probed. Spatial fluorescence mapping shows the locations of Au nanoparticles, whereas the time-resolved Raman signal of ice reveals the melting process. From the time-dependent Raman signals, we determine the critical light intensities at which the laser beam is able to melt ice around the nanoparticles. The melting intensity depends strongly on temperature and position. The position-dependence is especially strong and reflects a mesoscopic character of heat generation. We think that it comes from the fact that nanoparticles form small complexes of different geometry and each complex has a unique thermal response. Theoretical calculations and experimental data are combined to make a quantitative measure of the amount of heat generated by optically excited Au nanoparticles and agglomerates. The information obtained in this study can be used to design nanoscale heaters and actuators.

Comparison of DMSP SSM/I and Landsat 7 ETM+ Sea Ice Concentrations During Summer Melt

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cavalieri, Donald J.; Markus, Thorsten; Ivanoff, Alvaro; Koblinsky, Chester J. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

As part of NASA's EOS Aqua sea ice validation program for the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-E), Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM+) images were acquired to develop a sea ice concentration data set with which to validate AMSR-E sea ice concentration retrievals. The standard AMSR-E Arctic sea ice concentration product will be obtained with the enhanced NASA Team (NT2) algorithm. The goal of this study is to assess the accuracy to which the NT2 algorithm, using DMSP Special Sensor Microwave Imager radiances, retrieves sea ice concentrations under summer melt conditions. Melt ponds are currently the largest source of error in the determination of Arctic sea ice concentrations with satellite passive microwave sensors. To accomplish this goal, Landsat 7 ETM+ images of Baffin Bay were acquired under clear sky conditions on the 26th and 27th of June 2000 and used to generate high-resolution sea ice concentration maps with which to compare the NT2 retrievals. Based on a linear regression analysis of 116 25-km samples, we find that overall the NT2 retrievals agree well with the Landsat concentrations. The regression analysis yields a correlation coefficient of 0.98. In areas of high melt ponding, the NT2 retrievals underestimate the sea ice concentrations by about 12% compared to the Landsat values.

Greenland Ice Sheet Melt from MODIS and Associated Atmospheric Variability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hakkinen, Sirpa; Hall, Dorothy K.; Shuman, Christopher A.; Worthen, Denise L.; DiGirolamo, Nicolo E.

2014-01-01

Daily June-July melt fraction variations over the Greenland Ice Sheet (GIS) derived from the MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) (2000-2013) are associated with atmospheric blocking forming an omega-shape ridge over the GIS at 500hPa height (from NCEPNCAR). Blocking activity with a range of time scales, from synoptic waves breaking poleward ( 5 days) to full-fledged blocks (5 days), brings warm subtropical air masses over the GIS controlling daily surface temperatures and melt. The temperature anomaly of these subtropical air mass intrusions is also important for melting. Based on the largest MODIS melt years (2002 and 2012), the area-average temperature anomaly of 2 standard deviations above the 14-year June-July mean, results in a melt fraction of 40 or more. Summer 2007 had the most blocking days, however atmospheric temperature anomalies were too small to instigate extreme melting.

The diversity of ice algal communities on the Greenland Ice Sheet as revealed by oligotyping

PubMed Central

Lutz, Stefanie; McCutcheon, Jenine; McQuaid, James B.; Benning, Liane G.

2018-01-01

The Arctic is being disproportionally affected by climate change compared with other geographic locations, and is currently experiencing unprecedented melt rates. The Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) can be regarded as the largest supraglacial ecosystem on Earth, and ice algae are the dominant primary producers on bare ice surfaces throughout the course of a melt season. Ice-algal-derived pigments cause a darkening of the ice surface, which in turn decreases albedo and increases melt rates. The important role of ice algae in changing melt rates has only recently been recognized, and we currently know little about their community compositions and functions. Here, we present the first analysis of ice algal communities across a 100 km transect on the GrIS by high-throughput sequencing and subsequent oligotyping of the most abundant taxa. Our data reveal an extremely low algal diversity with Ancylonema nordenskiöldii and a Mesotaenium species being by far the dominant taxa at all sites. We employed an oligotyping approach and revealed a hidden diversity not detectable by conventional clustering of operational taxonomic units and taxonomic classification. Oligotypes of the dominant taxa exhibit a site-specific distribution, which may be linked to differences in temperatures and subsequently the extent of the melting. Our results help to better understand the distribution patterns of ice algal communities that play a crucial role in the GrIS ecosystem. PMID:29547098

A calving law for ice sheet models; Investigating the role of surface melt on dynamics of Greenland outlet glaciers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nick, F. M.; van der Veen, C. J.; Vieli, A.

2008-12-01

alving of icebergs accounts for perhaps as much as half the ice transferred from the Greenland Ice Sheet into the surrounding ocean, and virtually all of the ice loss from the Antarctic Ice Sheet. We have formulated a calving model that can be readily incorporated into time-evolving numerical ice-flow models. Our model is based on downward penetration of water-filled surface crevasses and upward propagation of basal crevasses. A calving event occurs when the depth of the surface crevasse (which increases as melting progresses through the summer) reaches the height of the basal crevasse. Our numerical ice sheet model is able to reproduce observed seasonal changes of Greenland outlet glaciers, such as fluctuations in flow speed and terminus positions. We have applied the model to Helheim Glacier on the east coast, and Petermann Glacier in the northwest. Our model suggests that rapid retreat of the claving front is highly affected by the amplified calving rate due to increasing water level in surface crevasses during warmer summers. Our results show little response to seasonally enhanced basal lubrication from surface melt. This modeling study provides insights into the role of surface and basal hydrology to ice sheet dynamics and on how to incorporate calving in ice sheet models and therefore advances our ability to predict future ice sheet change.

Recent Changes in Arctic Sea Ice Melt Onset, Freeze-Up, and Melt Season Length

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Markus, Thorsten; Stroeve, Julienne C.; Miller, Jeffrey

2010-01-01

In order to explore changes and trends in the timing of Arctic sea ice melt onset and freeze-up and therefore melt season length, we developed a method that obtains this information directly from satellite passive microwave data, creating a consistent data set from 1979 through present. We furthermore distinguish between early melt (the first day of the year when melt is detected) and the first day of continuous melt. A similar distinction is made for the freeze-up. Using this method we analyze trends in melt onset and freeze-up for 10 different Arctic regions. In all regions except for the Sea of Okhotsk, which shows a very slight and statistically insignificant positive trend (O.4 days/decade), trends in melt onset are negative, i.e. towards earlier melt. The trends range from -1.0day/decade for the Bering Sea to -7.3 days/decade for the East Greenland Sea. Except for the Sea of Okhotsk all areas also show a trend towards later autumn freeze onset. The Chukchi/Beaufort Seas and Laptev/East Siberian Seas observe the strongest trends with 7 days/decade. For the entire Arctic, the melt season length has increased by about 20 days over the last 30 years. Largest trends of over 1O days/decade are seen for Hudson Bay, the East Greenland Sea the Laptev/East Siberian Seas, and the Chukchi/Beaufort Seas. Those trends are statistically significant a1 the 99% level.

Consequences of rapid ice sheet melting on the Sahelian population vulnerability

PubMed Central

Ramstein, Gilles; Charbit, Sylvie; Vrac, Mathieu; Famien, Adjoua Moïse; Sultan, Benjamin; Swingedouw, Didier; Dumas, Christophe; Gemenne, François; Alvarez-Solas, Jorge; Vanderlinden, Jean-Paul

2017-01-01

The acceleration of ice sheet melting has been observed over the last few decades. Recent observations and modeling studies have suggested that the ice sheet contribution to future sea level rise could have been underestimated in the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report. The ensuing freshwater discharge coming from ice sheets could have significant impacts on global climate, and especially on the vulnerable tropical areas. During the last glacial/deglacial period, megadrought episodes were observed in the Sahel region at the time of massive iceberg surges, leading to large freshwater discharges. In the future, such episodes have the potential to induce a drastic destabilization of the Sahelian agroecosystem. Using a climate modeling approach, we investigate this issue by superimposing on the Representative Concentration Pathways 8.5 (RCP8.5) baseline experiment a Greenland flash melting scenario corresponding to an additional sea level rise ranging from 0.5 m to 3 m. Our model response to freshwater discharge coming from Greenland melting reveals a significant decrease of the West African monsoon rainfall, leading to changes in agricultural practices. Combined with a strong population increase, described by different demography projections, important human migration flows could be potentially induced. We estimate that, without any adaptation measures, tens to hundreds million people could be forced to leave the Sahel by the end of this century. On top of this quantification, the sea level rise impact over coastal areas has to be superimposed, implying that the Sahel population could be strongly at threat in case of rapid Greenland melting. PMID:28584113

Consequences of rapid ice sheet melting on the Sahelian population vulnerability.

PubMed

Defrance, Dimitri; Ramstein, Gilles; Charbit, Sylvie; Vrac, Mathieu; Famien, Adjoua Moïse; Sultan, Benjamin; Swingedouw, Didier; Dumas, Christophe; Gemenne, François; Alvarez-Solas, Jorge; Vanderlinden, Jean-Paul

2017-06-20

The acceleration of ice sheet melting has been observed over the last few decades. Recent observations and modeling studies have suggested that the ice sheet contribution to future sea level rise could have been underestimated in the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report. The ensuing freshwater discharge coming from ice sheets could have significant impacts on global climate, and especially on the vulnerable tropical areas. During the last glacial/deglacial period, megadrought episodes were observed in the Sahel region at the time of massive iceberg surges, leading to large freshwater discharges. In the future, such episodes have the potential to induce a drastic destabilization of the Sahelian agroecosystem. Using a climate modeling approach, we investigate this issue by superimposing on the Representative Concentration Pathways 8.5 (RCP8.5) baseline experiment a Greenland flash melting scenario corresponding to an additional sea level rise ranging from 0.5 m to 3 m. Our model response to freshwater discharge coming from Greenland melting reveals a significant decrease of the West African monsoon rainfall, leading to changes in agricultural practices. Combined with a strong population increase, described by different demography projections, important human migration flows could be potentially induced. We estimate that, without any adaptation measures, tens to hundreds million people could be forced to leave the Sahel by the end of this century. On top of this quantification, the sea level rise impact over coastal areas has to be superimposed, implying that the Sahel population could be strongly at threat in case of rapid Greenland melting.

Regional melt-pond fraction and albedo of thin Arctic first-year drift ice in late summer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Divine, D. V.; Granskog, M. A.; Hudson, S. R.; Pedersen, C. A.; Karlsen, T. I.; Divina, S. A.; Renner, A. H. H.; Gerland, S.

2015-02-01

The paper presents a case study of the regional (≈150 km) morphological and optical properties of a relatively thin, 70-90 cm modal thickness, first-year Arctic sea ice pack in an advanced stage of melt. The study combines in situ broadband albedo measurements representative of the four main surface types (bare ice, dark melt ponds, bright melt ponds and open water) and images acquired by a helicopter-borne camera system during ice-survey flights. The data were collected during the 8-day ICE12 drift experiment carried out by the Norwegian Polar Institute in the Arctic, north of Svalbard at 82.3° N, from 26 July to 3 August 2012. A set of > 10 000 classified images covering about 28 km2 revealed a homogeneous melt across the study area with melt-pond coverage of ≈ 0.29 and open-water fraction of ≈ 0.11. A decrease in pond fractions observed in the 30 km marginal ice zone (MIZ) occurred in parallel with an increase in open-water coverage. The moving block bootstrap technique applied to sequences of classified sea-ice images and albedo of the four surface types yielded a regional albedo estimate of 0.37 (0.35; 0.40) and regional sea-ice albedo of 0.44 (0.42; 0.46). Random sampling from the set of classified images allowed assessment of the aggregate scale of at least 0.7 km2 for the study area. For the current setup configuration it implies a minimum set of 300 images to process in order to gain adequate statistics on the state of the ice cover. Variance analysis also emphasized the importance of longer series of in situ albedo measurements conducted for each surface type when performing regional upscaling. The uncertainty in the mean estimates of surface type albedo from in situ measurements contributed up to 95% of the variance of the estimated regional albedo, with the remaining variance resulting from the spatial inhomogeneity of sea-ice cover.

Melting probes revisited - Ice penetration experiments under Mars surface pressure conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kömle, Norbert I.; Tiefenbacher, Patrick; Weiss, Peter; Bendiukova, Anastasiia

2018-07-01

Melting probes as vehicles to explore terrestrial ice sheets have been designed and applied successfully since the early 1960's. Later on, in the 1990's, various proposals were made to apply such probes also as a means to explore ice sheets on other bodies of the solar system, e.g. Jupiter's icy satellite Europa or the ice caps of Mars. For this type of subsurface probes the name cryobot has become common. We review both early developments and more recent efforts to develop probes for application in planetary environments, i.e. under low pressures and low temperatures. The current state of art as well as the pros and cons of the different concepts hitherto considered are described. While many tests with various probes have been done in terrestrial environments, experiments under low surface pressure conditions are rare. Therefore, we report here on lab tests with a simple melting probe under the range of pressure and temperature conditions that would be encountered on the surface of Mars and compare them with corresponding tests under a much lower gas pressure, possibly representative for icy satellites. The contribution of evaporation during the melting and its variation with surface pressure is also considered. All surface pressure measurements that have been performed on Mars up to now indicate a surface pressure above the water triple point pressure (612 Pa). This means that water ice always transforms into the liquid phase when warmed up to 0°C, before it evaporates into the ambient atmosphere. The temporary existence of the liquid phase around the heated tip of the cryobot allows good thermal conductance between probe and surrounding ice, which is an important pre-requisite for efficient melt penetration. Our experiments indicate that under all possible Mars surface pressures the liquid phase is present when the probe is heated up. This finding confirms experimentally that a probe as it was proposed by Paige (1992) for in situ exploration of the Mars north

Observations and modeling of ocean-induced melt beneath Petermann Glacier Ice Shelf in northwestern Greenland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cai, Cilan; Rignot, Eric; Menemenlis, Dimitris; Nakayama, Yoshihiro

2017-08-01

We update observationally based estimates of subaqueous melt, Qm, beneath Petermann Glacier Ice Shelf (PGIS), Greenland, and model its sensitivity to oceanic thermal forcing, TF, and subglacial runoff, Qsg, using the Massachusetts Institute of Technology general circulation model (MITgcm), in a two-dimensional domain, with 20 m vertical and 40 m horizontal resolution at the grounding line. We adjust the drag coefficient to match the observationally based Qm. With the inclusion of Qsg, the maximum melt rate (Qmmax) is 2 times larger in summer and 1/3 larger annually than in winter. Qmmax increases above linear with TF and below linear with Qsg. We estimate that Qmmax increased by 24% (+8.1 m/yr) beneath PGIS from the 1990s to the 2000s from a 0.21°C warming in ocean temperature and a doubling in Qsg, hence contributing to its thinning. If the PGIS is removed, we estimate that the modeled melt rate near the grounding line will increase 13-16 times.

Methane hydrate synthesis from ice: Influence of pressurization and ethanol on optimizing formation rates and hydrate yield

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chen, Po-Chun.; Huang, Wuu-Liang; Stern, Laura A.

2010-01-01

Polycrystalline methane gas hydrate (MGH) was synthesized using an ice-seeding method to investigate the influence of pressurization and ethanol on the hydrate formation rate and gas yield of the resulting samples. When the reactor is pressurized with CH4 gas without external heating, methane hydrate can be formed from ice grains with yields up to 25% under otherwise static conditions. The rapid temperature rise caused by pressurization partially melts the granular ice, which reacts with methane to form hydrate rinds around the ice grains. The heat generated by the exothermic reaction of methane hydrate formation buffers the sample temperature near the melting point of ice for enough time to allow for continuous hydrate growth at high rates. Surprisingly, faster rates and higher yields of methane hydrate were found in runs with lower initial temperatures, slower rates of pressurization, higher porosity of the granular ice samples, or mixtures with sediments. The addition of ethanol also dramatically enhanced the formation of polycrystalline MGH. This study demonstrates that polycrystalline MGH with varied physical properties suitable for different laboratory tests can be manufactured by controlling synthesis procedures or parameters. Subsequent dissociation experiments using a gas collection apparatus and flowmeter confirmed high methane saturation (CH 4·2O, with n = 5.82 ± 0.03) in the MGH. Dissociation rates of the various samples synthesized at diverse conditions may be fitted to different rate laws, including zero and first order.

Antarctic icebergs melt over the Southern Ocean : Climatology and impact on sea ice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Merino, Nacho; Le Sommer, Julien; Durand, Gael; Jourdain, Nicolas C.; Madec, Gurvan; Mathiot, Pierre; Tournadre, Jean

2016-08-01

Recent increase in Antarctic freshwater release to the Southern Ocean is suggested to contribute to change in water masses and sea ice. However, climate models differ in their representation of the freshwater sources. Recent improvements in altimetry-based detection of small icebergs and in estimates of the mass loss of Antarctica may help better constrain the values of Antarctic freshwater releases. We propose a model-based seasonal climatology of iceberg melt over the Southern Ocean using state-of-the-art observed glaciological estimates of the Antarctic mass loss. An improved version of a Lagrangian iceberg model is coupled with a global, eddy-permitting ocean/sea ice model and compared to small icebergs observations. Iceberg melt increases sea ice cover, about 10% in annual mean sea ice volume, and decreases sea surface temperature over most of the Southern Ocean, but with distinctive regional patterns. Our results underline the importance of improving the representation of Antarctic freshwater sources. This can be achieved by forcing ocean/sea ice models with a climatological iceberg fresh-water flux.

Melting of the precipitated ice IV in LiCl aqueous solution and polyamorphism of water.

PubMed

Mishima, Osamu

2011-12-08

Melting of the precipitated ice IV in supercooled LiCl-H(2)O solution was studied in the range of 0-0.6 MPa and 160-270 K. Emulsified solution was used to detect this metastable transition. Ice IV was precipitated from the aqueous solution of 2.0 mol % LiCl (or 4.8 mol % LiCl) in each emulsion particle at low-temperature and high-pressure conditions, and the emulsion was decompressed at different temperatures. The melting of ice IV was detected from the temperature change of the emulsified sample during the decompression. There was an apparently sudden change in the slope of the ice IV melting curve (liquidus) in the pressure-temperature diagram. At the high-pressure and high-temperature side of the change, the solute-induced freezing point depression was observed. At the low-pressure and low-temperature side, ice IV transformed into ice Ih on the decompression, and the transition was almost unrelated to the concentration of LiCl. These experimental results were roughly explained by the presumed existence of two kinds of liquid water (low-density liquid water and high-density liquid water), or polyamorphism in water, and by the simple assumption that LiCl dissolved maily in high-density liquid water. © 2011 American Chemical Society

A Prototype Ice-Melting Probe for Collecting Biological Samples from Cryogenic Ice at Low Pressure.

PubMed

Davis, Ashley

2017-08-01

In the Solar System, the surface of an icy moon is composed of irregular ice formations at cryogenic temperatures (<200 K), with an oxidized surface layer and a tenuous atmosphere at very low pressure (<10 -6 atm). A lander mission, whose aim is to collect and analyze biological samples from the surface ice, must contain a device that collects samples without refreezing liquid and without sublimation of ice. In addition, if the samples are biological in nature, then precautions must be taken to ensure the samples do not overheat or mix with the oxidized layer. To achieve these conditions, the collector must maintain temperatures close to maintenance or growth conditions of the organism (<293 K), and it must separate or neutralize the oxidized layer and be physically gentle. Here, we describe a device that addresses these requirements and is compatible with low atmospheric pressure while using no pumps. The device contains a heated conical probe with a central orifice, which is forced into surface ice and directs the meltwater upward into a reservoir. The force on the probe is proportional to the height of meltwater (pressure) obtained in the system and allows regulation of the melt rate and temperature of the sample. The device can collect 5-50 mL of meltwater from the surface of an ice block at 233-208 K with an environmental pressure of less than 10 -2 atm while maintaining a sample temperature between 273 and 293 K. These conditions maintain most biological samples in a pristine state and maintain the integrity of most organisms' structure and function. Key Words: Europa-Icy moon-Microbe-Eukaryote-Spacecraft. Astrobiology 17, 709-720.

The melting sea ice of Arctic polar cap in the summer solstice month and the role of ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, S.; Yi, Y.

2014-12-01

The Arctic sea ice is becoming smaller and thinner than climatological standard normal and more fragmented in the early summer. We investigated the widely changing Arctic sea ice using the daily sea ice concentration data. Sea ice data is generated from brightness temperature data derived from the sensors: Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP)-F13 Special Sensor Microwave/Imagers (SSM/Is), the DMSP-F17 Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounder (SSMIS) and the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer - Earth Observing System (AMSR-E) instrument on the NASA Earth Observing System (EOS) Aqua satellite. We tried to figure out appearance of arctic sea ice melting region of polar cap from the data of passive microwave sensors. It is hard to explain polar sea ice melting only by atmosphere effects like surface air temperature or wind. Thus, our hypothesis explaining this phenomenon is that the heat from deep undersea in Arctic Ocean ridges and the hydrothermal vents might be contributing to the melting of Arctic sea ice.

Investigation of land ice-ocean interaction with a fully coupled ice-ocean model: 2. Sensitivity to external forcings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goldberg, D. N.; Little, C. M.; Sergienko, O. V.; Gnanadesikan, A.; Hallberg, R.; Oppenheimer, M.

2012-06-01

A coupled ice stream-ice shelf-ocean cavity model is used to assess the sensitivity of the coupled system to far-field ocean temperatures, varying from 0.0 to 1.8°C, as well as sensitivity to the parameters controlling grounded ice flow. A response to warming is seen in grounding line retreat and grounded ice loss that cannot be inferred from the response of integrated melt rates alone. This is due to concentrated thinning at the ice shelf lateral margin, and to processes that contribute to this thinning. Parameters controlling the flow of grounded ice have a strong influence on the response to sub-ice shelf melting, but this influence is not seen until several years after an initial perturbation in temperatures. The simulated melt rates are on the order of that observed for Pine Island Glacier in the 1990s. However, retreat rates are much slower, possibly due to unrepresented bedrock features.

Predicting the melting temperature of ice-Ih with only electronic structure information as input.

PubMed

Pinnick, Eric R; Erramilli, Shyamsunder; Wang, Feng

2012-07-07

The melting temperature of ice-Ih was calculated with only electronic structure information as input by creating a problem-specific force field. The force field, Water model by AFM for Ice and Liquid (WAIL), was developed with the adaptive force matching (AFM) method by fitting to post-Hartree-Fock quality forces obtained in quantum mechanics∕molecular mechanics calculations. WAIL predicts the ice-Ih melting temperature to be 270 K. The model also predicts the densities of ice and water, the temperature of maximum density of water, the heat of vaporizations, and the radial distribution functions for both ice and water in good agreement with experimental measurements. The non-dissociative WAIL model is very similar to a flexible version of the popular TIP4P potential and has comparable computational cost. By customizing to problem-specific configurations with the AFM approach, the resulting model is remarkably more accurate than any variants of TIP4P for simulating ice-Ih and water in the temperature range from 253 K and 293 K under ambient pressure.

Shock Melting of Permafrost on Mars: Water Ice Multiphase Equation of State for Numerical Modeling and Its Testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ivanov, B. A.

2005-01-01

The presence of water/ice/brine in upper layers of Martian crust affects many processes of impact cratering. Modeling of these effects promises better understanding of Martian cratering records. We present here the new ANEOS-based multiphase equation of state for water/ice constructed for usage in hydrocodes and first numerical experiments on permafrost shock melting. Preliminary results show that due to multiple shock compression of ice inclusions in rocks the entropy jump in shocked ice is smaller than in pure ice for the same shock pressure. Hence previous estimates of ice melting during impact cratering on Mars should be re-evaluated. Additional information is included in the original extended abstract.

Winter ocean-ice interactions under thin sea ice observed by IAOOS platforms during N-ICE2015: Salty surface mixed layer and active basal melt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koenig, Zoé; Provost, Christine; Villacieros-Robineau, Nicolas; Sennéchael, Nathalie; Meyer, Amelie

2016-10-01

IAOOS (Ice Atmosphere Arctic Ocean Observing System) platforms, measuring physical parameters at the atmosphere-snow-ice-ocean interface deployed as part of the N-ICE2015 campaign, provide new insights on winter conditions North of Svalbard. The three regions crossed during the drifts, the Nansen Basin, the Sofia Deep, and the Svalbard northern continental slope featured distinct hydrographic properties and ice-ocean exchanges. In the Nansen Basin, the quiescent warm layer was capped by a stepped halocline (60 and 110 m) and a deep thermocline (110 m). Ice was forming and the winter mixed layer salinity was larger by ˜0.1 g/kg than previously observed. Over the Svalbard continental slope, the Atlantic Water (AW) was very shallow (20 m from the surface) and extended offshore from the 500 m isobath by a distance of about 70 km, sank along the slope (40 m from the surface) and probably shed eddies into the Sofia Deep. In the Sofia Deep, relatively warm waters of Atlantic origin extended from 90 m downward. Resulting from different pathways, these waters had a wide range of hydrographic characteristics. Sea-ice melt was widespread over the Svalbard continental slope and ocean-to-ice heat fluxes reached values of 400 W m-2 (mean of ˜150 W m-2 over the continental slope). Sea-ice melt events were associated with near 12 h fluctuations in the mixed-layer temperature and salinity corresponding to the periodicity of tides and near-inertial waves potentially generated by winter storms, large barotropic tides over steep topography, and/or geostrophic adjustments.

Dynamic and static equilibrium sea level effects of Greenland Ice Sheet melt: An assessment of partially-coupled idealized water hosing experiments (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kopp, R. E.; Mitrovica, J. X.; Griffies, S. M.; Yin, J.; Hay, C. C.; Stouffer, R. J.

2010-12-01

Regional sea level can deviate from mean global sea level because of both dynamic sea level (DSL) effects, resulting from oceanic and atmospheric circulation and temperature and salinity distributions, and changes in the static equilibrium (SE) sea level configuration, produced by the gravitational, elastic, and rotational effects of mass redistribution. Both effects will contribute to future sea level change, but because they are studied by two different subdisciplines -- climate modeling and glacial rebound modeling -- projections that attempt to combine both have to date been scarce. To compare their magnitude, we simulated the effects of Greenland Ice Sheet (GIS) melt by conducting idealized North Atlantic "water-hosing" experiments in a climate model unidirectionally coupled to a SE sea level model. At current rates of GIS melt, freshwater hosing experiments in fully coupled atmosphere-ocean general circulation models (AOGCMs) do not yield clear DSL trends but do generate DSL variability; comparing that variability to expected static equilibrium "fingerprints" suggests that at least about 40 years of observations are needed to detect the "fingerprints" of ice sheet melt at current Greenland melt rates of about 0.3 mm equivalent sea level (esl)/year. Accelerated melt rates of about 2--6 mm esl/y, as may occur later in the century, should be detectable above background DSL variability within less than a decade of their onset. At these higher melt rates, AOGCMs do yield clear DSL trends. In the GFDL CM 2.1 model, DSL trends are strongest in the western North Atlantic, while SE effects come to dominate in most of the ocean when melt exceeds about 20 cm esl.

Can Arctic sea-ice melt be explained by atmospheric meridional transports? (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tjernstrom, M. K.; Graversen, R. G.

2010-12-01

The Arctic summer sea ice is melting away at an alarming rate, and it is now expected that an principally sea-ice free Arctic summer will occur much earlier than projected by the IPCC AR4 models. At the same time Arctic near-surface temperatures are rising at a rate much faster than the global average. The processes responsible for these changes are debated and many claim that local feedbacks, such as the surface albedo feedback, are the main culprits while other argue that remote effects, such as atmospheric circulation changes on synoptic and hemispheric scales, are the most important. We will explore the effects of the meridional transport by synoptic and larger scale atmospheric circulation on recent changes, using reanalysis data. It will be illustarated how this transport can contribute significant amounts of sensible heat, but also of atmospheric moisture such that local cloud feedbacks as well as the direct greenhouse effect of the water vapor contributes significantly to the surface energy balance over the Arctic polar cap.

Water isotopic ratios from a continuously melted ice core sample

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gkinis, V.; Popp, T. J.; Blunier, T.; Bigler, M.; Schüpbach, S.; Kettner, E.; Johnsen, S. J.

2011-11-01

A new technique for on-line high resolution isotopic analysis of liquid water, tailored for ice core studies is presented. We built an interface between a Wavelength Scanned Cavity Ring Down Spectrometer (WS-CRDS) purchased from Picarro Inc. and a Continuous Flow Analysis (CFA) system. The system offers the possibility to perform simultaneuous water isotopic analysis of δ18O and δD on a continuous stream of liquid water as generated from a continuously melted ice rod. Injection of sub μl amounts of liquid water is achieved by pumping sample through a fused silica capillary and instantaneously vaporizing it with 100% efficiency in a~home made oven at a temperature of 170 °C. A calibration procedure allows for proper reporting of the data on the VSMOW-SLAP scale. We apply the necessary corrections based on the assessed performance of the system regarding instrumental drifts and dependance on the water concentration in the optical cavity. The melt rates are monitored in order to assign a depth scale to the measured isotopic profiles. Application of spectral methods yields the combined uncertainty of the system at below 0.1‰ and 0.5‰ for δ18O and δD, respectively. This performance is comparable to that achieved with mass spectrometry. Dispersion of the sample in the transfer lines limits the temporal resolution of the technique. In this work we investigate and assess these dispersion effects. By using an optimal filtering method we show how the measured profiles can be corrected for the smoothing effects resulting from the sample dispersion. Considering the significant advantages the technique offers, i.e. simultaneuous measurement of δ18O and δD, potentially in combination with chemical components that are traditionally measured on CFA systems, notable reduction on analysis time and power consumption, we consider it as an alternative to traditional isotope ratio mass spectrometry with the possibility to be deployed for field ice core studies. We present

Aragonite undersaturation in the Arctic Ocean: effects of ocean acidification and sea ice melt.

PubMed

Yamamoto-Kawai, Michiyo; McLaughlin, Fiona A; Carmack, Eddy C; Nishino, Shigeto; Shimada, Koji

2009-11-20

The increase in anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions and attendant increase in ocean acidification and sea ice melt act together to decrease the saturation state of calcium carbonate in the Canada Basin of the Arctic Ocean. In 2008, surface waters were undersaturated with respect to aragonite, a relatively soluble form of calcium carbonate found in plankton and invertebrates. Undersaturation was found to be a direct consequence of the recent extensive melting of sea ice in the Canada Basin. In addition, the retreat of the ice edge well past the shelf-break has produced conditions favorable to enhanced upwelling of subsurface, aragonite-undersaturated water onto the Arctic continental shelf. Undersaturation will affect both planktonic and benthic calcifying biota and therefore the composition of the Arctic ecosystem.

Basal channels on ice shelves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sergienko, O. V.

2013-09-01

Recent surveys of floating ice shelves associated with Pine Island Glacier (Antarctica) and Petermann Glacier (Greenland) indicate that there are channels incised upward into their bottoms that may serve as the conduits of meltwater outflow from the sub-ice-shelf cavity. The formation of the channels, their evolution over time, and their impact on ice-shelf flow are investigated using a fully-coupled ice-shelf/sub-ice-shelf ocean model. The model simulations suggest that channels may form spontaneously in response to meltwater plume flow initiated at the grounding line if there are relatively high melt rates and if there is transverse to ice-flow variability in ice-shelf thickness. Typical channels formed in the simulations have a width of about 1-3 km and a vertical relief of about 100-200 m. Melt rates and sea-water transport in the channels are significantly higher than on the smooth flat ice bottom between the channels. The melt channels develop through melting, deformation, and advection with ice-shelf flow. Simulations suggest that both steady state and cyclic state solutions are possible depending on conditions along the lateral ice-shelf boundaries. This peculiar dynamics of the system has strong implications on the interpretation of observations. The richness of channel morphology and evolution seen in this study suggests that further observations and theoretical analysis are imperative for understanding ice-shelf behavior in warm oceanic conditions.

NASA's Observes Effects of Summer Melt on Greenland Ice Sheet

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

NASA's IceBridge, an airborne survey of polar ice, flew over the Helheim/Kangerdlugssuaq region of Greenland on Sept. 11, 2016. This photograph from the flight captures Greenland's Steenstrup Glacier, with the midmorning sun glinting off of the Denmark Strait in the background. IceBridge completed the final flight of the summer campaign to observe the impact of the summer melt season on the ice sheet on Sept. 16. The IceBridge flights, which began on Aug. 27, are mostly repeats of lines that the team flew in early May, so that scientists can observe changes in ice elevation between the spring and late summer. For this short, end-of-summer campaign, the IceBridge scientists flew aboard an HU-25A Guardian aircraft from NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. Credit: NASA/John Sonntag NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Imaging radar studies of polar ice

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carsey, Frank

1993-01-01

A vugraph format presentation is given. The following topics are discussed: scientific overview, radar data opportunities, sea ice investigations, and ice sheet investigations. The Sea Ice Scientific Objectives are as follows: (1) to estimate globally the surface brine generation, heat flux, and fresh water advection (as ice); (2) to monitor phasing of seasonal melt and freeze events and accurately estimate melt and growth rates; and (3) to develop improved treatment of momentum transfer and ice mechanics in coupled air-sea-ice models.

Investigating methods to estimate melting event parameters over Arctic sea- ice using SSM/I, OKEAN, and RADARSAT Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belchansky, G.; Eremeev, V.; Mordvintsev, I.; Platonov, N.; Douglas, D.

The melting events (early melt, melt onset, melt ponding, freeze-up onset) over Arctic sea-ice area are critical for climate and global change studies. They are combined with accuracy of surface energy balances estimates (due to contrasts in the short wave albedo of snow and ice, open water or melt ponds) and drives a number of important processes (onset of snow melt, thawing of boreal forest, etc). M icrowave measurements identify seasonal transition zones due to large differences in emissivity during melt onset, melt ponding and freeze-up periods. This report presents near coincident observation of backscatter cross section (0 ) and brightness temperature (Tb) from Russian OKEAN 01 satellite series, backscatter cross section (0) from RADARSAT-1, brightness temperatures (Tbs) from SSM/I sensors, and near-surface temperature derived from the International Arctic Buoy Program data (IABP) (Belchansky and Douglas, 2000, 2002). To determine the melt duration (time of freeze-up onset minus time of melt onset) passive and active microwave methods were developed. These methods used differences between SSM /I 19.3GHz,H and SSM/I 37.0 GHz, H channels (SSM/I Tb), OKEAN 0 (9.52GHz, VV) and Tb (37.47 GHz, H) channels, RADARSAT-1 0 (5.3GHz, HH), and a threshold technique. An evolution of the SSM/I Tb, OKEAN-01 0 and Tb, RADARSAT ScanSAR 0, MEAN ( 0), SD(0) and SD(0 ) / MEAN(0 ) as function of time was investigated along FY and MY dominant type ice areas during January 1996 through December 1998. The SSM/I, OKEAN and RADARSAT melt onset and freeze up onset algorithms were constructed. The SSM/I algorithm was based- on analysis of the SSM/I Tb. The OKEAN and RADARSAT ScanSAR algorithms were based, respectively, on analysis of OKEAN 0 and Tb of MY and FY sea ice at each MY and FY ice region (200 km by 200 km) determined in OKEAN imagery prior to melting period and changes in RADARSAT SD(0 ) / MEAN(0) of sea-ice during different stages of melting processes at each ice site (75 km

Antarctic ice discharge due to warm water intrusion into shelf cavities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winkelmann, R.; Reese, R.; Albrecht, T.; Mengel, M.; Asay-Davis, X.

2017-12-01

Ocean-induced melting below ice shelves is the dominant driver for mass loss from the Antarctic Ice Sheet at present. Observations show that many Antarctic ice shelves are thinning which reduces their buttressing potential and can lead to increased ice discharge from the glaciers upstream. Melt rates from Antarctic ice shelves are determined by the temperature and salinity of the ambient ocean. In many parts, ice shelves are shielded by clearly defined density fronts which keep relatively warm Northern water from entering the cavity underneath the ice shelves. Projections show that a redirection of coastal currents might allow these warmer waters to intrude into ice shelf cavities, for instance in the Weddell Sea, and thereby cause a strong increase in sub-shelf melt rates. Using the Potsdam Ice-shelf Cavity mOdel (PICO), we assess how such a change would influence the dynamic ice loss from Antarctica. PICO is implemented as part of the Parallel Ice Sheet Model (PISM) and mimics the vertical overturning circulation in ice-shelf cavities. The model is capable of capturing the wide range of melt rates currently observed for Antarctic ice shelves and reproduces the typical pattern of comparably high melting near the grounding line and lower melting or refreezing towards the calving front. Based on regional observations of ocean temperatures, we use PISM-PICO to estimate an upper limit for ice discharge resulting from the potential erosion of ocean fronts around Antarctica.

Radar measurements of melt zones on the Greenland Ice Sheet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jezek, Kenneth C.; Gogineni, Prasad; Shanableh, M.

1994-01-01

Surface-based microwave radar measurements were performed at a location on the western flank of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Here, firn metamorphasis is dominated by seasonal melt, which leads to marked contrasts in the vertical structure of winter and summer firn. This snow regime is also one of the brightest radar targets on Earth with an average backscatter coefficient of 0 dB at 5.3 GHz and an incidence angle of 25 deg. By combining detailed observations of firn physical properties with ranging radar measurements we find that the glaciological mechanism associated with this strong electromagnetic response is summer ice lens formation within the previous winter's snow pack. This observation has important implications for monitoring and understanding changes in ice sheet volume using spaceborne microwave sensors.

Regional Changes in Icescape Impact Shelf Circulation and Basal Melting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cougnon, E. A.; Galton-Fenzi, B. K.; Rintoul, S. R.; Legrésy, B.; Williams, G. D.; Fraser, A. D.; Hunter, J. R.

2017-11-01

Ice shelf basal melt is the dominant contribution to mass loss from Antarctic ice shelves. However, the sensitivity of basal melt to changes in icescape (grounded icebergs, ice shelves, and sea ice) and related ocean circulation is poorly understood. Here we simulate the impact of the major 2010 calving event of the Mertz Glacier Tongue (MGT), East Antarctica, and related redistribution of sea ice and icebergs on the basal melt rate of the local ice shelves. We find that the position of the grounded tabular iceberg B9B controls the water masses that reach the nearby ice shelf cavities. After the calving of the MGT and the removal of B9B, warmer water is present both within the MGT cavity and on the continental shelf driving a 57% increase of the deep MGT basal melting. Major changes in icescape influence the oceanic heat flux responsible for basal ice shelf melting.

Impact of surface melt and ponding on the stability of Larsen C Ice Shelf, Antarctic Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kulessa, Bernd; Luckman, Adrian; Hubbard, Bryn; Bevan, Suzanne; O'Leary, Martin; Ashmore, David; Kuipers Munneke, Peter; Jansen, Daniela; Booth, Adam; Sevestre, Heidi; Holland, Paul; McGrath, Daniel; Brisbourne, Alex; Rutt, Ian

2017-04-01

Several ice shelves on the Antarctic Peninsula have disintegrated rapidly in recent decades, and surface meltwater is strongly implicated as a driver. The Larsen C Ice Shelf is the largest ice shelf on the peninsula and one of the largest in Antarctica, and is subject to pronounced surface melting and meltwater ponding, especially in the northern sectors and landward inlets. As part of the MIDAS project we have investigated the structure and physical properties of the firn and ice layers in the 2014/15 and 2015/16 austral summers, using a combination of radar and seismic geophysical surveys together with hot water drilling and borehole optical televiewing and temperature measurements. We found that Larsen C's firn column and ice temperatures are modified strongly by surface melting and ponding, including the presence of massive ice bodies in the Cabinet and Whirlwind inlets. Numerical modelling reveals that these modifications have been altering ice shelf deformation, flow and fracture significantly. The findings from our MIDAS project thus suggest that the response of Antarctic ice shelves to climatic warming is more complex than previously thought.

Nonlinear Influence of Background Rotation on Iceberg Melting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meroni, A. N.; McConnochie, C. D.; Cenedese, C.; Sutherland, B. R.; Snow, K.

2017-12-01

The Antarctic and Greenland Ice Sheets lose mass through direct melting from ice shelves and from the calving of icebergs. Once icebergs have calved they will drift in ocean currents and gradually melt. Where and how rapidly they melt will determine where the freshwater and nutrients contained in the iceberg will be released which can then affect sea ice formation and biological activity. Standard parameterizations of iceberg melting consider the fluid velocity and temperature but not the effect of planetary rotation. Particularly for large icebergs, such as that which recently calved from the Larson C ice shelf, rotation may also be important due to the formation of Taylor columns.We present the results of laboratory experiments investigating the effect of rotation on the melting of icebergs. In particular, the possible formation of Taylor columns underneath an iceberg is investigated. At high Rossby numbers, when rotation is weak compared to advection, iceberg melting is unaffected by the background rotation rate. However, as the Rossby number is decreased, the melt rate initially increases before decreasing as the Rossby number is further decreased.This non-monotonic dependence of iceberg melting on the Rossby number is explained by considering the integrated horizontal velocity under the iceberg. For moderate Rossby numbers the Taylor column that forms only occupies a small fraction of the iceberg bottom area. Although there is near-zero relative flow in the Taylor column, which reduces the melt rate, the effective blocking by the Taylor column causes an acceleration of the flow under the remainder of the iceberg and increases the total melt rate. However, for low Rossby numbers the Taylor column occupies a larger fraction of the iceberg bottom area and the flow acceleration no longer occurs underneath the iceberg, hence it is unable to increase the melt rate. We suggest an improved parameterization of iceberg melt that includes the effects of rotation.

Bacterial Communities of Surface Mixed Layer in the Pacific Sector of the Western Arctic Ocean during Sea-Ice Melting

PubMed Central

Ha, Ho Kyung; Kim, Hyun Cheol; Kim, Ok-Sun; Lee, Bang Yong; Cho, Jang-Cheon; Hur, Hor-Gil; Lee, Yoo Kyung

2014-01-01

From July to August 2010, the IBRV ARAON journeyed to the Pacific sector of the Arctic Ocean to monitor bacterial variation in Arctic summer surface-waters, and temperature, salinity, fluorescence, and nutrient concentrations were determined during the ice-melting season. Among the measured physicochemical parameters, we observed a strong negative correlation between temperature and salinity, and consequently hypothesized that the melting ice decreased water salinity. The bacterial community compositions of 15 samples, includicng seawater, sea-ice, and melting pond water, were determined using a pyrosequencing approach and were categorized into three habitats: (1) surface seawater, (2) ice core, and (3) melting pond. Analysis of these samples indicated the presence of local bacterial communities; a deduction that was further corroborated by the discovery of seawater- and ice-specific bacterial phylotypes. In all samples, the Alphaproteobacteria, Flavobacteria, and Gammaproteobacteria taxa composed the majority of the bacterial communities. Among these, Alphaproteobacteria was the most abundant and present in all samples, and its variation differed among the habitats studied. Linear regression analysis suggested that changes in salinity could affect the relative proportion of Alphaproteobacteria in the surface water. In addition, the species-sorting model was applied to evaluate the population dynamics and environmental heterogeneity in the bacterial communities of surface mixed layer in the Arctic Ocean during sea-ice melting. PMID:24497990

Bacterial communities of surface mixed layer in the Pacific sector of the western Arctic Ocean during sea-ice melting.

PubMed

Han, Dukki; Kang, Ilnam; Ha, Ho Kyung; Kim, Hyun Cheol; Kim, Ok-Sun; Lee, Bang Yong; Cho, Jang-Cheon; Hur, Hor-Gil; Lee, Yoo Kyung

2014-01-01

From July to August 2010, the IBRV ARAON journeyed to the Pacific sector of the Arctic Ocean to monitor bacterial variation in Arctic summer surface-waters, and temperature, salinity, fluorescence, and nutrient concentrations were determined during the ice-melting season. Among the measured physicochemical parameters, we observed a strong negative correlation between temperature and salinity, and consequently hypothesized that the melting ice decreased water salinity. The bacterial community compositions of 15 samples, includicng seawater, sea-ice, and melting pond water, were determined using a pyrosequencing approach and were categorized into three habitats: (1) surface seawater, (2) ice core, and (3) melting pond. Analysis of these samples indicated the presence of local bacterial communities; a deduction that was further corroborated by the discovery of seawater- and ice-specific bacterial phylotypes. In all samples, the Alphaproteobacteria, Flavobacteria, and Gammaproteobacteria taxa composed the majority of the bacterial communities. Among these, Alphaproteobacteria was the most abundant and present in all samples, and its variation differed among the habitats studied. Linear regression analysis suggested that changes in salinity could affect the relative proportion of Alphaproteobacteria in the surface water. In addition, the species-sorting model was applied to evaluate the population dynamics and environmental heterogeneity in the bacterial communities of surface mixed layer in the Arctic Ocean during sea-ice melting.

Ice Shelf-Ocean Interactions Near Ice Rises and Ice Rumples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lange, M. A.; Rückamp, M.; Kleiner, T.

2013-12-01

The stability of ice shelves depends on the existence of embayments and is largely influenced by ice rises and ice rumples, which act as 'pinning-points' for ice shelf movement. Of additional critical importance are interactions between ice shelves and the water masses underlying them in ice shelf cavities, particularly melting and refreezing processes. The present study aims to elucidate the role of ice rises and ice rumples in the context of climate change impacts on Antarctic ice shelves. However, due to their smaller spatial extent, ice rumples react more sensitively to climate change than ice rises. Different forcings are at work and need to be considered separately as well as synergistically. In order to address these issues, we have decided to deal with the following three issues explicitly: oceanographic-, cryospheric and general topics. In so doing, we paid particular attention to possible interrelationships and feedbacks in a coupled ice-shelf-ocean system. With regard to oceanographic issues, we have applied the ocean circulation model ROMBAX to ocean water masses adjacent to and underneath a number of idealized ice shelf configurations: wide and narrow as well as laterally restrained and unrestrained ice shelves. Simulations were performed with and without small ice rises located close to the calving front. For larger configurations, the impact of the ice rises on melt rates at the ice shelf base is negligible, while for smaller configurations net melting rates at the ice-shelf base differ by a factor of up to eight depending on whether ice rises are considered or not. We employed the thermo-coupled ice flow model TIM-FD3 to simulate the effects of several ice rises and one ice rumple on the dynamics of ice shelf flow. We considered the complete un-grounding of the ice shelf in order to investigate the effect of pinning points of different characteristics (interior or near calving front, small and medium sized) on the resulting flow and stress fields

Ocean-Forced Ice-Shelf Thinning in a Synchronously Coupled Ice-Ocean Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jordan, James R.; Holland, Paul R.; Goldberg, Dan; Snow, Kate; Arthern, Robert; Campin, Jean-Michel; Heimbach, Patrick; Jenkins, Adrian

2018-02-01

The first fully synchronous, coupled ice shelf-ocean model with a fixed grounding line and imposed upstream ice velocity has been developed using the MITgcm (Massachusetts Institute of Technology general circulation model). Unlike previous, asynchronous, approaches to coupled modeling our approach is fully conservative of heat, salt, and mass. Synchronous coupling is achieved by continuously updating the ice-shelf thickness on the ocean time step. By simulating an idealized, warm-water ice shelf we show how raising the pycnocline leads to a reduction in both ice-shelf mass and back stress, and hence buttressing. Coupled runs show the formation of a western boundary channel in the ice-shelf base due to increased melting on the western boundary due to Coriolis enhanced flow. Eastern boundary ice thickening is also observed. This is not the case when using a simple depth-dependent parameterized melt, as the ice shelf has relatively thinner sides and a thicker central "bulge" for a given ice-shelf mass. Ice-shelf geometry arising from the parameterized melt rate tends to underestimate backstress (and therefore buttressing) for a given ice-shelf mass due to a thinner ice shelf at the boundaries when compared to coupled model simulations.

Phase boundaries, nucleation rates and speed of crystal growth of the water-to-ice transition under an electric field: a simulation study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaragoza, Alberto; Espinosa, Jorge R.; Ramos, Regina; Cobos, José Antonio; Aragones, Juan Luis; Vega, Carlos; Sanz, Eduardo; Ramírez, Jorge; Valeriani, Chantal

2018-05-01

We investigate with computer simulations the effect of applying an electric field on the water-to-ice transition. We use a combination of state-of-the-art simulation techniques to obtain phase boundaries and crystal growth rates (direct coexistence), nucleation rates (seeding) and interfacial free energies (seeding and mold integration). First, we consider ice Ih, the most stable polymorph in the absence of a field. Its normal melting temperature, speed of crystal growth and nucleation rate (for a given supercooling) diminish as the intensity of the field goes up. Then, we study polarised cubic ice, or ice Icf, the most stable solid phase under a strong electric field. Its normal melting point goes up with the field and, for a given supercooling, under the studied field (0.3 V nm‑1) ice Icf nucleates and grows at a similar rate as Ih with no field. The net effect of the field would then be that ice nucleates at warmer temperatures, but in the form of ice Icf. The main conclusion of this work is that reasonable electric fields (not strong enough to break water molecules apart) are not relevant in the context of homogeneous ice nucleation at 1 bar.

Phase boundaries, nucleation rates and speed of crystal growth of the water-to-ice transition under an electric field: a simulation study.

PubMed

Zaragoza, Alberto; Espinosa, Jorge R; Ramos, Regina; Antonio Cobos, José; Luis Aragones, Juan; Vega, Carlos; Sanz, Eduardo; Ramírez, Jorge; Valeriani, Chantal

2018-05-02

We investigate with computer simulations the effect of applying an electric field on the water-to-ice transition. We use a combination of state-of-the-art simulation techniques to obtain phase boundaries and crystal growth rates (direct coexistence), nucleation rates (seeding) and interfacial free energies (seeding and mold integration). First, we consider ice Ih, the most stable polymorph in the absence of a field. Its normal melting temperature, speed of crystal growth and nucleation rate (for a given supercooling) diminish as the intensity of the field goes up. Then, we study polarised cubic ice, or ice Icf, the most stable solid phase under a strong electric field. Its normal melting point goes up with the field and, for a given supercooling, under the studied field (0.3 V nm -1 ) ice Icf nucleates and grows at a similar rate as Ih with no field. The net effect of the field would then be that ice nucleates at warmer temperatures, but in the form of ice Icf. The main conclusion of this work is that reasonable electric fields (not strong enough to break water molecules apart) are not relevant in the context of homogeneous ice nucleation at 1 bar.

Impacts of sea ice retreat, thinning, and melt-pond proliferation on the summer phytoplankton bloom in the Chukchi Sea, Arctic Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palmer, Molly A.; Saenz, Benjamin T.; Arrigo, Kevin R.

2014-07-01

In 2011, a massive phytoplankton bloom was observed in the Chukchi Sea under first-year sea ice (FYI), an environment in which primary productivity (PP) has historically been low. In this paper, we use a 1-D biological model of the Chukchi shelf ecosystem, in conjunction with in situ chemical and physiological data, to better understand the conditions that facilitated the development of such an unprecedented bloom. In addition, to assess the effects of changing Arctic environmental conditions on net PP (NPP), we perform model runs with varying sea ice and snow thickness, timing of melt, melt ponds, and biological parameters. Results from model runs with conditions similar to 2011 indicate that first-year ice (FYI) with at least 10% melt pond coverage transmits sufficient light to support the growth of shade-adapted Arctic phytoplankton. Increasing pond fraction by 20% enhanced peak under-ice NPP by 26% and produced rates more comparable to those measured during the 2011 bloom, but there was no effect of further increasing pond fraction. One of the important consequences of large under-ice blooms is that they consume a substantial fraction of surface nutrients such that NPP is greatly diminished in the marginal ice zone (MIZ) following ice retreat, where NPP has historically been the highest. In contrast, in model runs with <10% ponds, no under-ice bloom formed, and although peak MIZ NPP increased by 18-30%, this did not result in higher total annual NPP. This suggests that under-ice blooms contribute importantly to total annual NPP. Indeed, in all runs exhibiting under-ice blooms, total annual NPP was higher than in runs with the majority of NPP based in open water. Consistent with this, in model runs where ice melted one month earlier, peak under-ice NPP decreased 30%, and annual NPP was lower as well. The only exception was the case with no sea ice in the region: a weak bloom in early May was followed by low but sustained NPP throughout the entire growth season

Comparison of Passive Microwave-Derived Early Melt Onset Records on Arctic Sea Ice

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bliss, Angela C.; Miller, Jeffrey A.; Meier, Walter N.

2017-01-01

Two long records of melt onset (MO) on Arctic sea ice from passive microwave brightness temperatures (Tbs) obtained by a series of satellite-borne instruments are compared. The Passive Microwave (PMW) method and Advanced Horizontal Range Algorithm (AHRA) detect the increase in emissivity that occurs when liquid water develops around snow grains at the onset of early melting on sea ice. The timing of MO on Arctic sea ice influences the amount of solar radiation absorbed by the ice-ocean system throughout the melt season by reducing surface albedos in the early spring. This work presents a thorough comparison of these two methods for the time series of MO dates from 1979through 2012. The methods are first compared using the published data as a baseline comparison of the publically available data products. A second comparison is performed on adjusted MO dates we produced to remove known differences in inter-sensor calibration of Tbs and masking techniques used to develop the original MO date products. These adjustments result in a more consistent set of input Tbs for the algorithms. Tests of significance indicate that the trends in the time series of annual mean MO dates for the PMW and AHRA are statistically different for the majority of the Arctic Ocean including the Laptev, E. Siberian, Chukchi, Beaufort, and central Arctic regions with mean differences as large as 38.3 days in the Barents Sea. Trend agreement improves for our more consistent MO dates for nearly all regions. Mean differences remain large, primarily due to differing sensitivity of in-algorithm thresholds and larger uncertainties in thin-ice regions.

Spring Melt and the Redistribution of Organochlorine Pesticides in the Sea-Ice Environment: A Comparative Study between Arctic and Antarctic Regions.

PubMed

Bigot, Marie; Hawker, Darryl W; Cropp, Roger; Muir, Derek Cg; Jensen, Bjarne; Bossi, Rossana; Bengtson Nash, Susan M

2017-08-15

Complementary sampling of air, snow, sea-ice, and seawater for a range of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) was undertaken through the early stages of respective spring sea-ice melting at coastal sites in northeast Greenland and eastern Antarctica to investigate OCP concentrations and redistribution during this time. Mean concentrations in seawater, sea-ice and snow were generally greater at the Arctic site. For example, α-HCH was found to have the largest concentrations of all analytes in Arctic seawater and sea-ice meltwater samples (224-253 and 34.7-48.2 pg·L -1 respectively compared to 1.0-1.3 and <0.63 pg·L -1 respectively for Antarctic samples). Differences in atmospheric samples were generally not as pronounced however. Findings suggest that sea-ice OCP burdens originate from both snow and seawater. The distribution profile between seawater and sea-ice showed a compound-dependency for Arctic samples not evident with those from the Antarctic, possibly due to full submersion of sea-ice at the former. Seasonal sea-ice melt processes may alter the exchange rates of selected OCPs between air and seawater, but are not expected to reverse their direction, which fugacity modeling indicates is volatilisation in the Arctic and net deposition in the Antarctic. These predictions are consistent with the limited current observations.

The Moulin Explorer: A Novel Instrument to Study Greenland Ice Sheet Melt-Water Flow.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Behar, A.; Wang, H.; Elliott, A.; O'Hern, S.; Martin, S.; Lutz, C.; Steffen, K.; McGrath, D.; Phillips, T.

2008-12-01

Recent data shows that the Greenland ice sheet has been melting at an accelerated rate over the past decade. This melt water flows from the surface of the glacier to the bedrock below by draining into tubular crevasses known as moulins. Some believe these pathways eventually converge to nearby lakes and possibly the ocean. The Moulin Explorer Probe has been developed to traverse autonomously through these moulins. It uses in-situ pressure, temperature, and three-axis accelerometer sensors to log data. At the end of its journey, the probe will surface and send GPS coordinates using an Iridium satellite tracker so it may be retrieved via helicopter or boat. The information gathered when retrieved can be used to map the pathways and water flow rate through the moulins. This work was performed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory- California Institute of Technology, under contract to NASA. Support was provided by the NASA Earth Science, Cryosphere program

Subaqueous melting in Zachariae Isstrom, Northeast Greenland combining observations and an ocean general circulation model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cai, C.; Rignot, E. J.; Menemenlis, D.; Nakayama, Y.

2016-12-01

Zachariae Isstrom, a major ice stream in northeast Greenland, has lost its entire ice shelf in the past decade. Here, we study the evolution of subaqueous melting of its floating section during the transition. Observations show that the rate of ice shelf melting has doubled during 1999-2010 and is twice higher than that maintaining the ice shelf in a steady state. The ice shelf melt rate depends on the thermal forcing from warm, saline, subsurface ocean water of Atlantic origin (AW), and on the mixing of AW with fresh buoyant subglacial discharge. Subglacial discharge has increased as result of enhanced ice sheet runoff driven by warmer air temperature; ocean thermal forcing has increased due to enhanced advection of AW. Here, we employ the Massachusetts Institute of Technology general circulation model (MITgcm) at a high spatial resolution to simulate the melting process in 3-D. The model is constrained by ice thickness from mass conservation, oceanic bathymetry inverted from gravity data by NASA Operation IceBridge and NASA Ocean Melting Greenland missions, in-situ ocean temperature/salinity data, ocean tide height and current from the Arctic Ocean Tidal Inverse Model (AOTIM-5) and reconstructed seasonal subglacial discharge from the Regional Atmospheric Climate Model (RACMO2). We compare the results in winter (small runoff but not negligible) with summer (maximum runoff) at two different stages with (prior to 2012) and without the ice shelf (after 2012) to subaqueous melt rates deduced from remote sensing observations. We show that ice melting by the ocean has increased by one order of magnitude as a result of the transition from ice shelf terminating to near-vertical calving front terminating. We also find that subglacial discharge has a significant impact on ice shelf melt rates in Greenland. We conclude on the impact of ocean warming and air temperature warming on the melting regime of the ice margin of Zachariae Isstrom, Greenland. This work was performed

Organochlorine compounds in ice melt water from Italian Alpine rivers.

PubMed

Villa, Sara; Negrelli, Christian; Finizio, Antonio; Flora, Onelio; Vighi, Marco

2006-01-01

Organochlorine chemicals (OCs) (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes, hexachlorocyclohexanes, and hexachlorobenzene) were measured in ice melt water from five glaciers in the Italian Alps. Even though the data collected may not be sufficient for a precise description of persistent organic pollutant release patterns from glacier melting, they have, however, highlighted the potential for surface water contamination. Concentrations were of the same order of magnitude in all glacial streams, indicating comparable contamination levels in different glaciers of the alpine region. OC levels in nonglacial springs sampled in the same areas are usually lower. Even if differences during the melting season (from spring to autumn) have been identified, a regular seasonal pattern in OC concentrations was not observed. Risk for the aquatic environment is excluded through direct water exposure, but it is likely to occur through biomagnification and secondary poisoning exposure.

Characteristics of basal ice and subglacial water at Dome Fuji, Antarctica ice sheet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Motoyama, H.; Uemura, R.; Hirabayashi, M.; Miyake, T.; Kuramoto, T.; Tanaka, Y.; Dome Fuji Ice Core Project, M.

2008-12-01

(Introduction): The second deep ice coring project at Dome Fuji, Antarctica reached a depth of 3035.22 m during the austral summer season in 2006/2007. The recovered ice cores contain records of global environmental changes going back about 720,000 years. (Estimation of basal ice melt): The borehole measurement was carried out on January 2nd in 2007 when the temperature disturbance in the borehole calmed down by the rest of drilling for 2 days. Temperature measurement was performed after 0 C thermometer test was done in the ground. The temperature sensor of pt100 installed in the skate-like anti-torque was used. We did not have the enough time until the temperature of thermometer was matched with the temperature of ice sheet. Some error was included in ice temperature data. The resistance of pt100 sensor was converted to temperature in the borehole measurement machine. But we used only two electrical lines for pt100 sensor. Rate of heat flow in the ice sheet was calculated using the vertical temperature gradient of the ice sheet and rate of heat conductivity of ice. The deepest part of heat flux using temperatures at 3000m and 3030m was about 45mW/m2. We assumed that this value was the heat flux from the bedrock in the ice sheet. Heat flux to the bedrock surface in the ground was assumed 54.6mW/m2 adopted by ice sheet model (P. Huybrechts, 2006). Then the heat flux for basal ice melt was about 10mW/m2. This value was equaled to melting of 1.1mm of ice thickness per year. On the other hand, the annual layer thickness under 2500m was not changed so much and its average was 1.3mm of ice thickness. So the annual layer thickness and melting rate of basal ice was the same in ordering way. Or ice equivalent in annual layer is melting every year. The age of the deepest part of ice core is guessed at 720,000 years old and the ice older than basal ice has melted away. (The state of basal ice): When the ice core drilling depth passed 3031.44m, amount of ice chip more abundant

A Model for the Formation and Melting of Ice on Surface Waters.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Bruin, H. A. R.; Wessels, H. R. A.

1988-02-01

Ice covers have an important influence on the hydrology of surface waters. The growth of ice layer on stationary waters, such as lakes or canals, depends primarily on meteorological parameters like temperature and humidity of the air, windspeed and radiation balance. The more complicated ice formation in rapidly flowing rivers is not considered in this study. A model is described that simulates ice growth and melting utilizing observed or forecast weather data. The model includes situations with a snow cover. Special attention is given to the optimal estimation of the net radiation and to the role of the stability of the near-surface air. Since a major practical application in the Netherlands is the use of frozen waters for recreation skating, the model is extended to include artificial ice tracks.

State of Arctic Sea Ice North of Svalbard during N-ICE2015

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rösel, Anja; King, Jennifer; Gerland, Sebastian

2016-04-01

The N-ICE2015 cruise, led by the Norwegian Polar Institute, was a drift experiment with the research vessel R/V Lance from January to June 2015, where the ship started the drift North of Svalbard at 83°14.45' N, 21°31.41' E. The drift was repeated as soon as the vessel drifted free. Altogether, 4 ice stations where installed and the complex ocean-sea ice-atmosphere system was studied with an interdisciplinary Approach. During the N-ICE2015 cruise, extensive ice thickness and snow depth measurements were performed during both, winter and summer conditions. Total ice and snow thickness was measured with ground-based and airborne electromagnetic instruments; snow depth was measured with a GPS snow depth probe. Additionally, ice mass balance and snow buoys were deployed. Snow and ice thickness measurements were performed on repeated transects to quantify the ice growth or loss as well as the snow accumulation and melt rate. Additionally, we collected independent values on surveys to determine the general ice thickness distribution. Average snow depths of 32 cm on first year ice, and 52 cm on multi-year ice were measured in January, the mean snow depth on all ice types even increased until end of March to 49 cm. The average total ice and snow thickness in winter conditions was 1.92 m. During winter we found a small growth rate on multi-year ice of about 15 cm in 2 months, due to above-average snow depths and some extraordinary storm events that came along with mild temperatures. In contrast thereto, we also were able to study new ice formation and thin ice on newly formed leads. In summer conditions an enormous melt rate, mainly driven by a warm Atlantic water inflow in the marginal ice zone, was observed during two ice stations with melt rates of up to 20 cm per 24 hours. To reinforce the local measurements around the ship and to confirm their significance on a larger scale, we compare them to airborne thickness measurements and classified SAR-satellite scenes. The

Foehn and temperature-based melt patterns over the Larsen C Ice Shelf as simulated by the MAR regional climate model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Datta, R.; Tedesco, M.; Agosta, C.; Fettweis, X.; Kuipers Munneke, P.; van den Broeke, M. R.

2017-12-01

Surface melting has been implicated in the collapse of Antarctic Peninsula ice shelves, most dramatically in the Larsen A (1995) and Larsen B (2002) ice shelves. In July of this year, a rift in the remaining Larsen C ice shelf broke away one of the largest icebergs ever recorded. Ice-shelf retreat is likely related to strong atmospheric warming in this area, by means of hydrofracturing and possibly by the warming atmosphere itself. According the hydrofracture mechanism, meltwater produced during anomalously warm summers infiltrates and deepens pre-existent crevasses, leading to the eventual break-up of the ice shelf. In addition to region-wide warming, melting in the East Antarctic Peninsula can be caused by frequent intrusions of westerly foehn winds. The remaining Larsen C ice shelf, as well as glaciers previously feeding to the former Larsen B ice shelf, are therefore vulnerable to both (a) the atmospheric circulation patterns that influence foehn wind frequency and intensity and (b) regional interannual temperature trends. We discuss spatial patterns of meltwater production in the northeast basin of the Antarctic Peninsula as modeled by the Modèle Atmosphérique Régionale (MAR) at a 10km resolution between 2001 and 2014. The timeseries associated with these patterns are used to identify interannual changes in the frequency of foehn-induced melt, and compare foehn-induced melting to melt associated with regional warming. Melt occurrence in MAR is evaluated against multiple satellite datasets and near-surface automatic weather station data from three sites. Finally, we discuss the seasonal depth to which meltwater percolates into the snowpack (as modeled by MAR) because of the potential influence of meltwater on both warming and densification of the ice shelf.

Modulation of Sea Ice Melt Onset and Retreat in the Laptev Sea by the Timing of Snow Retreat in the West Siberian Plain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crawford, A. D.; Stroeve, J.; Serreze, M. C.; Rajagopalan, B.; Horvath, S.

2017-12-01

As much of the Arctic Ocean transitions to ice-free conditions in summer, efforts have increased to improve seasonal forecasts of not only sea ice extent, but also the timing of melt onset and retreat. This research investigates the potential of regional terrestrial snow retreat in spring as a predictor for subsequent sea ice melt onset and retreat in Arctic seas. One pathway involves earlier snow retreat enhancing atmospheric moisture content, which increases downwelling longwave radiation over sea ice cover downstream. Another pathway involves manipulation of jet stream behavior, which may affect the sea ice pack via both dynamic and thermodynamic processes. Although several possible connections between snow and sea ice regions are identified using a mutual information criterion, the physical mechanisms linking snow retreat and sea ice phenology are most clearly exemplified by variability of snow retreat in the West Siberian Plain impacting melt onset and sea ice retreat in the Laptev Sea. The detrended time series of snow retreat in the West Siberian Plain explains 26% of the detrended variance in Laptev Sea melt onset (29% for sea ice retreat). With modest predictive skill and an average time lag of 53 (88) days between snow retreat and sea ice melt onset (retreat), West Siberian Plains snow retreat is useful for refining seasonal sea ice predictions in the Laptev Sea.

Ikaite crystals in melting sea ice - implications for pCO2 and pH levels in Arctic surface waters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rysgaard, S.; Glud, R. N.; Lennert, K.; Cooper, M.; Halden, N.; Leakey, R. J. G.; Hawthorne, F. C.; Barber, D.

2012-08-01

A major issue of Arctic marine science is to understand whether the Arctic Ocean is, or will be, a source or sink for air-sea CO2 exchange. This has been complicated by the recent discoveries of ikaite (a polymorph of CaCO3·6H2O) in Arctic and Antarctic sea ice, which indicate that multiple chemical transformations occur in sea ice with a possible effect on CO2 and pH conditions in surface waters. Here, we report on biogeochemical conditions, microscopic examinations and x-ray diffraction analysis of single crystals from a melting 1.7 km2 (0.5-1 m thick) drifting ice floe in the Fram Strait during summer. Our findings show that ikaite crystals are present throughout the sea ice but with larger crystals appearing in the upper ice layers. Ikaite crystals placed at elevated temperatures disintegrated into smaller crystallites and dissolved. During our field campaign in late June, melt reduced the ice floe thickness by 0.2 m per week and resulted in an estimated 3.8 ppm decrease of pCO2 in the ocean surface mixed layer. This corresponds to an air-sea CO2 uptake of 10.6 mmol m-2 sea ice d-1 or to 3.3 ton km-2 ice floe week-1. This is markedly higher than the estimated primary production within the ice floe of 0.3-1.3 mmol m-2 sea ice d-1. Finally, the presence of ikaite in sea ice and the dissolution of the mineral during melting of the sea ice and mixing of the melt water into the surface oceanic mixed layer accounted for half of the estimated pCO2 uptake.

Bottom melting of Arctic Sea Ice in the Nansen Basin due to Atlantic Water influence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muilwijk, Morven; Smedsrud, Lars H.; Meyer, Amelie

2016-04-01

Our global climate is warming, and a shrinking Arctic sea ice cover remains one of the most visible signs of this warming. Sea Ice loss is now visible for all months in all regions of the Arctic. Hydrographic and current observations from a region north of Svalbard collected during the Norwegian Young Sea Ice Cruise (N-ICE2015) are presented here. Comparison with historical data shows that the new observations from January through June fill major gaps in available observations, and help describing important processes linking changes in regional Atlantic Water (AW) heat transport and sea ice. Warm and salty AW originating in the North Atlantic enters the Arctic Ocean through the Fram Strait and is present below the Arctic Sea Ice cover throughout the Arctic. However, the depth of AW varies by region and over time. In the region north of Svalbard, we assume that depth could be governed primarily by local processes, by upstream conditions of the ice cover (Northwards), or by upstream conditions of the AW (Southwards). AW carries heat corresponding to the volume transport of approximately 9 SV through Fram Strait, varying seasonally from 28 TW in winter to 46 TW in summer. Some heat is recirculated, but the net annual heat flux into the Arctic Ocean from AW is estimated to be around 40 TW. The Atlantic Water layer temperature at intermediate depths (150-900m) has increased in recent years. Until recently, maximum temperatures have been found to be 2-3 C in the Nansen Basin. Studies have shown that for example, in the West Spitsbergen Current the upper 50-200m shows an overall AW warming of 1.1 C since 1979. In general we expect efficient melting when AW is close to the surface. Previously the AW entering through Fram Strait has been considered as less important because changes in the sea ice cover have been connected to greater inflow of Pacific Water through Bering Strait and atmospheric forcing. Conversely it is now suggested that AW has direct impact on melting of

Oceanographic Controls on the Variability of Ice-Shelf Basal Melting and Circulation of Glacial Meltwater in the Amundsen Sea Embayment, Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kimura, Satoshi; Jenkins, Adrian; Regan, Heather; Holland, Paul R.; Assmann, Karen M.; Whitt, Daniel B.; Van Wessem, Melchoir; van de Berg, Willem Jan; Reijmer, Carleen H.; Dutrieux, Pierre

2017-12-01

Ice shelves in the Amundsen Sea Embayment have thinned, accelerating the seaward flow of ice sheets upstream over recent decades. This imbalance is caused by an increase in the ocean-driven melting of the ice shelves. Observations and models show that the ocean heat content reaching the ice shelves is sensitive to the depth of thermocline, which separates the cool, fresh surface waters from warm, salty waters. Yet the processes controlling the variability of thermocline depth remain poorly constrained. Here we quantify the oceanic conditions and ocean-driven melting of Cosgrove, Pine Island Glacier (PIG), Thwaites, Crosson, and Dotson ice shelves in the Amundsen Sea Embayment from 1991 to 2014 using a general circulation model. Ice-shelf melting is coupled to variability in the wind field and the sea-ice motions over the continental shelf break and associated onshore advection of warm waters in deep troughs. The layer of warm, salty waters at the calving front of PIG and Thwaites is thicker in austral spring (June-October) than in austral summer (December-March), whereas the seasonal cycle at the calving front of Dotson is reversed. Furthermore, the ocean-driven melting in PIG is enhanced by an asymmetric response to changes in ocean heat transport anomalies at the continental shelf break: melting responds more rapidly to increases in ocean heat transport than to decreases. This asymmetry is caused by the inland deepening of bathymetry and the glacial meltwater circulation around the ice shelf.

Greenland iceberg melt variability from high-resolution satellite observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Enderlin, Ellyn M.; Carrigan, Caroline J.; Kochtitzky, William H.; Cuadros, Alexandra; Moon, Twila; Hamilton, Gordon S.

2018-02-01

Iceberg discharge from the Greenland Ice Sheet accounts for up to half of the freshwater flux to surrounding fjords and ocean basins, yet the spatial distribution of iceberg meltwater fluxes is poorly understood. One of the primary limitations for mapping iceberg meltwater fluxes, and changes over time, is the dearth of iceberg submarine melt rate estimates. Here we use a remote sensing approach to estimate submarine melt rates during 2011-2016 for 637 icebergs discharged from seven marine-terminating glaciers fringing the Greenland Ice Sheet. We find that spatial variations in iceberg melt rates generally follow expected patterns based on hydrographic observations, including a decrease in melt rate with latitude and an increase in melt rate with iceberg draft. However, we find no longitudinal variations in melt rates within individual fjords. We do not resolve coherent seasonal to interannual patterns in melt rates across all study sites, though we attribute a 4-fold melt rate increase from March to April 2011 near Jakobshavn Isbræ to fjord circulation changes induced by the seasonal onset of iceberg calving. Overall, our results suggest that remotely sensed iceberg melt rates can be used to characterize spatial and temporal variations in oceanic forcing near often inaccessible marine-terminating glaciers.

Melt pond fraction and spectral sea ice albedo retrieval from MERIS data - Part 1: Validation against in situ, aerial, and ship cruise data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Istomina, L.; Heygster, G.; Huntemann, M.; Schwarz, P.; Birnbaum, G.; Scharien, R.; Polashenski, C.; Perovich, D.; Zege, E.; Malinka, A.; Prikhach, A.; Katsev, I.

2015-08-01

The presence of melt ponds on the Arctic sea ice strongly affects the energy balance of the Arctic Ocean in summer. It affects albedo as well as transmittance through the sea ice, which has consequences for the heat balance and mass balance of sea ice. An algorithm to retrieve melt pond fraction and sea ice albedo from Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) data is validated against aerial, shipborne and in situ campaign data. The results show the best correlation for landfast and multiyear ice of high ice concentrations. For broadband albedo, R2 is equal to 0.85, with the RMS (root mean square) being equal to 0.068; for the melt pond fraction, R2 is equal to 0.36, with the RMS being equal to 0.065. The correlation for lower ice concentrations, subpixel ice floes, blue ice and wet ice is lower due to ice drift and challenging for the retrieval surface conditions. Combining all aerial observations gives a mean albedo RMS of 0.089 and a mean melt pond fraction RMS of 0.22. The in situ melt pond fraction correlation is R2 = 0.52 with an RMS = 0.14. Ship cruise data might be affected by documentation of varying accuracy within the Antarctic Sea Ice Processes and Climate (ASPeCt) protocol, which may contribute to the discrepancy between the satellite value and the observed value: mean R2 = 0.044, mean RMS = 0.16. An additional dynamic spatial cloud filter for MERIS over snow and ice has been developed to assist with the validation on swath data.

The effect of sudden ice sheet melt on ocean circulation and surface climate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ivanovic, R. F.; Gregoire, L. J.; Wickert, A. D.; Valdes, P. J.; Burke, A.

2017-12-01

Collapse of ice sheets can cause significant sea-level rise and widespread climate change. Around 14.6 thousand years ago, global mean sea level rose by 15 m in less than 350 years during an event known as Meltwater Pulse 1a. Ice sheet modelling and sea-level fingerprinting has suggested that approximately half of this 50 mm yr-1 sea level rise may have come from a North American ice Saddle Collapse that drained into the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans. However, dating uncertainties make it difficult to determine the sequence of events and their drivers, leaving many fundamental questions. For example, was melting from the northern ice sheets responsible for the Older-Dryas or other global-scale cooling events, or did a contribution from Antarctica counteract the climatic effects? What was the role of the abrupt Bølling Warming? And how were all these signals linked to changes in Atlantic Ocean overturning circulation?To address these questions, we examined the effect of the North American ice Saddle Collapse using a high resolution network drainage model coupled to an atmosphere-ocean-vegetation General Circulation Model. Here, we present the quantitative routing estimates of the consequent meltwater discharge and its impact on climate. We also tested a suite of more idealised meltwater forcing scenarios to examine the global influence of Arctic versus Antarctic ice melt. The results show that 50% of the Saddle Collapse meltwater pulse was routed via the Mackenzie River into the Arctic Ocean, and 50% was discharged directly into the Atlantic/Gulf of Mexico. This meltwater flux, equivalent to a total of 7.3 m of sea-level rise, caused a strong (6 Sv) weakening of Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and widespread Northern Hemisphere cooling of 1-5 °C. The greatest cooling is in the Arctic (5-10 °C in the winter), but there is also significant winter warming over eastern North America (1-3 °C). We propose that this robust submillennial mechanism was

Effect of compression rate on ice VI crystal growth using dDAC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Yun-Hee; Kim, Yong-Jae; Lee, Sooheyong; Cho, Yong Chan; Lee, Geun Woo; Frontier in Extreme Physics Team

It is well known that static and dynamic pressure give different results in many aspects. Understanding of crystal growth under such different pressure condition is one of the crucial issues for the formation of materials in the earth and planets. To figure out the crystal growth under the different pressure condition, we should control compression rate from static to dynamic pressurization. Here, we use a dynamic diamond anvil cell (dDAC) technique to study the effect of compression rate of ice VI crystal growth. Using dDAC with high speed camera, we monitored growth of a single crystal ice VI. A rounded ice crystal with rough surface was selected in the phase boundary of water and ice VI and then, its repetitive growth and melting has been carried out by dynamic operation of the pressure cell. The roughened crystal showed interesting growth transition with compression rate from three dimensional to two dimensional growth as well as faceting process. We will discuss possible mechanism of the growth change by compression rate with diffusion mechanism of water. This research was supported by the Converging Research Center Program through the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, Korea (NRF-2014M1A7A1A01030128).

Intercomparison of Antarctic ice-shelf, ocean, and sea-ice interactions simulated by MetROMS-iceshelf and FESOM 1.4

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naughten, Kaitlin A.; Meissner, Katrin J.; Galton-Fenzi, Benjamin K.; England, Matthew H.; Timmermann, Ralph; Hellmer, Hartmut H.; Hattermann, Tore; Debernard, Jens B.

2018-04-01

An increasing number of Southern Ocean models now include Antarctic ice-shelf cavities, and simulate thermodynamics at the ice-shelf/ocean interface. This adds another level of complexity to Southern Ocean simulations, as ice shelves interact directly with the ocean and indirectly with sea ice. Here, we present the first model intercomparison and evaluation of present-day ocean/sea-ice/ice-shelf interactions, as simulated by two models: a circumpolar Antarctic configuration of MetROMS (ROMS: Regional Ocean Modelling System coupled to CICE: Community Ice CodE) and the global model FESOM (Finite Element Sea-ice Ocean Model), where the latter is run at two different levels of horizontal resolution. From a circumpolar Antarctic perspective, we compare and evaluate simulated ice-shelf basal melting and sub-ice-shelf circulation, as well as sea-ice properties and Southern Ocean water mass characteristics as they influence the sub-ice-shelf processes. Despite their differing numerical methods, the two models produce broadly similar results and share similar biases in many cases. Both models reproduce many key features of observations but struggle to reproduce others, such as the high melt rates observed in the small warm-cavity ice shelves of the Amundsen and Bellingshausen seas. Several differences in model design show a particular influence on the simulations. For example, FESOM's greater topographic smoothing can alter the geometry of some ice-shelf cavities enough to affect their melt rates; this improves at higher resolution, since less smoothing is required. In the interior Southern Ocean, the vertical coordinate system affects the degree of water mass erosion due to spurious diapycnal mixing, with MetROMS' terrain-following coordinate leading to more erosion than FESOM's z coordinate. Finally, increased horizontal resolution in FESOM leads to higher basal melt rates for small ice shelves, through a combination of stronger circulation and small-scale intrusions of

Recent increase in snow-melt area in the Greenland Ice sheet as an indicator of the effect of reduced surface albedo by snow impurities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rikiishi, K.

2008-12-01

Recent rapid decline of cryosphere including mountain glaciers, sea ice, and seasonal snow cover tends to be associated with global warming. However, positive feedback is likely to operate between the cryosphere and air temperature, and then it may not be so simple to decide the cause-and-effect relation between them. The theory of heat budget for snow surface tells us that sensible heat transfer from the air to the snow by atmospheric warming by 1°C is about 10 W/m2, which is comparable with heat supply introduced by reduction of the snow surface albedo by only 0.02. Since snow impurities such as black carbon and soil- origin dusts have been accumulated every year on the snow surface in snow-melting season, it is very important to examine whether the snow-melting on the ice sheets, mountain glaciers, and sea ice is caused by global warming or by accumulated snow impurities originated from atmospheric pollutants. In this paper we analyze the dataset of snow-melt area in the Greenland ice sheet for the years 1979 - 2007 (available from the National Snow and Ice Data Center), which is reduced empirically from the satellite micro-wave observations by SMMR and SMM/I. It has been found that, seasonally, the snow-melt area extends most significantly from the second half of June to the first half of July when the sun is highest and sunshine duration is longest, while it doesn't extend any more from the second half of July to the first half of August when the air temperature is highest. This fact may imply that sensible heat required for snow-melting comes from the solar radiation rather than from the atmosphere. As for the interannual variation of snow-melt area, on the other hand, we have found that the growth rate of snow-melt area gradually increases from July, to August, and to the first half of September as the impurities come out to and accumulated at the snow surface. However, the growth rate is almost zero in June and the second half of September when fresh snow

Insignificant influence of the matrix on the melting of ice confined in decorated mesoporous silica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Yunbo; Zhao, Zhenyan; Wang, Lianwen

2018-01-01

For a critical examination of matrix effect on the melting of confined ice, mesoporous silica (SBA-15) are synthesised and decorated with n-Alkyl and aminopropyl groups to tune the surface hydrophobicity. Water contact angle to these decorated surfaces are estimated to be about 100° and 60°, respectively. By examining the melting of ice confined in these decorated samples, we find that the influence of the matrix is indeed not significant. The reported apparent matrix effect is more likely method effect in the determination of pore diameters as was demonstrated in our previous studies (Philos. Mag. 93 (2013), p. 1827).

Simulation of the Greenland Ice Sheet over two glacial-interglacial cycles: investigating a sub-ice-shelf melt parameterization and relative sea level forcing in an ice-sheet-ice-shelf model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bradley, Sarah L.; Reerink, Thomas J.; van de Wal, Roderik S. W.; Helsen, Michiel M.

2018-05-01

Observational evidence, including offshore moraines and sediment cores, confirm that at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) the Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) expanded to a significantly larger spatial extent than seen at present, grounding into Baffin Bay and out onto the continental shelf break. Given this larger spatial extent and its close proximity to the neighbouring Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) and Innuitian Ice Sheet (IIS), it is likely these ice sheets will have had a strong non-local influence on the spatial and temporal behaviour of the GrIS. Most previous paleo ice-sheet modelling simulations recreated an ice sheet that either did not extend out onto the continental shelf or utilized a simplified marine ice parameterization which did not fully include the effect of ice shelves or neglected the sensitivity of the GrIS to this non-local bedrock signal from the surrounding ice sheets. In this paper, we investigated the evolution of the GrIS over the two most recent glacial-interglacial cycles (240 ka BP to the present day) using the ice-sheet-ice-shelf model IMAU-ICE. We investigated the solid earth influence of the LIS and IIS via an offline relative sea level (RSL) forcing generated by a glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) model. The RSL forcing governed the spatial and temporal pattern of sub-ice-shelf melting via changes in the water depth below the ice shelves. In the ensemble of simulations, at the glacial maximums, the GrIS coalesced with the IIS to the north and expanded to the continental shelf break to the southwest but remained too restricted to the northeast. In terms of the global mean sea level contribution, at the Last Interglacial (LIG) and LGM the ice sheet added 1.46 and -2.59 m, respectively. This LGM contribution by the GrIS is considerably higher (˜ 1.26 m) than most previous studies whereas the contribution to the LIG highstand is lower (˜ 0.7 m). The spatial and temporal behaviour of the northern margin was highly variable in all simulations

Ice Melting to Release Reactants in Solution Syntheses.

PubMed

Wei, Hehe; Huang, Kai; Zhang, Le; Ge, Binghui; Wang, Dong; Lang, Jialiang; Ma, Jingyuan; Wang, Da; Zhang, Shuai; Li, Qunyang; Zhang, Ruoyu; Hussain, Naveed; Lei, Ming; Liu, Li-Min; Wu, Hui

2018-03-19

Aqueous solution syntheses are mostly based on mixing two solutions with different reactants. It is shown that freezing one solution and melting it in another solution provides a new interesting strategy to mix chemicals and to significantly change the reaction kinetics and thermodynamics. For example, a precursor solution containing a certain concentration of AgNO 3 was frozen and dropped into a reductive NaBH 4 solution at about 0 °C. The ultra-slow release of reactants was successfully achieved. An ice-melting process can be used to synthesize atomically dispersed metals, including cobalt, nickel, copper, rhodium, ruthenium, palladium, silver, osmium, iridium, platinum, and gold, which can be easily extended to other solution syntheses (such as precipitation, hydrolysis, and displacement reactions) and provide a generalized method to redesign the interphase reaction kinetics and ion diffusion in wet chemistry. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Detecting ice lenses and melt-refreeze crusts using satellite passive microwaves (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montpetit, B.; Royer, A.; Roy, A.

2013-12-01

With recent winter climate warming in high latitude regions, rain-on-snow and melt-refreeze events are more frequent creating ice lenses or ice crusts at the surface or even within the snowpack through drainage. These ice layers create an impermeable ice barrier that reduces vegetation respiration and modifies snow properties due to the weak thermal diffusivity of ice. Winter mean soil temperatures increase due to latent heat being released during the freezing process. When ice layers freeze at the snow-soil interface, they can also affect the feeding habits of the northern wild life. Ice layers also significantly affect satellite passive microwave signals that are widely used to monitor the spatial and temporal evolution of snow. Here we present a method using satellite passive microwave brightness temperatures (Tb) to detect ice lenses and/or ice crusts within a snowpack. First the Microwave Emission Model for Layered Snowpacks (MEMLS) was validated to model Tb at 10.7, 19 and 37 GHz using in situ measurements taken in multiple sub-arctic environments where ice layers where observed. Through validated modeling, the effects of ice layer insertion were studied and an ice layer index was developed using the polarization ratio (PR) at all three frequencies. The developed ice index was then applied to satellite passive microwave signals for reported ice layer events.

Response of Arctic Snow and Sea Ice Extents to Melt Season Atmospheric Forcing Across the Land-Ocean Boundary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bliss, A. C.; Anderson, M. R.

2011-12-01

Little research has gone into studying the concurrent variations in the annual loss of continental snow cover and sea ice extent across the land-ocean boundary, however, the analysis of these data averaged spatially over three study regions located in North America and Eastern and Western Russia, reveals a distinct difference in the response of anomalous snow and sea ice conditions to the atmospheric forcing. This study compares the monthly continental snow cover and sea ice extent loss in the Arctic, during the melt season months (May-August) for the period 1979-2007, with regional atmospheric conditions known to influence summer melt including: mean sea level pressures, 925 hPa air temperatures, and mean 2 m U and V wind vectors from NCEP/DOE Reanalysis 2. The monthly hemispheric snow cover extent data used are from the Rutgers University Global Snow Lab and sea ice extents for this study are derived from the monthly passive microwave satellite Bootstrap algorithm sea ice concentrations available from the National Snow and Ice Data Center. Three case study years (1985, 1996, and 2007) are used to compare the direct response of monthly anomalous sea ice and snow cover areal extents to monthly mean atmospheric forcing averaged spatially over the extent of each study region. This comparison is then expanded for all summer months over the 29 year study period where the monthly persistence of sea ice and snow cover extent anomalies and changes in the sea ice and snow conditions under differing atmospheric conditions are explored further. The monthly anomalous atmospheric conditions are classified into four categories including: warmer temperatures with higher pressures, warmer temperatures with lower pressures, cooler temperatures with higher pressures, and cooler temperatures with lower pressures. Analysis of the atmospheric conditions surrounding anomalous loss of snow and ice cover over the independent study regions indicates that conditions of warmer temperatures

Estimating the time of melt onset and freeze onset over Arctic sea-ice area using active and passive microwave data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Belchansky, Gennady I.; Douglas, David C.; Mordvintsev, Ilia N.; Platonov, Nikita G.

2004-01-01

Accurate calculation of the time of melt onset, freeze onset, and melt duration over Arctic sea-ice area is crucial for climate and global change studies because it affects accuracy of surface energy balance estimates. This comparative study evaluates several methods used to estimate sea-ice melt and freeze onset dates: (1) the melt onset database derived from SSM/I passive microwave brightness temperatures (Tbs) using Drobot and Anderson's [J. Geophys. Res. 106 (2001) 24033] Advanced Horizontal Range Algorithm (AHRA) and distributed by the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC); (2) the International Arctic Buoy Program/Polar Exchange at the Sea (IABP/POLES) surface air temperatures (SATs); (3) an elaborated version of the AHRA that uses IABP/POLES to avoid anomalous results (Passive Microwave and Surface Temperature Analysis [PMSTA]); (4) another elaborated version of the AHRA that uses Tb variance to avoid anomalous results (Mean Differences and Standard Deviation Analysis [MDSDA]); (5) Smith's [J. Geophys. Res. 103 (1998) 27753] vertically polarized Tb algorithm for estimating melt onset in multiyear (MY) ice (SSM/I 19V–37V); and (6) analyses of concurrent backscattering cross section (σ°) and brightness temperature (Tb) from OKEAN-01 satellite series. Melt onset and freeze onset maps were created and compared to understand how the estimates vary between different satellite instruments and methods over different Arctic sea-ice regions. Comparisons were made to evaluate relative sensitivities among the methods to slight adjustments of the Tbcalibration coefficients and algorithm threshold values. Compared to the PMSTA method, the AHRA method tended to estimate significantly earlier melt dates, likely caused by the AHRA's susceptibility to prematurely identify melt onset conditions. In contrast, the IABP/POLES surface air temperature data tended to estimate later melt and earlier freeze in all but perennial ice. The MDSDA method was least sensitive to

Development of a mechanical rocker test procedure for ice melting capacity evaluation.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-06-01

During Phase 2 of the NDOR deicing chemicals performance evaluation project (No. SPR-P1(10) P328), a : simple and economical test using a martini shaker to evaluate ice melting capacity of liquid deicers showed : good potential to become a standardiz...

Subaqueous melting in Zachariae Isstrom, Northeast Greenland combining observations and an ocean general circulation model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cai, C.; Rignot, E. J.; Menemenlis, D.

2015-12-01

Zachariae Isstrom, a major ice stream in northeast Greenland, has lost its entire ice shelf in the past decade. Here, we study the evolution of subaqueous melting of its floating section during the transition. Observations show that the rate of ice shelf melting has doubled during 1999-2010 and is twice higher than that maintaining the ice shelf in a state of mass equilibrium. The ice shelf melt rate depends on the thermal forcing from warm, salty, subsurface ocean water of Atlantic origin (AW), and - in contrast with Antarctic ice shelves - on the mixing of AW with fresh buoyant subglacial discharge. Subglacial discharge has increased as result of enhanced ice sheet runoff driven by warmer air temperature; ocean thermal forcing has increased due enhanced advection of AW. Here, we employ the Massassuchetts Institute of Technology general circulation model (MITgcm) at a high spatial resolution (1 m horizontal and 1 m vertical spacing near the grounding line) to simulate the melting process in 3-D. The model is constrained by ice thickness from mass conservation, oceanic bathymetry from NASA Operation IceBridge gravity data, in-situ ocean temperature/salinity data, ocean tide height and current from the Arctic Ocean Tidal Inverse Model (AOTIM-5) and subglacial discharge from output products of the Regional Atmospheric Climate Model (RACMO). We compare the results in winter (no runoff) with summer (maximum runoff) at two different stages with (prior to 2012) and without the ice shelf (after 2012) to subaqueous melt rates deduced from remote sensing observations. We show that ice melting by the ocean has increased by one order of magnitude as a result of the transition from ice shelf terminating to near-vertical calving front terminating. We also find that subglacial discharge has a significant impact on the ice shelf melt rates in Greenland. We conclude on the impact of ocean warming and air temperature warming on the melting regime of the ice margin of Zachariae

Results from ISOMIP+ and MISOMIP1, two interrelated marine ice sheet and ocean model intercomparison projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asay-Davis, X.; Galton-Fenzi, B.; Gwyther, D.; Jourdain, N.; Martin, D. F.; Nakayama, Y.; Seroussi, H. L.

2016-12-01

MISMIP+ (the third Marine Ice Sheet MIP), ISOMIP+ (the second Ice Shelf-Ocean MIP) and MISOMIP1 (the first Marine Ice Sheet-Ocean MIP) prescribe a set of idealized experiments for marine ice-sheet models, ocean models with ice-shelf cavities, and coupled ice sheet-ocean models, respectively. Here, we present results from ISOMIP+ and MISOMIP1 experiments using several ocean-only and coupled ice sheet-ocean models. Among the ocean models, we show that differences in model behavior are significant enough that similar results can only be achieved by tuning model parameters (the heat- and salt-transfer coefficients across the sub-ice-shelf boundary layer) for each model. This tuning is constrained by a desired mean melt rate in quasi-steady state under specified forcing conditions, akin to tuning the models to match observed melt rates. We compare the evolution of ocean temperature transects, melt rate, friction velocity and thermal driving between ocean models for the five ISOMIP+ experiments (Ocean0-4), which have prescribed ice-shelf topography. We find that melt patterns differ between models based on the relative importance of overturning strength and vertical mixing of temperature even when the models have been tuned to achieve similar melt rates near the grounding line. For the two MISOMIP1 experiments (IceOcean1 without dynamic calving and IceOcean2 with a simple calving parameterization), we compare temperature transects, melt rate, ice-shelf topography and grounded area across models and for several model configurations. Consistent with preliminary results from MISMIP+, we find that for a given coupled model, the use of a Coulomb-limited basal friction parameterization below grounded ice and the application of dynamic calving both significantly increase the rate of grounding-line retreat, whereas the rate of retreat appears to be less sensitive to the ice stress approximation (shallow-shelf approximation, higher-order, etc.). We show that models with similar

Quantum path integral simulation of isotope effects in the melting temperature of ice Ih.

PubMed

Ramírez, R; Herrero, C P

2010-10-14

The isotope effect in the melting temperature of ice Ih has been studied by free energy calculations within the path integral formulation of statistical mechanics. Free energy differences between isotopes are related to the dependence of their kinetic energy on the isotope mass. The water simulations were performed by using the q-TIP4P/F model, a point charge empirical potential that includes molecular flexibility and anharmonicity in the OH stretch of the water molecule. The reported melting temperature at ambient pressure of this model (T=251 K) increases by 6.5±0.5 and 8.2±0.5 K upon isotopic substitution of hydrogen by deuterium and tritium, respectively. These temperature shifts are larger than the experimental ones (3.8 and 4.5 K, respectively). In the classical limit, the melting temperature is nearly the same as that for tritiated ice. This unexpected behavior is rationalized by the coupling between intermolecular interactions and molecular flexibility. This coupling makes the kinetic energy of the OH stretching modes larger in the liquid than in the solid phase. However, the opposite behavior is found for intramolecular modes, which display larger kinetic energy in ice than in liquid water.

Regional scale albedo of first year Arctic drift ice during summer melt estimated from synthesis of in situ measurements and airborne imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Divine, Dmitry; Granskog, Mats A.; Hudson, Stephen R.; Pedersen, Christina A.; Karlsen, Tor I.; Gerland, Sebastian

2014-05-01

The paper presents the results of analysis of the radiative properties of first year sea ice in advanced stages of melt. The presented technique is based on the upscaling in situ point measurements of surface albedo to the regional (150 km) spatial scale using aerial photographs of sea ice captured by a helicopter borne camera setup. The sea ice imagery as well as in situ snow and ice data were collected during the eight day ICE12 drift experiment carried out by the Norwegian Polar Institute in the Arctic north of Svalbard at 83.5 N during 27 July-03 August 2012. In total some 100 ground albedo measurements were made on melting sea ice in locations representative of the four main types of sea ice surface identified using the discriminant analysis -based classification technique. Some 11000 images from a total of six ice survey flights adding up to some 770 km of flight tracks covering about 28 km2 of sea ice surface were classified to yield the along-track distributions of four major surface classes: bare ice, dark melt ponds, bright melt ponds and open water. Results demonstrated a relative homogeneity of sea ice cover in the study area allowing for upscaling the local optical measurements to the regional scale. For the typical 10% open water fraction and 25% melt pond coverage, with a ratio of dark to bright ponds of 2 identified from selected images, the aggregate scale surface albedo of the area was estimated to be 0.42(0.40;0.44). The confidence intervals on the estimate were derived using the moving block bootstrap approach applied to the sequences of classified sea ice images and albedo of the four surface classes treated as random variables. Uncertainty in the mean estimates of local albedo from in situ measurements contributed some 65% to the variance of the estimated regional albedo with the remaining variance to be associated with the spatial inhomogeneity of sea ice cover. The results of the study are of relevance for the modeling of sea ice processes

Regional albedo of Arctic first-year drift ice in advanced stages of melt from the combination of in situ measurements and aerial imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Divine, D. V.; Granskog, M. A.; Hudson, S. R.; Pedersen, C. A.; Karlsen, T. I.; Divina, S. A.; Gerland, S.

2014-07-01

The paper presents a case study of the regional (≈ 150 km) broadband albedo of first year Arctic sea ice in advanced stages of melt, estimated from a combination of in situ albedo measurements and aerial imagery. The data were collected during the eight day ICE12 drift experiment carried out by the Norwegian Polar Institute in the Arctic north of Svalbard at 82.3° N from 26 July to 3 August 2012. The study uses in situ albedo measurements representative of the four main surface types: bare ice, dark melt ponds, bright melt ponds and open water. Images acquired by a helicopter borne camera system during ice survey flights covered about 28 km2. A subset of > 8000 images from the area of homogeneous melt with open water fraction of ≈ 0.11 and melt pond coverage of ≈ 0.25 used in the upscaling yielded a regional albedo estimate of 0.40 (0.38; 0.42). The 95% confidence interval on the estimate was derived using the moving block bootstrap approach applied to sequences of classified sea ice images and albedo of the four surface types treated as random variables. Uncertainty in the mean estimates of surface type albedo from in situ measurements contributed some 95% of the variance of the estimated regional albedo, with the remaining variance resulting from the spatial inhomogeneity of sea ice cover. The results of the study are of relevance for the modeling of sea ice processes in climate simulations. It particularly concerns the period of summer melt, when the optical properties of sea ice undergo substantial changes, which existing sea ice models have significant diffuculty accurately reproducing.

Turbulent properties under sloping Ice-wall in polar water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mondal, Mainak; Gayen, Bishakhdatta; Griffiths, Ross W.; Kerr, Ross C.

2017-11-01

Ice-shelves around West Antarctic basins are the most vulnerable to melting in the presence of warmer continental shelf water. A large extent of slope exists under these ice-shelves, where turbulent transport of salt and heat into the ice wall drives a convective melt-water plume against it. Large scale ice-ocean models neglect the effect of convection which can lead to a wrong estimation of melt rate. We perform direct numerical simulations under sloping ice-shelves with realistic ambient conditions. We estimated the melt rates, boundary layer thicknesses and entrainment coefficients as a function of slope angle. The numerical results are further supported by theoretical predictions. Over the range of slope angles, different mechanisms are active for sustaining turbulence. For near vertical case, buoyancy production is the primary source of turbulent kinetic energy whereas for shallower angles turbulence is produced by velocity shear in the meltwater plume. Australian Research Council.

Century-scale simulations of the response of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet to a warming climate

DOE PAGES

Cornford, S. L.; Martin, D. F.; Payne, A. J.; ...

2015-03-23

We use the BISICLES adaptive mesh ice sheet model to carry out one, two, and three century simulations of the fast-flowing ice streams of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. Each of the simulations begins with a geometry and velocity close to present day observations, and evolves according to variation in meteoric ice accumulation, ice shelf melting, and mesh resolution. Future changes in accumulation and melt rates range from no change, through anomalies computed by atmosphere and ocean models driven by the E1 and A1B emissions scenarios, to spatially uniform melt rates anomalies that remove most of the ice shelves overmore » a few centuries. We find that variation in the resulting ice dynamics is dominated by the choice of initial conditions, ice shelf melt rate and mesh resolution, although ice accumulation affects the net change in volume above flotation to a similar degree. Given sufficient melt rates, we compute grounding line retreat over hundreds of kilometers in every major ice stream, but the ocean models do not predict such melt rates outside of the Amundsen Sea Embayment until after 2100. Sensitivity to mesh resolution is spurious, and we find that sub-kilometer resolution is needed along most regions of the grounding line to avoid systematic under-estimates of the retreat rate, although resolution requirements are more stringent in some regions – for example the Amundsen Sea Embayment – than others – such as the Möller and Institute ice streams.« less

Did accelerated North American ice sheet melt contribute to the 8.2 ka cooling event ?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matero, Ilkka S. O.; Gregoire, Lauren J.; Ivanović, Ruža F.; Tindall, Julia C.; Haywood, Alan M.

2016-04-01

The 8.2 ka event was an abrupt cooling of the Northern Hemisphere 8,200 years ago. It is an almost ideal case study to benchmark the sensitivity of climate models to freshening of the North Atlantic by ice sheet melt (Schmidt and LeGrande, 2005). The event is attributed to the outburst of North American proglacial lakes into the Labrador Sea, causing a slow-down in Atlantic overturning circulation and cooling of 1-2.5 °C around the N. Atlantic (Alley and Ágústsdóttir,2005). Climate models fail to simulate the ~150 year duration of the event when forced with a sudden (0.5 to 5 years) drainage of the lakes (Morrill et al., 2013a). This could be because of missing forcings. For example, the separation of ice sheet domes around the Hudson Bay is thought to have produced a pronounced acceleration in ice sheet melt through a saddle collapse mechanism around the time of the event (Gregoire et al., 2012). Here we investigate whether this century scale acceleration of melt contributed to the observed climatic perturbation, using the coupled Ocean-Atmosphere climate model HadCM3. We designed and ran a set of simulations with temporally variable ice melt scenarios based on a model of the North American ice sheet. The simulated magnitude and duration of the cold period is controlled by the duration and amount of freshwater introduced to the ocean. With a 100-200 year-long acceleration of ice melt up to a maximum of 0.61 Sv, we simulate 1-3 °C cooling in the North Atlantic and ~0.5-1 °C cooling in Continental Europe; which are similar in magnitude to the ~1-2 °C cooling estimated from records for these areas (Morrill et al., 2013b). Some of the observed features are however not reproduced in our experiments, such as the most pronounced cooling of ~6 °C observed in central Greenland (Alley and Ágústsdóttir, 2005). The results suggest that the ~150 year North Atlantic and European cooling could be caused by ~200 years of accelerated North American ice sheet melt. This

Analysis of Summer 2002 Melt Extent on the Greenland Ice Sheet using MODIS and SSM/I Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, Dorothy K.; Williams, Richard S., Jr.; Steffen, Konrad; Chien, Y. L.; Foster, James L.; Robinson, David A.; Riggs, George A.

2004-01-01

Previous work has shown that the summer of 2002 had the greatest area of snow melt extent on the Greenland ice sheet ever recorded using passive-microwave data. In this paper, we compare the 0 degree isotherm derived from the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument, with Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I)-derived melt, at the time of the maximum melt extent in 2002. To validate the MODIS-derived land-surface temperatures (LSTs), we compared the MODIS LSTs with air temperatures from nine stations (using 11 different data points) and found that they agreed to within 2.3 plus or minus 2.09 C, with station temperatures consistently lower than the MODIS LSTs. According to the MODIS LST, the maximum surface melt extended to approximately 2300 m in southern Greenland; while the SSM/I measurements showed that the maximum melt extended to nearly 2700 m in southeastern Greenland. The MODIS and SSM/I data are complementary in providing detailed information about the progression of surface and near-surface melt on the Greenland ice sheet.

Analysis of Summer 2002 Melt Extent on the Greenland Ice Sheet using MODIS and SSM/I Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, Dorothy K.; Williams, Richard S.; Steffen, Konrad; Chien, Janet Y. L.

2004-01-01

Previous work has shown that the summer of 2002 had the greatest area of snow melt extent on the Greenland ice sheet ever recorded using passive-microwave data. In this paper, we compare the 0 deg. isotherm derived from the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument, with Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I)-derived melt, at the time of the maximum melt extent in 2002. To validate the MODIS derived land-surface temperatures (LSTs), we compared the MODIS LSTs with air temperatures from nine stations (using 11 different data points) and found that they agreed to within 2.3 +/- 2.09 C, with station temperatures consistently lower than the MODIS LSTs. According to the MODIS LST, the maximum surface melt extended to approx. 2300 m in southern Greenland; while the SSM/I measurements showed that the maximum melt extended to nearly 2700 m in southeastern Greenland. The MODIS and SSM/I data are complementary in providing detailed information about the progression of surface and near- surface melt on the Greenland ice sheet.

Analysis of summer 2002 melt extent on the Greenland ice sheet using MODIS and SSM/I data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hall, D.K.; Williams, R.S.; Steffen, K.; Chien, Janet Y.L.

2004-01-01

Previous work has shown that the summer of 2002 had the greatest area of snow melt extent on the Greenland ice sheet ever recorded using passive-microwave data. In this paper, we compare the 0?? isotherm derived from the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument, with Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I)-derived melt, at the time of the maximum melt extent in 2002. To validate the MODIS-derived land-surface temperatures (LSTs), we compared the MODIS LSTs with air temperatures from nine stations (using 11 different data points) and found that they agreed to within 2.3??2.09??C, with station temperatures consistently lower than the MODIS LSTs. According to the MODIS LST, the maximum surface melt extended to ???2300 m in southern Greenland; while the SSM/I measurements showed that the maximum melt extended to nearly 2700 m in southeastern Greenland. The MODIS and SSM/I data are complementary in providing detailed information about the progression of surface and near-surface melt on the Greenland ice sheet.

Analysis of summer 2002 melt extent on the Greenland ice sheet using MODIS and SSM/I data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hall, D. K.; Williams, R.S.; Steffen, K.; Chien, Janet Y.L.

2004-01-01

Previous work has shown that the summer of 2002 had the greatest area of snow melt extent on the Greenland ice sheet ever recorded using passive-microwave data. In this paper, we compare the 0deg isotherm derived from the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument, with Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I)-derived melt, at the time of the maximum melt extent in 2002. To validate the MODIS-derived land-surface temperatures (LSTs), we compared the MODIS LSTs with air temperatures from nine stations (using 11 different data points) and found that they agreed to within 2.3 plusmn 2.09 degC, with station temperatures consistently lower than the MODIS LSTs. According to the MODIS LST, the maximum surface melt extended to ~2300 m in southern Greenland; while the SSM/I measurements showed that the maximum melt extended to nearly 2700 m in southeastern Greenland. The MODIS and SSM/I data are complementary in providing detailed information about the progression of surface and near-surface melt on the Greenland ice sheet.

Modeling Commercial Turbofan Engine Icing Risk With Ice Crystal Ingestion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jorgenson, Philip C. E.; Veres, Joseph P.

2013-01-01

The occurrence of ice accretion within commercial high bypass aircraft turbine engines has been reported under certain atmospheric conditions. Engine anomalies have taken place at high altitudes that have been attributed to ice crystal ingestion, partially melting, and ice accretion on the compression system components. The result was degraded engine performance, and one or more of the following: loss of thrust control (roll back), compressor surge or stall, and flameout of the combustor. As ice crystals are ingested into the fan and low pressure compression system, the increase in air temperature causes a portion of the ice crystals to melt. It is hypothesized that this allows the ice-water mixture to cover the metal surfaces of the compressor stationary components which leads to ice accretion through evaporative cooling. Ice accretion causes a blockage which subsequently results in the deterioration in performance of the compressor and engine. The focus of this research is to apply an engine icing computational tool to simulate the flow through a turbofan engine and assess the risk of ice accretion. The tool is comprised of an engine system thermodynamic cycle code, a compressor flow analysis code, and an ice particle melt code that has the capability of determining the rate of sublimation, melting, and evaporation through the compressor flow path, without modeling the actual ice accretion. A commercial turbofan engine which has previously experienced icing events during operation in a high altitude ice crystal environment has been tested in the Propulsion Systems Laboratory (PSL) altitude test facility at NASA Glenn Research Center. The PSL has the capability to produce a continuous ice cloud which are ingested by the engine during operation over a range of altitude conditions. The PSL test results confirmed that there was ice accretion in the engine due to ice crystal ingestion, at the same simulated altitude operating conditions as experienced previously in

Satellite-derived, melt-season surface temperature of the Greenland Ice Sheet (2000-2005) and its relationship to mass balance

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hall, D.K.; Williams, R.S.; Casey, K.A.; DiGirolamo, N.E.; Wan, Z.

2006-01-01

Mean, clear-sky surface temperature of the Greenland Ice Sheet was measured for each melt season from 2000 to 2005 using Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)–derived land-surface temperature (LST) data-product maps. During the period of most-active melt, the mean, clear-sky surface temperature of the ice sheet was highest in 2002 (−8.29 ± 5.29°C) and 2005 (−8.29 ± 5.43°C), compared to a 6-year mean of −9.04 ± 5.59°C, in agreement with recent work by other investigators showing unusually extensive melt in 2002 and 2005. Surface-temperature variability shows a correspondence with the dry-snow facies of the ice sheet; a reduction in area of the dry-snow facies would indicate a more-negative mass balance. Surface-temperature variability generally increased during the study period and is most pronounced in the 2005 melt season; this is consistent with surface instability caused by air-temperature fluctuations.

Structural, compositional, and sensorial properties of United States commercial ice cream products.

PubMed

Warren, Maya M; Hartel, Richard W

2014-10-01

Commercial vanilla ice cream products from the United States (full fat, low fat, and nonfat) were analyzed for their structural, behavioral (i.e., melt rate and drip-through), compositional, and sensorial attributes. Mean size distributions of ice crystals and air cells, drip-through rates, percent partially coalesced fat, percent overrun and total fat, and density were determined. A trained panel carried out sensory analyses in order to determine correlations between ice cream microstructure attributes and sensory properties using a Spectrum(TM) descriptive analysis. Analyses included melt rate, breakdown, size of ice particulates (iciness), denseness, greasiness, and overall creaminess. To determine relationships and interactions, principle component analysis and multivariate pairwise correlation were performed within and between the instrumental and sensorial data. Greasiness and creaminess negatively correlated with drip-through rate and creaminess correlated with percent total fat and percent fat destabilization. Percent fat did not determine the melt rate on a sensorial level. However, drip-through rate at ambient temperatures was predicted by total fat content of the samples. Based on sensory analysis, high-fat products were noted to be creamier than low and nonfat products. Iciness did not correlate with mean ice crystal size and drip-through rate did not predict sensory melt rate. Furthermore, on a sensorial level, greasiness positively correlated with total percent fat destabilization and mean air cell size positively correlated with denseness. These results indicate that commercial ice cream products vary widely in composition, structure, behavior, and sensory properties. There is a wide range of commercial ice creams in the United States market, ranging from full fat to nonfat. In this research we showed that these ice creams vary greatly in their microstructures, behaviors (the melt/drip-though, collapse, and/or stand up properties of ice cream

Icebergs Melting in Uniform and Vertically Sheared Flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cenedese, Claudia; Fitzmaurice, Anna; Straneo, Fiammetta

2017-11-01

Icebergs calving into Greenlandic Fjords frequently experience strongly sheared flows over their draft, but the impact of this flow past the iceberg on the melt plumes generated along the iceberg sides is not fully captured by existing melt parameterizations. A series of novel laboratory experiments showed that side melting of icebergs subject to relative velocities is controlled by two distinct regimes, which depend on the melt plume behavior (side-attached or side-detached). These two regimes produce a nonlinear dependence of melt rate on velocity, and different distributions of meltwater in the water column. Iceberg meltwater may either be confined to a thin surface layer, when the melt plumes are side-attached, or mixed down to the iceberg draft, when the melt plumes are side-detached. In a two-layer vertically sheared flow, the average flow speed in existing melt parameterizations gives an underestimate of the submarine melt rate, in part due to the nonlinearity of the dependence of melt rate on flow speed, but also because vertical shear in the velocity profile fundamentally changes the flow splitting around the ice block and consequently the velocity felt by the ice surface. Including this nonlinear velocity dependence in melting parameterizations applied to observed icebergs increases iceberg side melt in the side-attached regime, improving agreement with observations of iceberg submarine melt rates. AF was supported by NA14OAR4320106, CC by NSF OCE-1434041 and OCE-1658079, and FS by NSF PLR-1332911 and OCE-1434041.

Observation of melt onset on multiyear Arctic sea ice using the ERS 1 synthetic aperture radar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Winebrenner, D. P.; Nelson, E. D.; Colony, R.; West, R. D.

1994-01-01

We present nearly coincident observations of backscattering from the Earth Remote-Sensing Satellite (ERS) 1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and of near-surface temperature from six drifting buoys in the Beaufort Sea, showing that the onset of melting in snow on multiyear sea ice is clearly detectable in the SAR data. Melt onset is marked by a clean, steep decrease in the backscattering cross section of multiyear ice at 5.3 GHz and VV polarization. We investigate the scattering physics responsible for the signature change and find that the cross section decrease is due solely to the appearance of liquid water in the snow cover overlying the ice. A thin layer of moist snow is sufficient to cause the observed decrease. We present a prototype algorithm to estimate the date of melt onset using the ERS 1 SAR and apply the algorithm first to the SAR data for which we have corresponding buoy temperatures. The melt onset dates estimated by the SAR algorithm agree with those obtained independently from the temperature data to within 4 days or less, with the exception of one case in which temperatures oscillated about 0 C for several weeks. Lastly, we apply the algorithm to the entire ERS 1 SAR data record acquired by the Alaska SAR Facility for the Beaufort Sea north of 73 deg N during the spring of 1992, to produce a map of the dates of melt onset over an area roughly 1000 km on a side. The progression of melt onset is primarily poleward but shows a weak meridional dependence at latitudes of approximately 76 deg-77 deg N. Melting begins in the southern part of the study region on June 13 and by June 20 has progressed to the northermost part of the region.

Environmental impact of melting buried ice blocks (North Poland)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ott, F.; Slowinski, M. M.; Blaszkiewicz, M.; Brauer, A.; Noryskiewicz, B.; Tyszkowski, S.

2013-12-01

The aim of the research was to decipher the impacts of the role of dead ice melting on landscape evolution in the Lateglacial and early Holocene Central Europe. Here, we present the paleoecological results from the middle section of the Wda river which is located in northern Poland (Central Europe), on the outwash plain formed during the Pomeranian phase of the last (Vistulian) glacial period ca 16,000 14C yrs BP. The Wda river has a typical polygenetic valley in young glacial areas of the northern central European lowlands. We reconstructed environmental changes using biotic proxies (plant macrofossil and pollen analyses) and geomorphological investigations. In this study we focused on a short terrestrial sediment core (48 cm) representing four phases of landscape evolution: telmatic, lacustrine, lacustrine-fluvial and alluvial. Abrupt changes in lithology and sediment structures show rapid changes and threshold processes in environmental conditions. The AMS 14C dating of terrestrial plant remains reveals an age for the basal sediments of 11 223 × 23 cal yr BP and thus falls within the Preboreal biozone. Our results showed that existence of buried ice blocks in northern Poland even at the beginning of the Holocene is clear evidence that locally discontinuous permafrost still was present at that time. The results of our study prove a strong influence of melting buried ice blocks on the geomorphological development, hydrological changes in the catchment, and the biotic environment even in the early Holocene. The research was supported by the National Science Centre Poland (grants No. NN 306085037 and NCN 2011/01/B/ST10/07367). This study is a contribution to the Virtual Institute of Integrated Climate and Landscape Evolution (ICLEA) of the Helmholtz Association. Financial support by the COST Action ES0907 INTIMATE is gratefully acknowledged.

Nonlinear Response of Iceberg Melting to Ocean Currents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cenedese, C.; FitzMaurice, A.; Straneo, F.

2017-12-01

Icebergs calving into Greenlandic Fjords frequently experience strongly sheared flows over their draft, but the impact of this flow past the iceberg on the melt plumes generated along the iceberg sides is not fully captured by existing parameterizations. We present a series of novel laboratory experiments to determine the dependence of side submarine melt rates on a background flow. We show, for the first time, that two distinct regimes of melting exist depending on the melt plume behavior (side-attached or side-detached). These two regimes produce a nonlinear dependence of melt rate on velocity, and different distributions of meltwater in the water column. Iceberg meltwater may either be confined to a thin surface layer, when the melt plumes are side-attached, or mixed down to the iceberg draft, when the melt plumes are side-detached. In a two-layer vertically sheared flow the average flow speed in existing melt parameterizations gives an underestimate of the submarine melt rate, in part due to the nonlinearity of the dependence of melt rate on flow speed, but also because vertical shear in the velocity profile fundamentally changes the flow splitting around the ice block and consequently the velocity felt by the ice surface. Including this nonlinear velocity dependence in melting parameterizations applied to observed icebergs increases iceberg side melt in the attached regime, improving agreement with observations of iceberg submarine melt rates. We show that both attached and detached plume regimes are relevant to icebergs observed in a Greenland fjord.

Signature of Arctic first-year ice melt pond fraction in X-band SAR imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fors, Ane S.; Divine, Dmitry V.; Doulgeris, Anthony P.; Renner, Angelika H. H.; Gerland, Sebastian

2017-03-01

In this paper we investigate the potential of melt pond fraction retrieval from X-band polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) on drifting first-year sea ice. Melt pond fractions retrieved from a helicopter-borne camera system were compared to polarimetric features extracted from four dual-polarimetric X-band SAR scenes, revealing significant relationships. The correlations were strongly dependent on wind speed and SAR incidence angle. Co-polarisation ratio was found to be the most promising SAR feature for melt pond fraction estimation at intermediate wind speeds (6. 2 m s-1), with a Spearman's correlation coefficient of 0. 46. At low wind speeds (0. 6 m s-1), this relation disappeared due to low backscatter from the melt ponds, and backscatter VV-polarisation intensity had the strongest relationship to melt pond fraction with a correlation coefficient of -0. 53. To further investigate these relations, regression fits were made both for the intermediate (R2fit = 0. 21) and low (R2fit = 0. 26) wind case, and the fits were tested on the satellite scenes in the study. The regression fits gave good estimates of mean melt pond fraction for the full satellite scenes, with less than 4 % from a similar statistics derived from analysis of low-altitude imagery captured during helicopter ice-survey flights in the study area. A smoothing window of 51 × 51 pixels gave the best reproduction of the width of the melt pond fraction distribution. A considerable part of the backscatter signal was below the noise floor at SAR incidence angles above ˜ 40°, restricting the information gain from polarimetric features above this threshold. Compared to previous studies in C-band, limitations concerning wind speed and noise floor set stricter constraints on melt pond fraction retrieval in X-band. Despite this, our findings suggest new possibilities in melt pond fraction estimation from X-band SAR, opening for expanded monitoring of melt ponds during melt season in the future.

Methane excess in Arctic surface water-triggered by sea ice formation and melting.

PubMed

Damm, E; Rudels, B; Schauer, U; Mau, S; Dieckmann, G

2015-11-10

Arctic amplification of global warming has led to increased summer sea ice retreat, which influences gas exchange between the Arctic Ocean and the atmosphere where sea ice previously acted as a physical barrier. Indeed, recently observed enhanced atmospheric methane concentrations in Arctic regions with fractional sea-ice cover point to unexpected feedbacks in cycling of methane. We report on methane excess in sea ice-influenced water masses in the interior Arctic Ocean and provide evidence that sea ice is a potential source. We show that methane release from sea ice into the ocean occurs via brine drainage during freezing and melting i.e. in winter and spring. In summer under a fractional sea ice cover, reduced turbulence restricts gas transfer, then seawater acts as buffer in which methane remains entrained. However, in autumn and winter surface convection initiates pronounced efflux of methane from the ice covered ocean to the atmosphere. Our results demonstrate that sea ice-sourced methane cycles seasonally between sea ice, sea-ice-influenced seawater and the atmosphere, while the deeper ocean remains decoupled. Freshening due to summer sea ice retreat will enhance this decoupling, which restricts the capacity of the deeper Arctic Ocean to act as a sink for this greenhouse gas.

Experimental insights into pyroclast-ice heat transfer in water-drained, low-pressure cavities during subglacial explosive eruptions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woodcock, D. C.; Lane, S. J.; Gilbert, J. S.

2017-07-01

Subglacial explosive volcanism generates hazards that result from magma-ice interaction, including large flow rate meltwater flooding and fine-grained volcanic ash. We consider eruptions where subglacial cavities produced by ice melt during eruption establish a connection to the atmosphere along the base of the ice sheet that allows accumulated meltwater to drain. The resulting reduction of pressure initiates or enhances explosive phreatomagmatic volcanism within a steam-filled cavity with pyroclast impingement on the cavity roof. Heat transfer rates to melt ice in such a system have not, to our knowledge, been assessed previously. To study this system, we take an experimental approach to gain insight into the heat transfer processes and to quantify ice melt rates. We present the results of a series of analogue laboratory experiments in which a jet of steam, air, and sand at approximately 300°C impinged on the underside of an ice block. A key finding was that as the steam to sand ratio was increased, behavior ranged from predominantly horizontal ice melting to predominantly vertical melting by a mobile slurry of sand and water. For the steam to sand ratio that matches typical steam to pyroclast ratios during subglacial phreatomagmatic eruptions at 300°C, we observed predominantly vertical melting with upward ice melt rates of 1.5 mm s-1, which we argue is similar to that within the volcanic system. This makes pyroclast-ice heat transfer an important contributing ice melt mechanism under drained, low-pressure conditions that may precede subaerial explosive volcanism on sloping flanks of glaciated volcanoes.

Melt volume flow rate and melt flow rate of kenaf fibre reinforced Floreon/magnesium hydroxide biocomposites.

PubMed

Lee, C H; Sapuan, S M; Lee, J H; Hassan, M R

2016-01-01

A study of the melt volume flow rate (MVR) and the melt flow rate (MFR) of kenaf fibre (KF) reinforced Floreon (FLO) and magnesium hydroxide (MH) biocomposites under different temperatures (160-180 °C) and weight loadings (2.16, 5, 10 kg) is presented in this paper. FLO has the lowest values of MFR and MVR. The increment of the melt flow properties (MVR and MFR) has been found for KF or MH insertion due to the hydrolytic degradation of the polylactic acid in FLO. Deterioration of the entanglement density at high temperature, shear thinning and wall slip velocity were the possible causes for the higher melt flow properties. Increasing the KF loadings caused the higher melt flow properties while the higher MH contents created stronger bonding for higher macromolecular chain flow resistance, hence lower melt flow properties were recorded. However, the complicated melt flow behaviour of the KF reinforced FLO/MH biocomposites was found in this study. The high probability of KF-KF and KF-MH collisions was expected and there were more collisions for higher fibre and filler loading causing lower melt flow properties.

Using Laboratory Experiments to Improve Ice-Ocean Parameterizations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McConnochie, C. D.; Kerr, R. C.

2017-12-01

Numerical models of ice-ocean interactions are typically unable to resolve the transport of heat and salt to the ice face. Instead, models rely upon parameterizations that have not been sufficiently validated by observations. Recent laboratory experiments of ice-saltwater interactions allow us to test the standard parameterization of heat and salt transport to ice faces - the three-equation model. The three-equation model predicts that the melt rate is proportional to the fluid velocity while the experimental results typically show that the melt rate is independent of the fluid velocity. By considering an analysis of the boundary layer that forms next to a melting ice face, we suggest a resolution to this disagreement. We show that the three-equation model makes the implicit assumption that the thickness of the diffusive sublayer next to the ice is set by a shear instability. However, at low flow velocities, the sublayer is instead set by a convective instability. This distinction leads to a threshold velocity of approximately 4 cm/s at geophysically relevant conditions, above which the form of the parameterization should be valid. In contrast, at flow speeds below 4 cm/s, the three-equation model will underestimate the melt rate. By incorporating such a minimum velocity into the three-equation model, predictions made by numerical simulations could be easily improved.

Significance of Thermal Fluvial Incision and Bedrock Transfer due to Ice Advection on Greenland Ice Sheet Topography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crozier, J. A.; Karlstrom, L.; Yang, K.

2017-12-01

Ice sheet surface topography reflects a complicated combination of processes that act directly upon the surface and that are products of ice advection. Using recently-available high resolution ice velocity, imagery, ice surface elevation, and bedrock elevation data sets, we seek to determine the domain of significance of two important processes - thermal fluvial incision and transfer of bedrock topography through the ice sheet - on controlling surface topography in the ablation zone. Evaluating such controls is important for understanding how melting of the GIS surface during the melt season may be directly imprinted in topography through supraglacial drainage networks, and indirectly imprinted through its contribution to basal sliding that affects bedrock transfer. We use methods developed by (Karlstrom and Yang, 2016) to identify supraglacial stream networks on the GIS, and use high resolution surface digital elevation models as well as gridded ice velocity and melt rate models to quantify surface processes. We implement a numerically efficient Fourier domain bedrock transfer function (Gudmundsson, 2003) to predict surface topography due to ice advection over bedrock topography obtained from radar. Despite a number of simplifying assumptions, the bedrock transfer function predicts the observed ice sheet surface in most regions of the GIS with ˜90% accuracy, regardless of the presence or absence of supraglacial drainage networks. This supports the hypothesis that bedrock is the most significant driver of ice surface topography on wavelengths similar to ice thickness. Ice surface topographic asymmetry on the GIS is common, with slopes in the direction of ice flow steeper than those faced opposite to ice flow, consistent with bedrock transfer theory. At smaller wavelengths, topography consistent with fluvial erosion by surface hydrologic features is evident. We quantify the effect of ice advection versus fluvial thermal erosion on supraglacial longitudinal stream

Freshening by glacial meltwater enhances melting of ice shelves and reduces formation of Antarctic Bottom Water

PubMed Central

van Wijk, Esmee

2018-01-01

Strong heat loss and brine release during sea ice formation in coastal polynyas act to cool and salinify waters on the Antarctic continental shelf. Polynya activity thus both limits the ocean heat flux to the Antarctic Ice Sheet and promotes formation of Dense Shelf Water (DSW), the precursor to Antarctic Bottom Water. However, despite the presence of strong polynyas, DSW is not formed on the Sabrina Coast in East Antarctica and in the Amundsen Sea in West Antarctica. Using a simple ocean model driven by observed forcing, we show that freshwater input from basal melt of ice shelves partially offsets the salt flux by sea ice formation in polynyas found in both regions, preventing full-depth convection and formation of DSW. In the absence of deep convection, warm water that reaches the continental shelf in the bottom layer does not lose much heat to the atmosphere and is thus available to drive the rapid basal melt observed at the Totten Ice Shelf on the Sabrina Coast and at the Dotson and Getz ice shelves in the Amundsen Sea. Our results suggest that increased glacial meltwater input in a warming climate will both reduce Antarctic Bottom Water formation and trigger increased mass loss from the Antarctic Ice Sheet, with consequences for the global overturning circulation and sea level rise. PMID:29675467

Freshening by glacial meltwater enhances melting of ice shelves and reduces formation of Antarctic Bottom Water.

PubMed

Silvano, Alessandro; Rintoul, Stephen Rich; Peña-Molino, Beatriz; Hobbs, William Richard; van Wijk, Esmee; Aoki, Shigeru; Tamura, Takeshi; Williams, Guy Darvall

2018-04-01

Strong heat loss and brine release during sea ice formation in coastal polynyas act to cool and salinify waters on the Antarctic continental shelf. Polynya activity thus both limits the ocean heat flux to the Antarctic Ice Sheet and promotes formation of Dense Shelf Water (DSW), the precursor to Antarctic Bottom Water. However, despite the presence of strong polynyas, DSW is not formed on the Sabrina Coast in East Antarctica and in the Amundsen Sea in West Antarctica. Using a simple ocean model driven by observed forcing, we show that freshwater input from basal melt of ice shelves partially offsets the salt flux by sea ice formation in polynyas found in both regions, preventing full-depth convection and formation of DSW. In the absence of deep convection, warm water that reaches the continental shelf in the bottom layer does not lose much heat to the atmosphere and is thus available to drive the rapid basal melt observed at the Totten Ice Shelf on the Sabrina Coast and at the Dotson and Getz ice shelves in the Amundsen Sea. Our results suggest that increased glacial meltwater input in a warming climate will both reduce Antarctic Bottom Water formation and trigger increased mass loss from the Antarctic Ice Sheet, with consequences for the global overturning circulation and sea level rise.

Oceans Melting Greenland (OMG): 2017 Observations and the First Look at Yearly Ocean/Ice Changes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Willis, J. K.; Rignot, E. J.; Fenty, I. G.; Khazendar, A.; Moller, D.; Tinto, K. J.; Morison, J.; Schodlok, M.; Thompson, A. F.; Fukumori, I.; Holland, D.; Forsberg, R.; Jakobsson, M.; Dinardo, S. J.

2017-12-01

Oceans Melting Greenland (OMG) is an airborne NASA Mission to investigate the role of the oceans in ice loss around the margins of the Greenland Ice Sheet. A five-year campaign, OMG will directly measure ocean warming and glacier retreat around all of Greenland. By relating these two, we will explore one of the most pressing open questions about how climate change drives sea level rise: How quickly are the warming oceans melting the Greenland Ice Sheet from the edges? This year, OMG collected its second set of both elevation maps of marine terminating glaciers and ocean temperature and salinity profiles around all of Greenland. This give us our first look at year-to-year changes in both ice volume at the margins, as well as the volume and extent of warm, salty Atlantic water present on the continental shelf. In addition, we will compare recent data in east Greenland waters with historical ocean observations that suggest a long-term warming trend there. Finally, we will briefly review the multi-beam sonar and airborne gravity campaigns—both of which were completed last year—and the dramatic improvement they had on bathymetry maps over the continental shelf around Greenland.

Biomass Burning and the 2012 Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) melt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, H. D.; Soja, A. J.; Polashenski, C.; Fairlie, T. D.; Winker, D. M.; Trepte, C. R.

2017-12-01

This study is the part of the Sunlight Absorption on the Greenland ice sheet Experiment (SAGE) project investigating the impact of light absorbing impurities (e.g., aerosols) on the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS). Satellite observations, [e.g. Oceansat-2 (OS2) and the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradionmeter (MODIS)] discovered an unusually large melt event in July 2012. NASA sensors showed that nearly 98.6% of the GrIS experienced melting at or near surface [Nghiem et al., 2012]. In this study, we question the extent to which biomass burning derived aerosols enhanced melting across the GrIS. Random points [59 total, 13 coincident with snow pit sites and 46 gridded] are selected across the entire extent of the GrIS from April 1st to August 31st 2012, and then the NASA Langley Trajectory Model (LaTM) is used to simulate the transport of potentially smoke-filled air parcels backwards for 5 days form these points, evaluation the back trajectory for coincidence with active fire detections. The trajectory model is initialized for 24-hour sustained injection from each site, and air parcels are released from the surface to 2 km at 200m intervals. With the trajectory model outputs, we are able to identify trajectories that have coincidences with fires. We focus on events in April through July when the GrIS albedo was dramatically decreased. We also utilize Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) data to verify smoke-aerosol signatures in boreal regions based on the NASA LaTM results. The results of this study will help us better understand the transport of biomass burning plumes and black carbon deposition that could lead to enhanced GrIS melting.

Winter ocean-ice interactions under thin sea ice observed by IAOOS platforms during NICE2015:salty surface mixed layer and active basal melt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Provost, C.; Koenig, Z.; Villacieros-Robineau, N.; Sennechael, N.; Meyer, A.; Lellouche, J. M.; Garric, G.

2016-12-01

IAOOS platforms, measuring physical parameters at the atmosphere-snow-ice-ocean interface deployed as part of the N-ICE2015 campaign, provide new insights on winter conditions North of Svalbard. The three regions crossed during the drifts, the Nansen Basin, the Sofia Deep and the Svalbard northern continental slope featured distinct hydrographic properties and ice-ocean exchanges. In the Nansen Basin the quiescent warm layer was capped by a stepped halocline (60 and 110 m) and a deep thermocline (110 m). Ice was forming and the winter mixed layer salinity was larger by 0.1 g/kg than previously observed. Over the Svalbard continental slope, the Atlantic Water (AW) was very shallow (20 m from the surface) and extended offshore from the 500 m isobath by a distance of about 70 km, sank along the slope (40 m from the surface) and probably shedded eddies into the Sofia Deep. In the Sofia Deep, relatively warm waters of Atlantic origin extended from 90 m downward. Resulting from different pathways, these waters had a wide range of hydrographic characteristics. Sea-ice melt was widespread over the Svalbard continental slope and ocean-to-ice heat fluxes reached values of 400 Wm-2 (mean of 150 Wm-2 over the continentalslope). Sea-ice melt events were associated with near 12-hour fluctuations in the mixed-layer temperature and salinity corresponding to the periodicity of tides and near-inertial waves potentially generated by winter storms, large barotropic tides over steep topography and/or geostrophic adjustments.

Formation of relief on Europa's surface and analysis of a melting probe movement through the ice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erokhina, O. S.; Chumachenko, E. N.; Dunham, D. W.; Aksenov, S. A.; Logashina, I. V.

2013-12-01

These days, studies of planetary bodies' are of great interest. And of special interest are the icy moons of the giant planets like Jupiter and Saturn. Analysis of 'Voyager 1', 'Voyager 2', 'Galileo' and 'Cassini' spacecraft data showed that icy covers were observed on Jupiter's moons Ganymede, Europa and Calisto, and Saturn's moons Titan and Enceladus. Of particular interest is the relatively smooth surface of Europa. The entire surface is covered by a system of bands, valleys, and ridges. These structures are explained by the mobility of surface ice, and the impact of stress and large-scale tectonic processes. Also conditions on these moons allow speculation about possible life, considering these moons from an astrobiological point of view. To study the planetary icy body in future space missions, one of the problems to solve is the problem of design of a special device capable of penetrating through the ice, as well as the choice of the landing site of this probe. To select a possible landing site, analysis of Europa's surface relief formation is studied. This analysis showed that compression, extention, shearing, and bending can influence some arbitrarily separated section of Europe's icy surface. The computer simulation with the finite element method (FEM) was performed to see what types of defects could arise from such effects. The analysis showed that fractures and cracks could have various forms depending on the stress-strained state arising in their vicinity. Also the problem of a melting probe's movement through the ice is considered: How the probe will move in low gravity and low atmospheric pressure; whether the hole formed in the ice will be closed when the probe penetrates far enough or not; what is the influence of the probe's characteristics on the melting process; what would be the order of magnitude of the penetration velocity. This study explores the technique based on elasto-plastic theory and so-called 'solid water' theory to estimate the

A laboratory examination of the three-equation model of ice-ocean interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McConnochie, Craig; Kerr, Ross

2017-11-01

Numerical models of ice-ocean interactions are typically unable to resolve the transport of heat and salt to the ice face. As such, models rely upon parameterizations that have not been properly validated by data. Recent laboratory experiments of ice-saltwater interactions allow us to test the standard parameterization of heat and salt transport to ice faces - the `three equation model'. We find a significant disagreement in the dependence of the melt rate on the fluid velocity. The three-equation model predicts that the melt rate is proportional to the fluid velocity while the experimental results typically show that the melt rate is independent of the fluid velocity. By considering a theoretical analysis of the boundary layer next to a melting ice face we suggest a resolution to this disagreement. We show that the three-equation model assumes that the thickness of the diffusive sublayer is set by a shear instability. However, at low flow velocities, the sublayer is instead set by a convective instability. This distinction leads to a threshold velocity of approximately 4 cm/s at geophysically relevant conditions, above which the form of the parameterization should be valid. In contrast, at flow speeds below 4 cm/s, the three-equation model will underestimate the melt rate. ARC DP120102772.

Detecting high spatial variability of ice shelf basal mass balance, Roi Baudouin Ice Shelf, Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berger, Sophie; Drews, Reinhard; Helm, Veit; Sun, Sainan; Pattyn, Frank

2017-11-01

Ice shelves control the dynamic mass loss of ice sheets through buttressing and their integrity depends on the spatial variability of their basal mass balance (BMB), i.e. the difference between refreezing and melting. Here, we present an improved technique - based on satellite observations - to capture the small-scale variability in the BMB of ice shelves. As a case study, we apply the methodology to the Roi Baudouin Ice Shelf, Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica, and derive its yearly averaged BMB at 10 m horizontal gridding. We use mass conservation in a Lagrangian framework based on high-resolution surface velocities, atmospheric-model surface mass balance and hydrostatic ice-thickness fields (derived from TanDEM-X surface elevation). Spatial derivatives are implemented using the total-variation differentiation, which preserves abrupt changes in flow velocities and their spatial gradients. Such changes may reflect a dynamic response to localized basal melting and should be included in the mass budget. Our BMB field exhibits much spatial detail and ranges from -14.7 to 8.6 m a-1 ice equivalent. Highest melt rates are found close to the grounding line where the pressure melting point is high, and the ice shelf slope is steep. The BMB field agrees well with on-site measurements from phase-sensitive radar, although independent radar profiling indicates unresolved spatial variations in firn density. We show that an elliptical surface depression (10 m deep and with an extent of 0.7 km × 1.3 km) lowers by 0.5 to 1.4 m a-1, which we tentatively attribute to a transient adaptation to hydrostatic equilibrium. We find evidence for elevated melting beneath ice shelf channels (with melting being concentrated on the channel's flanks). However, farther downstream from the grounding line, the majority of ice shelf channels advect passively (i.e. no melting nor refreezing) toward the ice shelf front. Although the absolute, satellite-based BMB values remain uncertain, we have

Modeling the Spreading of Glacial Melt Water from the Amundsen and Bellingshausen Seas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakayama, Y.; Timmermann, R.; Rodehacke, C. B.; Schröder, M.; Hellmer, H. H.

2014-12-01

The ice shelves and glaciers of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) are rapidly thinning, especially in the Amundsen Sea (AS) and Bellingshausen Sea (BS). The high basal melting of these small ice shelves is caused by relatively warm Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) that, based on observations, mainly intrudes via two submarine glacial troughs located at the eastern and central AS continental shelf break. When CDW reaches the grounding line of the fringing glaciers, it melts the glaciers and forms buoyant melt water plumes. As the glacial melt becomes part of the AS shelf circulation, it may cause a freshening of the shelf water locally as well as remotely in the Ross Sea (RS). To test whether the observed freshening of the RS is a consequence of the enhanced basal melting of AS ice shelves, we use Finite-Element Sea-ice/ice-shelf/Ocean Model (FESOM) with a horizontal resolution of 2-10 km on the AS and BS continental shelves. The model is forced with 6-hourly atmospheric data from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (NCEP-CFSR) for the period 1979-1988. The model results show bottom temperatures in the AS and BS close to observations, and basal melt rates of AS and BS ice shelves consistent with other observation-based estimates. Using several independent virtual passive tracers to identify pathways of the glacial melt, we find that the melt water from the ice shelves in the AS flows towards the Ross Ice Shelf front. After 10 years of simulation, about half of the melt water in the Ross Sea originates from the Getz Ice Shelf. Further, we investigate the sensitivity of the melt water transport into the RS associated with the strength of the basal melt water flux. When this flux is increased by 30%, the transport of glacial melt into the RS more than doubles, supporting the idea that the basal melting of AS and BS ice shelves is one of the main reasons for the freshening of the RS continental shelf.

Arctic melt ponds and energy balance in the climate system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sudakov, Ivan

2017-02-01

Elements of Earth's cryosphere, such as the summer Arctic sea ice pack, are melting at precipitous rates that have far outpaced the projections of large scale climate models. Understanding key processes, such as the evolution of melt ponds that form atop Arctic sea ice and control its optical properties, is crucial to improving climate projections. These types of critical phenomena in the cryosphere are of increasing interest as the climate system warms, and are crucial for predicting its stability. In this paper, we consider how geometrical properties of melt ponds can influence ice-albedo feedback and how it can influence the equilibria in the energy balance of the planet.

Ice-Cliff Failure via Retrogressive Slumping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parizek, B. R.; Christianson, K.; Alley, R. B.; Voytenko, D.; Vankova, I.; Dixon, T. H.; Holland, D.

2016-12-01

The magnitude and rate of future sea-level rise from warming-induced ice-sheet shrinkage remain notably uncertain. Removal of most of an ice sheet by surface melting alone requires centuries to millennia. Oceanic warming may accelerate loss by removing buttressing ice shelves and thereby speeding flow of non-floating ice into the ocean, but, until recently, modeled timescales for major dynamic ice-sheet shrinkage were centuries or longer. Beyond certain thresholds, however, observations show that warming removes floating ice shelves, leaving grounded ice cliffs from which icebergs break off directly. Cliffs higher than some limit experience rapid structural failure. Recent parameterization of this process in a comprehensive ice-flow model produced much faster sea-level rise from future rapid warming than in previous modeling studies, through formation and retreat of tall ice cliffs. Fully physical representations of this process are not yet available, however. Here, we use modeling guided by terrestrial radar data from Helheim Glacier, Greenland to show that cliffs will fail by slumping and trigger rapid retreat at a threshold height that, in crevassed ice with surface melting, may be only slightly above the 100-m maximum observed today, but may be roughly twice that (180-275 m) in mechanically-competent ice under well-drained or low-melt conditions.

Recovering Paleo-Records from Antarctic Ice-Cores by Coupling a Continuous Melting Device and Fast Ion Chromatography.

PubMed

Severi, Mirko; Becagli, Silvia; Traversi, Rita; Udisti, Roberto

2015-11-17

Recently, the increasing interest in the understanding of global climatic changes and on natural processes related to climate yielded the development and improvement of new analytical methods for the analysis of environmental samples. The determination of trace chemical species is a useful tool in paleoclimatology, and the techniques for the analysis of ice cores have evolved during the past few years from laborious measurements on discrete samples to continuous techniques allowing higher temporal resolution, higher sensitivity and, above all, higher throughput. Two fast ion chromatographic (FIC) methods are presented. The first method was able to measure Cl(-), NO3(-) and SO4(2-) in a melter-based continuous flow system separating the three analytes in just 1 min. The second method (called Ultra-FIC) was able to perform a single chromatographic analysis in just 30 s and the resulting sampling resolution was 1.0 cm with a typical melting rate of 4.0 cm min(-1). Both methods combine the accuracy, precision, and low detection limits of ion chromatography with the enhanced speed and high depth resolution of continuous melting systems. Both methods have been tested and validated with the analysis of several hundred meters of different ice cores. In particular, the Ultra-FIC method was used to reconstruct the high-resolution SO4(2-) profile of the last 10,000 years for the EDML ice core, allowing the counting of the annual layers, which represents a key point in dating these kind of natural archives.

Historical Analysis of Melt Pond Fraction on Arctic Sea Ice Through the Synthesis of High- and Medium- Resolution Optical Satellite Remote Sensing.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wright, N.; Polashenski, C. M.

2017-12-01

Snow, ice, and melt ponds cover the surface of the Arctic Ocean in fractions that change throughout the seasons. These surfaces exert tremendous influence over the energy balance of the Arctic Ocean by controlling the absorption of solar radiation. Here we demonstrate the use of a newly released, open source, image classification algorithm designed to identify surface features in high resolution optical satellite imagery of sea ice. Through explicitly resolving individual features on the surface, the algorithm can determine the percentage of ice that is covered by melt ponds with a high degree of certainty. We then compare observations of melt pond fraction extracted from these images with an established method of estimating melt pond fraction from medium resolution satellite images (e.g. MODIS). Because high resolution satellite imagery does not provide the spatial footprint needed to examine the entire Arctic basin, we propose a method of synthesizing both high and medium resolution satellite imagery for an improved determination of melt pond fraction across whole Arctic. We assess the historical trends of melt pond fraction in the Arctic ocean, and address the question: Is pond coverage changing in response to changing ice conditions? Furthermore, we explore the image area that must be observed in order to get a locally representative sample (i.e. the aggregate scale), and show that it is possible to determine accurate estimates of melt pond fraction by observing sample areas significantly smaller than the typical footprint of high-resolution satellite imagery.

Internal stress-induced melting below melting temperature at high-rate laser heating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hwang, Yong Seok; Levitas, Valery I.

2014-06-01

In this Letter, continuum thermodynamic and phase field approaches (PFAs) predicted internal stress-induced reduction in melting temperature for laser-irradiated heating of a nanolayer. Internal stresses appear due to thermal strain under constrained conditions and completely relax during melting, producing an additional thermodynamic driving force for melting. Thermodynamic melting temperature for Al reduces from 933.67 K for a stress-free condition down to 898.1 K for uniaxial strain and to 920.8 K for plane strain. Our PFA simulations demonstrated barrierless surface-induced melt nucleation below these temperatures and propagation of two solid-melt interfaces toward each other at the temperatures very close to the corresponding predicted thermodynamic equilibrium temperatures for the heating rate Q ≤1.51×1010K/s. At higher heating rates, kinetic superheating competes with a reduction in melting temperature and melting under uniaxial strain occurs at 902.1 K for Q = 1.51 × 1011 K/s and 936.9 K for Q = 1.46 × 1012 K/s.