RUI: Water from Stone -- Investigating the Hydrologic Role of Rock Glaciers

当冰川被岩石雪崩掩埋时，或者当冰在陡峭悬崖底部松散的碎石堆中堆积时，岩石冰川就形成了。在这两种情况下，冰都会变形，使岩石冰川缓慢下坡。当岩石冰川延伸到更低、更温暖的海拔，或者当夏季气温上升时，这些冰融化，水被释放出来，流入溪流和湿地。这个项目将调查犹他州两个山脉的数百个岩石冰川的水量，这两个山脉是科罗拉多河系统的重要水源，分别是温塔山脉和拉萨尔山脉。明德学院的本科生将直接参与现场和实验室研究的各个方面。这些学生还将参加犹他州东北部一所公立高中泰拉学院（Terra Academy）的学生辅导工作。先前的研究表明，岩石冰川改变了高海拔流域径流的时间和数量，并作为夏末基流的重要组成部分。也有证据表明，岩石冰川内永久冻土的融化正在释放以前作为常年冰保存的融水。如果岩石冰川内的冰库被消除，那么未来这些流域可用的水可能会减少。这个项目将检验这样一个假设，即岩石冰川中以前的常年冰的融化正在对高海拔流域的水文产生不可持续的影响。技术将包括基于卫星的雷达干涉测量相结合，用于监测岩石冰川运动；部署数据记录器，记录岩石冰川表面的温度和水流；岩石冰川排放水的序贯采样及水化学特征岩石冰川融水测年；用探地雷达探测来识别内部冰。该项目将为本科生提供大量参与和培训前沿研究方法的机会。主要研究人员和他们的学生还将指导犹他州东北部一所公立学校泰拉学院（Terra Academy）的高中生，他们将对水文学和相关主题进行独立研究。结果将与美国林务局进行沟通，以帮助管理决策，并更好地预测未来可用水资源的变化。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Rock glaciers form when ice glaciers are buried by rock avalanches, or when ice accumulates within loose piles of rubble at the base of steep cliffs. In both cases, this ice can deform, allowing the rock glacier to slowly move downhill. When rock glaciers extend to lower, warmer elevations, or when summer temperatures rise, this ice melts and water is released to feed streams and wetlands. This project will investigate how much water is coming out of the hundreds of rock glaciers in two mountain ranges in Utah that are important contributors of water to the Colorado River system, the Uinta Mountains and the La Sal Mountains. Undergraduate students at Middlebury College will be directly involved in all aspects of the field and laboratory research. These students will also participate in mentoring of students at Terra Academy, a public high school in northeastern Utah.Previous work has demonstrated that rock glaciers alter the timing and amount of runoff in high-elevation watersheds and serve as an important component of late summer baseflow. There is also evidence that thawing of permafrost within rock glaciers is releasing meltwater formerly archived as perennial ice. If the ice reservoir within rock glaciers is eliminated, then there may be less water available for these watersheds in the future. This project will test the hypothesis that melting of formerly perennial ice within rock glaciers is contributing unsustainably to the hydrology of high-elevation watersheds. Techniques will include a combination of satellite-based radar interferometry for monitoring rock glacier movement; deployment of dataloggers for recording the temperature of rock glacier surfaces and water discharges; sequential sampling and hydrochemical characterization of rock glacier discharge waters; dating of rock glacier melt water; and ground penetrating radar surveying to identify internal ice. This project will provide numerous opportunities for involvement and training of undergraduate students in cutting-edge research methods. The principal investigators and their students will also mentor high-school students at Terra Academy, a public school in northeastern Utah, who will conduct independent research on hydrology and related topics. Results will be communicated with the US Forest Service to aid management decisions and better predict future changes in water availability.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.