OCE-PRF Track 1 (Broadening Participation): Greenland fjord-glacier coupling from an ice-sheet-wide perspective

该项目是在整个冰盖范围内了解格陵兰峡湾环流和冰动力学的重要一步，并将为了解近端海洋特征对冰动力学的影响程度提供新的见解。最近的美国气候可变性和可预测性格陵兰冰盖-海洋研讨会(2013年6月)确定了以下方面的关键需求：1)为有针对性的研究寻找具有代表性的野外站点，2)将本地过程研究与整个冰盖的行为联系起来的数据，以及3)用于冰盖建模的广泛覆盖的观测。该奖项支持一位博士后研究员，他致力于解决所有这三个问题，方法是对类似冰川-峡湾系统的“家族”进行分类，确定最能代表每一组的单个冰川或冰川系统，并创建泛格陵兰数据集，描述各个峡湾-冰川系统的特征，用于扩大规模和建模。使用一种新颖而稳健的统计方法，这项研究将首次尝试从整个格陵兰岛的角度来理解峡湾-冰川的相互作用。除了这项研究，该研究员还将通过课程开发、指导和一个多媒体海洋科学项目，扩大未被充分代表的群体在科学领域的参与。这项跨学科的调查将由这位冰川学家与赞助科学家、俄勒冈大学的物理海洋学家大卫·萨瑟兰合作进行。鉴于这项研究的跨学科性质，该项目由OPP北极自然科学计划和OCE博士后奖学金计划共同资助。由于格陵兰冰盖(GRIS)中储存了大约7米的海平面上升，其物质平衡对当前海平面上升起着关键作用，预计将成为未来的主要贡献者。全球海洋研究报告的淡水输入也可能对当地和全球范围的海洋环流产生重大影响。然而，事实证明，预测GRIS的质量损失率是具有挑战性的。存在两个主要障碍：1)对控制冰动力学的过程的了解有限，尽管海洋温度和环流似乎可能是关键因素；2)目前的GRIS研究主要集中在少数几个大型峡湾-冰川系统上，关于其他200多个出口冰川的信息相对匮乏。这项研究直接解决了这些问题，进行了一项全面的研究：1)描述峡湾和冰川系统的特征，以洞察大多数以海洋为终点的格陵兰冰川的海洋环流和冰动力学范围，而不是少数几个冰川；2)研究大陆架到冰端的环境和相关的海洋环流对冰动力学的影响程度。

This project represents an important step in understanding Greenland fjord circulation and ice dynamics on an ice-sheet-wide scale and will provide new insights into the extent to which near-terminus ocean characteristics can affect ice dynamics. A recent U.S. Climate Variability and Predictability Greenland Ice Sheet-Ocean Workshop (June 2013) identified critical needs regarding: 1) finding representative field sites for targeted research, 2) data to relate local process studies to behavior across the ice sheet, and 3) broad coverage observations for use in ice sheet modeling. This award supports a Postdoctoral Research Fellow who aims to address all three concerns by classifying "families" of similar glacier-fjord systems and identifying single glaciers or systems that may best represent each group and by creating pan-Greenland datasets characterizing individual fjords-glacier systems for use in upscaling and modeling. Using a novel yet robust statistical approach, this research will be the first to attempt to understand fjord-glacier interactions from a Greenland-wide perspective. In addition to the research, the fellow will broaden participation of underrepresented groups in science through course development, mentoring and a multimedia ocean science project. This interdisciplinary investigation will be conducted by the fellow, a glaciologist, in collaboration with sponsoring scientist, David Sutherland, a physical oceanographer at the University of Oregon. Given the interdisciplinary nature of the research, the project is being co-funded by the OPP Arctic Natural Sciences program and the OCE Postdoctoral Fellowship program. With roughly seven meters of sea level rise stored in the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS), its mass balance plays a critical role in current sea level rise and is expected to be a primary contributor in the future. Freshwater input from the GrIS may also have significant effects on local and global scale ocean circulation. Predicting the rate of mass loss from the GrIS, however, has proven challenging. Two primary obstacles exist: 1) limited understanding of the processes controlling ice dynamics, though it appears that ocean temperature and circulation may be key elements, and 2) much of the current GrIS research is focused on a few large fjord-glacier systems, with a relative dearth of information regarding many of the other 200+ outlet glaciers. This research directly addresses these issues with a comprehensive study to 1) characterize fjord and glacier systems to gain insight into the range of ocean circulation and ice dynamics for most marine-terminating Greenland glaciers, as opposed to a few, and 2) examine the extent to which the continental shelf-to-terminus environment and associated ocean circulation influence ice dynamics