U.S.-Sweden Cooperative Research: The Effect of Water- saturated Deformable Basal Till on Glacier Dynamics

该奖项将支持明尼苏达大学圣保罗分校的罗杰·L·胡克教授和斯德哥尔摩大学的维比约恩·卡伦教授之间的合作研究。这项研究将有助于对发生在冰川及其下层交界处的过程进行持续调查。瑞典北部的斯托尔冰川将研究冰川和这一层之间耦合的时间和空间变化，特别是反映在水压对滑动速度的影响上。在过去的六年里，胡克教授和他的瑞典合作者一直在参与对斯托尔冰川的研究。这项工作将扩展以前对地表速度、冬季积雪、烧蚀和钻孔变形的测量，增加了地面倾斜和应变、钻孔内水压力变化、内部排水、以及冰川末端的泥沙和水的排放。所有这些研究的相互关联将有助于更好地理解冰川流动的动力学。斯德哥尔摩大学的塔尔法拉研究站是这些研究的基地，位于冰川附近，为记录和分析将要获得的数据提供了极好的设施。拟议中的合作为这位美国研究人员提供了一个机会，可以使用紧邻他的实验对象的高度专业化的设施。随着土地利用向中纬度地区的山谷冰川延伸，冰川动力学的研究变得越来越重要。这些研究对于了解未来预期海平面上升对冰川的影响也是必要的。

This award will support collaborative research between Professor Roger L. Hooke, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, and Professor Wibjorn Karlen, University of Stockholm. This research will contribute to an on-going investigation of processes that occur at the interface of glaciers and their underlying layer. The variations in time and space of the coupling between the glacier and this layer, particularly as reflected in water pressure effects on sliding velocity, will be studied on the Storglacier in northern Sweden. Prof. Hooke and his Swedish collaborators have been involved with studies of the Storglacier for the past six years. This work will extend previous measurements of surface velocities, winter snow accumulation, ablation, and borehole deformation, by adding measurements of surface tilt and strain, water pressure variations in boreholes, internal drainage, and sediment and water discharge at the glacier terminus. Correlation of all of these studies will lead to an enhanced understanding of the dynamics of glacial flow. The University of Stockholm's Tarfala Research Station, the base for these studies, is located near the glacier, and provides excellent facilities for the recording and analysis of the data to be obtained. The proposed cooperation presents the U.S. investigator with an opportunity to use highly specialized facilities, immediately adjacent to the subject of his experiments. Studies of glacier dynamics are of increasing importance, as land utilization extends closer to valley glaciers in mid-latitude regions. These studies are also necessary to understand the effect of future expected sea-level rises on glaciers.