Collaborative Research: Quantifying Glacier-Fjord-Ocean Interactions and Their Impact on Changing Ice Discharge: Kangia Nunata Sermia and Other Outlets, West Greenland

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案(公法111-5)资助的。这项多学科提案旨在通过将峡湾/冰川系统中的海洋、冰川和大气测量联系起来，展示最近发生的变化，以量化在该界面上发生的过程，从而提高对海洋/冰川-冰相互作用的理解。拟议的工作利用并扩大了作为格陵兰-丹麦国际海洋学年倡议Freshlink的一部分而建立的实质性海洋学调查，该倡议试图评估格陵兰西南部Godthábsfjorden水系的淡水平衡。这项提议为这项多学科的努力增加了紧密结合的冰川和峡湾内组件。具体目标是：1)建立对进入峡湾的主要冰川流量变异性和变化模式的观测，量化季节和年度时间尺度上的冰流量，并将其与峡湾和离岸海洋学测量相关联；2)量化作为水温和冰川淡水流量的函数的冰解末端的海底融化；以及3)将这些结果与其他出口进行比较，并评估格陵兰尺度上冰川-冰/海洋相互作用的影响。在格陵兰岛的许多地区，人们提出了一个基本假设，即海洋强迫控制着出口冰川流动的各个方面。要想了解最近的出口冰川退缩，需要研究整个冰川-峡湾-开阔海洋系统。这种综合办法就是这项提案的目标。将详细的季节性分布的海洋断面与系泊地的测量相结合，将能够量化冰川冰的海洋融化以及冰川下的排放。这套冰川学测量将量化冰川系统的反应，并限制表面融化。对该系统的卫星时间序列进行分析，目的是找到与现场测量的过程相适应的可远程测量的特征，这可能允许将其扩展到格陵兰周围的其他峡湾。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).This multidisciplinary proposal aims to improve understanding of ocean/glacier-ice interactions by linking oceanographic, glacier, and atmospheric measurements in a fjord/glacier system showing recent change to quantify processes occurring at this interface. The proposed work leverages and extends a substantive oceanographic investigation established as part of a Greenlandic-Danish IPY initiative, FRESHLINK, which attempts to assess the freshwater balance of the Godthåbsfjorden drainage in southwestern Greenland. This proposal adds tightly integrated glacier and inner-fjord components to this multidisciplinary effort. The specific goals are to 1) establish observations of glacier flow variability and patterns of change of the main glacier entering the fjord and quantify ice discharge on seasonal and annual time scales and relate these to fjord and off-shore oceanographic measurements; 2) quantify submarine melting at the calving terminus as a function of water temperature and glacial freshwater discharge; and 3) compare these results to other outlets and assess the implications for glacier-ice/ocean interaction on the scale of Greenland. The underlying assumption, that oceanographic forcing controls aspects of outlet glacier flow, is suggested in many areas of Greenland. Understanding recent outlet glacier retreat requires a study of the entire glacier-fjord-open ocean system. Such an integrated approach is the goal of this proposal. The combination of detailed seasonally-distributed oceanographic transects with measurements from moorings will allow quantification of marine melting of glacier ice as well as subglacial discharge. The suite of glaciological measurements will quantify the response of the glacier system as well as constrain surface melting. The satellite time series of the system, analyzed with the goal of finding remotely measurable characteristics that scale with the processes measured in situ, may allow extension to other fjords around Greenland.