Rates of Glacial Erosion in Southern Alaska

Hallet 9628675 这项研究涉及一个具有广泛科学意义的突出问题：构造活动区的冰川侵蚀速率，以及它对构造、气候和侵蚀相互作用所决定的山脉发展的影响。 拟议研究的白令冰川部分还有望获得关于沉积物的快速冰川覆盖及其对冰川动态和崩解冰川稳定性的影响的宝贵新信息。 目标是： 以确定目前的侵蚀率在广泛的（5000平方公里）和构造活动区排水的白令冰川，包括山。圣埃利亚斯地区与无与伦比的救济，从海平面，通过监测沉积物积累在冰前Vitus湖复杂。 研究ACCRETE研究人员最近在阿拉斯加东南部的峡湾和内陆通道获得的大量新数据。 这些数据有望产生有价值的信息，第四纪和全新世沉积物产量在广泛的，严重冰川化的地区，可以比较长期的区域剥露率已知是高的。 汇编阿拉斯加东南部其他冰川的现成数据，以提高对控制冰川侵蚀和沉积物转移到峡湾的区域速率的因素的定义和理解。 建立一个定量框架，通过地壳汇聚的连续力学模型，结合冰川侵蚀和沉积物转移的简单抽象，探讨冰川快速侵蚀和沉积物转移对地形和地球动力学的影响。 在拟议的五年项目期限内，多方面的研究被认为是可行的：这是一项涉及四名知名研究人员的小组努力，并以现有的大量数据为基础。 它涉及美国陆军寒冷地区研究和工程实验室的卢·亨特，独立资助的美国地质勘探局研究人员布鲁斯·莫尼亚和保罗·卡隆，以及主要投资人伯纳德·哈利特和研究助理扬·梅朗（均在华盛顿大学）。 所有成员都将参加实地工作。 我们小组的集体专门知识非常适合拟议的工作;它来自在峡湾和沿海沃茨以及阿拉斯加冰川方面的大量实地经验，以及对冰川侵蚀和崩解边缘过程、过程地貌学和地球动力学的定量研究。 我们强调，与USGS和CRREL的合作将有力地利用本文所要求的NSF资源。 Molnia和Carlson以及支持地震工作的电子技术员的工资由美国地质勘探局支付。 美国地质勘探局的其他贡献包括获得过去的摄影，地震和其他记录;一个装备精良的大本营;和志愿者的帮助，包括本科生，由Merit Corp.有限的工资亨特赞助，使我们不仅可以利用他的专业知识，并包括他作为我们的研究团队的积极成员，而且还使我们能够利用CRREL的其他专业知识，包括丹尼尔劳森，使用CRREL编辑、制图/摄影设施，并借用一些现场设备。

Hallet 9628675 The research bears on an outstanding issue of broad scientific interest: the rate of glacial erosion in a tectonically active area, and its implications for the development of mountain ranges as dictated by the interplay of tectonics, climate, and erosion. The Bering Glacier section of the proposed study also promises to yield valuable new information on rapid glacial over-riding of sediments and its implication regarding the dynamics of glaciers and the stability of calving glaciers. Objectives are: to determine current erosion rates in the extensive (5000 km2) and tectonically active region drained by Bering Glacier, including the Mt. St. Elias area with unsurpassed relief from sea level, by monitoring sediment accumulation in the proglacial Vitus Lake complex. to examine considerable new data recently obtained by ACCRETE researchers in the fjords and inland passages of SE Alaska. These data promise to yield valuable information about Quaternary and Holocene sediment yields over a broad, heavily glacierized area that can be compared to longer term regional exhumation rates known to be high. to compile readily available data from other SE Alaska glaciers to improve the definition and understanding of factors controlling regional rates of glacial erosion and sediment transfer to fjords. to develop a quantitative framework for exploring the topographic and geodynamic implications of rapid glacial erosion and sediment transfer through a continuum mechanical model of crustal convergence coupled with a simple abstraction of erosion and sediment transfer by glaciers. The multifaceted research is deemed feasible, within the five-year proposed duration of the project: it is a group effort involving four established researchers and is founded on considerable data already available. It involves Lew Hunter of the U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, and independently funded USGS researchers, Bruce Molnia and Paul Carslon, as well as principal inves tigator Bernard Hallet and research assistant Yann Merrand (both at the University of Washington). All members will participate in field work. The collective expertise of our team is ideally suited for the proposed work; it emanates from considerable field experience in fjords and coastal waters and on glaciers in Alaska, and from quantitative studies of glacial erosion and calving-margin processes, process geomorphology and geodynamics. We stress that the NSF resources requested herein will strongly leveraged by the collaboration with the USGS and CRREL. Salaries for Molnia and Carlson, and for an electronics technician to support the seismic work, are covered by the USGS. Other USGS contributions include access to past photographic, seismic, and other records; a well equipped base camp; and assistance from volunteers, including undergraduate students, sponsored by the Merit Corp. Limited salary for Hunter permits us not only to draw on his expertise and to include him as an active member of our research team, but also enables us to tap additional expertise at CRREL including Daniel Lawson, to use CRREL editorial, graphics/photography facilities, and to borrow some field equipment.