Is Glacier Wastage Accelerating in Northwestern North America?

北美西北部几乎所有的冰川都在减少质量，而且在过去的十年左右，其速度比过去几十年的速度快了近两倍。一个明显的问题是，这种加速是否会持续下去。为解决这一问题，需要为一个三年期方案提供资金，以继续对北美西北部冰川进行高程剖面测量，从2007年至2009年将使用小型飞机激光测高仪系统进行这项工作。第四年将进行分析。结果将使我们比目前更好地覆盖区域，并允许更准确和更新的估计，从这个源区的平均海平面上升的贡献。 在所有年份，将有一个解释性的计划，将重点放在冰川消耗对海平面的影响，特别注意趋势，以及冰川和气候之间的联系。其目标是：1）在整个国际极地年期间继续开展冰川剖面和分析方案; 2）完成对来自本项目和我们的相关项目的冰川剖面数据的整理、分析和存档。（以及更早的）NASA项目; 3）开发一种有效和准确的方法，从测量的冰川到北美西北部所有冰川化地区，推断我们的飞行路线海拔变化和体积变化估计，因此，这些冰川对海平面上升的区域贡献的估计可以在适当的时间间隔更新;和4）根据冰川在气候系统中的作用来解释我们的结果。更广泛的影响：在这个气候变化的时期，对北美西北部冰川损耗的测量引起了公众的兴趣，并得到了许多新闻报道。公众认为冰川的损耗是一种令人印象深刻的晴雨表和说明，是持续气候变化的后果，最实际的后果是冰川损耗对全球平均海平面上升的贡献。因此，冰川流失是否继续加速的问题引起了相当大的兴趣。海平面上升对世界沿海人口的影响是巨大的，包括直接洪水和相关现象，如冰后隆起、海岸侵蚀加剧和风暴潮风险。

ABSTRACTLingleOPP-0612Almost all the glaciers of northwestern North America are losing mass, and at a rate that has accelerated by a factor of almost two during the past decade or so compared with the rate over several previous decades. The obvious question is whether this acceleration is continuing. To address this question, funds are requested for a three-year program to continue elevation profiling of the glaciers of northwestern North America, which will be carried out with a small-aircraft laser altimeter system from 2007 through 2009. There will be a fourth year for analysis. The results will give us better regional coverage than we have at present, and permit more accurate and updated estimations of the contribution to rising mean sea level from this source region. In all years, there will be an interpretative program that will focus on the effect of glacier wasting on sea level with special attention to trends, and on the connections between glaciers and climate. The objectives are to: 1) continue the glacier profiling and analysis program through the International Polar Year; 2) complete reduction, analysis and archiving of glacier profiling data from this and our related (and earlier) NASA projects; 3) develop an efficient and accurate method for extrapolating our flight-line elevation changes and volume change estimates from measured glaciers to all of the glacierized areas of northwestern North America, so estimates of the regional contribution from these glaciers to rising sea level can be updated at suitable intervals; and 4) interpret our results in terms of the role of glaciers in the climate system. Broader impacts: The measurement of glacier wastage in northwestern North America is of interest to the public during this time of climate change and has received much press coverage. The public sees the wastage of glaciers as an impressive kind of barometer and illustration and a consequence of continuing climate change, the most practical consequence being the contribution of glacier wastage, globally to rising mean sea level. Thus, the question of whether glacier wastage is continuing to accelerate is of considerable interest. The effects of rising sea level on the coastal populations of the world are enormous and include direct flooding and related phenomena such as post-glacial uplift, increasing coastal erosion, and risk from storm surges.