RAPID: Surge of Negribreen, Svalbard

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Changes in the rate at which glaciers flow into the ocean are a source of uncertainty in estimates of future sea level rise. Surges are brief events during which these rates increase up to 100 times greater than the normal flow rate. Surges, which typically last between a few months and a few years on any given glacier, occur at intervals of decades to centuries. Therefore, few detailed observations of surges are available for study. Negribreen, one of the largest glaciers in Svalbard, has started to surge last summer. This project will collect different data sets that will be used with satellite data to characterize the surging glacier. The project will contribute to STEM workforce development by supporting the training of a graduate student and an undergraduate student. Observations from this project will be added to an existing website and to develop presentations for the K-12 community.A combination of observations (laser altimetry, video, GPS data, photographs from small aircraft, and satellite data) and recently developed analysis approaches will be used to develop an understanding of glacier response (deformation, crevassing, acceleration, surge progression in the glacier system, elevation change and mass transfer) to surge dynamics. The principal investigator has been studying the 2011-2013 and 1993-1995 surges of the Bering-Bagley Glacier System, Alaska, using similar techniques and numerical modeling. Bering Glacier is a warm-based glacier and Negribreen a cold-based glacier. Results from the two systems will be compared and contrasted. It is anticipated that characteristics of surges common to different climate conditions may be isolated from those dependent upon specific environmental conditions.