Upward-looking Impulse Radar for continuous monitoring of Snow Accumulation and Melt in Greenland (URSAM)

尽管几十年的研究格陵兰冰盖（GIS），时间连续测定雪和积雪的属性，特别是总质量的积累和液态水含量，尚未执行。然而，在不断变化的气候条件下，这种监测对于更好地了解格陵兰冰盖积雪区的积累和融化的相互作用至关重要。通过更高的温度，更多的液态水将渗入系统。因此，更多的潜热被输送到积雪和地层相应的变化。液态水的渗透促进了巨大冰层的形成，这很可能会进一步阻碍水的渗透。然而，这种积累和融化之间的反馈反应很难理解，相应地，积雪模型缺乏正确的预测表面质量平衡。这项建议的目的是利用上视脉冲雷达技术，不断监测西格陵兰冰盖内的积累和融化过程。所设想的项目可以在很大程度上提高目前对积累和融化的相互作用的认识，特别是融化过程对西部冰盖渗透区内的积雪地层的影响。该项目的总体目标是更深入地了解这一领域的表面质量平衡。

Despite decades of research on the Greenland ice sheet (GIS), temporally continuous determination of snow and firn properties, especially the total mass of accumulation and liquid water content, has not been performed yet. However, in changing climatic preconditions, such monitoring is of utmost relevance to better understand interactions of accumulation and melt in firn regions of the Greenland ice sheet. Through warmer temperatures more liquid water will percolate into the system. As a consequence, more latent heat is transported into the firn pack and stratigraphy changes accordingly. Percolating liquid water promotes the formation of massive ice layers, which most likely pond further water percolation. However, such feedback reactions between accumulation and melt are hardly understood and, correspondingly, firn models lack in correct predictions of surface mass balances. This proposal aims at continuous monitoring of accumulation and melt processes within the Western Greenland ice sheet utilizing upward-looking impulse radar technology. The envisaged project can, to a great extent, improve the current understanding of interactions of accumulation and melt, and, in particular the influence of melt processes on firn stratigraphy within the percolation zone of the western ice sheet. The overall goal of this project is a deeper process understanding for a more accurate determination of surface mass balance in this area.