The influence of subglacial discharge on the oceanic fate of meltwater from the Greenland ice sheet

这项研究集中在格陵兰峡湾融化的沃茨对拉布拉多海环流的影响，以确定北大西洋的融水的命运。该提案的前提是，从冰川中排出并被困在东格陵兰海洋表面以下的淡水与到达表面的淡水有不同的命运。地表和次表层淡水沃茨之间的目的地差异是因为风应该将地表沃茨与次表层沃茨分开，次表层水体与风的强迫更加隔离。这项研究将利用计算机模型模拟和卫星数据进行。这项研究的结果应该对研究北大西洋水下沉及其对气候影响的全球尺度模型具有影响。该项目将资助一名研究生，并将为格鲁吉亚的数学教师组织一次关于气候过程的讲习班，该项目将调查拉布拉多海的输送过程，从格陵兰冰盖融水直接影响的地区到拉布拉多海冬季发生深对流的地区。该提案的目标是确定和量化冰下排放对拉布拉多海运输路径的影响。该假说认为，东格陵兰峡湾的地下融水将比地表融水更有效地输送到拉布拉多海。如果这一假设被证明是准确的，那么它将表明，正确的描绘峡湾环流是必不可少的大尺度环流和对流的海洋模式的代表。该提案还假设，随着全球变暖，外流羽流要么a）更多地受到格陵兰岛西部风的影响，减少融化水进入拉布拉多海中部的运输，要么B）增加流动不稳定性和空间变异性，增加进入拉布拉多海中部的运输。卫星观测和模式模拟将量化后一种假设的两种可能结果的相对重要性以及融水对冬季对流的影响。这项工作是合理的，需要代表东格陵兰岛的冰下放电，与西格陵兰岛的陆地终止冰川的表面输入。作为更广泛的影响，该项目将支持一名格拉德生和一名研究科学家，部分。作为格鲁吉亚长期生态研究的一部分，PI将为数学科学教师组织为期一天的气候过程研讨会。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。

This study concentrates on the influence that melt waters from Greenland fjords has on the circulation of the Labrador Sea to determine the fate of the melt water to the North Atlantic Ocean. The premise of the proposal is that fresh water discharged from glaciers and trapped below the ocean’s surface on East Greenland has different fate from the fresh water that reaches the surface. The difference in destination between surface and subsurface fresh waters is because the wind should drive surface waters distinctly from subsurface waters, which are more isolated from the wind forcing. The study will be carried out with computer model simulations and satellite data. Findings from this study should have implications for global scale models that study water sinking in the North Atlantic and its impact on climate. The project will support one graduate student and will organize a workshop on climate processes for math & science teachers in Georgia.This project will investigate transport processes in the Labrador Sea, from areas of direct influence of Greenland ice sheet melt water to areas in the Labrador Sea where deep convection occurs in winter. The goal of the proposal is to identify and quantify the effect of subglacial discharge on transport pathways in the Labrador Sea. The hypothesis is that subsurface melt water from East Greenland’s fjords will be transported to the Labrador Sea more effectively than surface melt water. If this hypothesis is proven accurate, then it will show that the correct depiction of fjord circulation is essential for representation of large-scale circulation and convection in ocean models. The proposal also hypothesizes that, with global warming, outflow plumes will either a) be more influenced by winds off W Greenland and reduce transport of melt water into central Labrador Sea, or b) increase flow instabilities and spatial variability that will increase transport into central Labrador Sea. Satellite observations and model simulations will quantify the relative importance of the two possible outcomes of the latter hypothesis and the effects of melt water on winter convection. The work is justified by the need to represent subglacial discharge on eastern Greenland, in contrast to the surface input of land-terminating glaciers on West Greenland. As Broader Impacts, the project will support one grad student and one research scientist, partially. The PIs will organize a 1-day workshop on climate processes for math & science teachers, as part of Georgia’s Long Term Ecological Research.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.